Goh Cheng Liang – Family, Family Tree

Goh Cheng Liang is a billionaire tycoon who is known worldwide for the formation of Wuthelam Holdings, a company which manufactures paints and coatings and which helped Goh gain the immense wealth which he boasts of today. Goh has a net worth of 7.9 billion dollars according to Forbes.

He was born in Singapore in the year 1928. He is often said to be reclusive and unlike others, in the league of billionaires, most do not know him. He founded and owns Nippon Paint South East Asia group and has 38 percent equity in the Nippon group. Goh’s life can said to be anything but struggle.

Life Story Of Goh Cheng Liang

Having been born in 1928 in Singapore, he was born into a family of six who survived on about dollars a month living in a shop-house on river valley road. His family consisted of his parents, brother and three sisters. He lived in Singapore until World War 2 broke out, his parents fearful of the war sent him to Muar in Malaya where he worked with his brother-in-law selling fishing nets before returning to Singapore in 1943.

After returning to Singapore in 1943 he started his own business selling aerated water. It failed. Broken he went and worked in a hardware store for four and a half years. Goh finally struck gold when in 1949 British Army was auctioning army supplies and he bought barrels of rotting paint, only to him it was his way to greatness. With a Chinese dictionary on chemicals in hand, he set about mixing stuff and solvents and creating his own brand of paints, known as Pigeon Brand Paints.

The Korean war of 1950 was a boon since imports were limited and his paints sold off quickly. His business got the next big push when in 1959 he became a distributor of Nippon paint. From thereon his company has become the largest producer of paints in Asia. What is most astonishing about his journey is that he never attended school of any kind and heavily critics the theory that one needs a degree for success.

Family Of Goh Cheng Liang

Parents- His dad was unemployed and a drunk man whereas his mother did laundry for people while his sisters ran a street restaurant.

Son- His son Hup Goh Jin now heads Nipsea Holdings Pvt Ltd while he has been the executive director of Wuthelam holdings since 1982.