1928
Born to humble beginnings in colonial Singapore, Goh’s childhood was spent in a rented shophouse room on River Valley Road. He lived there with his parents, three sisters and a brother until he was 12.
He worked as a rubber tapper as well as a salesman of fishnets in Muar, Malaysia, during World War II, before returning to Singapore in 1943.
The media-shy tycoon of Nippon paint fame has been on Forbes’ list of Singapore’s richest for years. In 2024, He was Singapore’s second-richest man, with a US$12.7b net worth.
BY THERESE SOH
1928
The life of
Goh Cheng Liang
1949
Goh launched paint brand Pigeon Brand, having bought cheap paint from British troops auctioning off surplus war supplies, which he turned into his own paint line.
1962
Goh set up Wuthelam in the early 1960s, according to PitchBook. The company established a joint venture with Nippon – the Nipsea business – in 1962.
1974
Goh founded Wuthelam Holdings.
1990
Goh hired former Hewlett-Packard Singapore head Koh Boon Hwee to run his companies Liang Court and Omni Industries, which were then listed in Singapore.
1974
1991
Set up Yenom Holdings to house employees displaced by an organisational revamp carried out by Koh.
Within six years, Yenom expanded into various businesses, including the New Zealand Gulf Harbour project, Risis Orchid, Tung Lok Shark’s Fin restaurant and the Sala Levu resort in Fiji.
2014
The Goh family raised their stake in Nippon Paint from 15 per cent to 39 per cent, becoming the largest shareholder in the Osaka-based paintmaker.
Wuthelam’s minority holdings in Nipsea reached a valuation of US$4.1 billion as at 2015.
1995
Established the Goh Foundation with the late Singapore president Wee Kim Wee.
The foundation helped establish the National Cancer Centre in Singapore and contributed to its later expansion, as well as supported underprivileged students, cancer research and welfare agencies.
It awarded significant grants to support children’s cancer research at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Viva Foundation and the National University Hospital.
As a cancer survivor himself, Goh ensured that the foundation contributed towards catalysing medical research that aimed at improving cancer treatment outcomes.
Beyond Singapore, Goh’s philanthropy extended to China. There, he financed the construction of roads, clean water supplies, sanitation systems and several schools in his ancestral home of Dawu Village in Chaozhou city.
2000 onwards
2020
Wuthelam struck a 1.29 trillion yen deal to raise its stake in Nippon Paint from 40 per cent to close to 60 per cent. The deal, worth US$12 billion then, boosted Wuthelam’s fortune to US$24 billion from US$16 billion at that time, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. The deal gave the company control of Nippon Paint after it was completed in 2021.
2024
Nippon Paint acquired US chemical producer AOC from private equity firm Lone Star Funds for US$2.3 billion.
With a US$12.7 billion net worth, Goh was Singapore’s second-richest man, according to Forbes.
2025
Goh became the Republic’s richest man with a US$13 billion net worth, Forbes estimated.
GRAPHICS: TEOH YI CHIE
1965
Nippon established its first paint manufacturing plant in Singapore.
1979
Mount Elizabeth Hospital, developed by Wuthelam, opened in December.
1984
Liang Court (below), developed by Wuthelam, opened in January.
2022
Goh donated S$6.35 million to the SingHealth Duke-NUS Supportive and Palliative Care Centre to improve quality of life for terminally ill patients.
1955
He established his first paint shop in pre-independence Singapore and became the main local distributor for Nippon Paint.