On the morning of 12 August 2025, Singapore lost more than just its richest man. The world bid farewell to a quiet visionary whose life began in poverty and ended as a titan of industry and compassion. Goh Cheng Liang, the paint tycoon behind Nippon Paint Holdings and founder of Wuthelam Group, with an estimated net worth of US$13 billion, passed away peacefully at the age of 98.
To those who truly knew him, Goh’s legacy was never written in numbers. He was born into struggle, came of age during war, and never stepped foot in a formal classroom. Yet from such quiet beginnings, he built a global empire. And still, he measured success not in riches, but in purpose, persistence, and the lives he lifted along the way.
River Valley: A Childhood of Scraps and Sacrifice
Goh was born in 1927 in Singapore and spent his early years living in a single rented room along River Valley Road, sharing the cramped quarters with his parents, a brother, and three sisters. The family paid just $3 a month in rent, but even that was a struggle.
“My parents were very poor,” Goh recalled in a 1997 interview with The Business Times.
“My father was jobless during the Japanese Occupation. My mother washed laundry to make money. My sister sold soon kway [a Chinese rice noodle cake] on the streets.”
When World War II broke out, Goh was sent to Muar, Johor, to live with relatives. There, he helped his brother-in-law sell fishing nets. There were no toys, no books, and certainly no classrooms. But there was survival, and there was resilience.
Goh Cheng Liang: The Man Who Built a Paint Empire
After the war, Goh returned to Singapore. With little to his name, he started a soft drink business. It failed.
He then found work at a local hardware store. It was there, surrounded by industrial tools and leftover materials, that he learned about paints, and where fate took a turn.
In 1949, the British army was auctioning off surplus war materials. Goh scraped together what little he had and bought barrels of spoiled paint, the kind no one wanted.
With only a Chinese dictionary and a short training course in Denmark to guide him, he began mixing his own formulas by hand.
It was trial and error. But it worked.
He launched his first product under Pigeon Brand, and when the Korean War began in 1950, demand for local paint skyrocketed due to import restrictions.
“I just tried. There was nothing to lose,” he would later say.
This one gamble turned into a national success. Soon, Nippon Paint took notice and approached Goh to become their exclusive distributor in Singapore.
Building Without Bragging
In 1974, Goh founded Wuthelam Holdings, a name that would become synonymous with excellence in coatings and paints across Asia.
His approach to business was simple: stay private, stay focused, and stay patient.
“My personal philosophy is I never want to go public. I’m not a professional manager,” he said.
“And when professionals join me, I don’t know how to drive them. I just run things the way I know how.”
That humility didn’t stop him from thinking big. Under his leadership and later that of his son, Goh Hup Jin, Wuthelam expanded regionally and strategically deepened its relationship with Nippon Paint.
In 2021, Wuthelam acquired a majority stake in Nippon Paint Holdings for US$12 billion, instantly boosting Goh’s fortune. But by then, the empire was no longer just about profits, it was about purpose.
Giving Quietly, Giving Often
Goh was never comfortable in the spotlight. But he believed in giving back. A cancer survivor himself, he knew the value of health and hope.
With support from Singapore’s late President Wee Kim Wee, Goh established the Goh Foundation in 1995, creating a structured way to give back to society.
His contributions included:
- The National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS)
- The Goh Cheng Liang Proton Therapy Centre, one of Asia’s most advanced cancer treatment hubs
- Children’s cancer research at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the Viva Foundation, and National University Hospital
- Funding for ARiSE, a programme supporting rheumatology and immunology research at Singapore General Hospital
- Supportive and palliative care initiatives for end-stage patients and their families
Professor Lim Soon Thye, CEO of NCCS said, “Mr Goh’s generosity was instrumental in transforming cancer care in Singapore. His support changed lives, and will continue to do so for generations.”
And it didn’t end in Singapore.
Goh also channelled his wealth into Chaozhou, China, where his ancestral roots lay. In Dawu Village, he funded roads, clean water systems, sanitation facilities, and schools, bringing progress to places that time had left behind.
The River Valley That Came Full Circle
In the early 1980s, Goh returned to River Valley, not to live, but to build.
He developed Liang Court, one of Singapore’s first modern shopping complexes. When asked why he didn’t choose a more glamorous location like Orchard Road, Goh simply said, “River Valley is where I grew up. I wanted to build something there.”
He also developed and later sold Mount Elizabeth Hospital, another major landmark in Singapore’s private healthcare system.
Legacy Beyond Numbers
Despite his fortune, Goh preferred the simple joys: boating, fishing, good food, and time with his grandchildren. He owned a series of yachts named White Rabbit, including the 84-meter White Rabbit Golf, the largest trimaran superyacht in the world. But to those closest to him, he wasn’t a billionaire. He was a grandfather, a mentor, and a man with a dry sense of humour.
His family remembers him as humble and warm. His eldest son, Goh Hup Jin, said:
“My father was a beacon of kindness and strength. He taught us to live life with compassion and humility. We are lucky to have learned from him.”
Remembering Goh Cheng Liang
Goh Cheng Liang’s life reminds us that greatness doesn’t always shout.
Sometimes, it starts with spoiled paint and a dictionary. Sometimes, it builds quietly behind the scenes, choosing impact over image, substance over style.
And sometimes, it leaves behind hospitals, schools, research centres, and generations of people whose lives are better because one man decided to try.
“I just tried. There was nothing to lose.”
It wasn’t just a quote. It was the blueprint of his life.
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