Goh Cheng Liang, Singapore’s richest man and founder of Wuthelam Group, died on 12 Aug 2025 at age 98. His family announced he “passed away this morning with family members by his side.”
The billionaire held a majority stake in Japan’s Nippon Paint Holdings. Forbes ranked him as the 182nd richest person globally in 2025. His estimated net worth reached US$13.1 billion (~SGD$16.8 billion) as of 11 Aug 2025.
Goh drew most of his wealth from his majority stake in Nippon Paint, the world’s fourth-largest paint manufacturer by revenue. He topped Forbes’ list of Singapore’s richest for many years.
From Poverty to Paint Empire: Building Wuthelam Holdings
Goh spent his first 12 years in a shophouse on River Valley Road. He squeezed into a SGD$3-a-month rented room with his parents, three sisters and one brother.
When World War II erupted, his parents sent him to Muar in Johor. He helped his brother-in-law sell fishing nets before returning to Singapore in 1943.
Goh started a business selling aerated water after the war. It failed. He then worked at a hardware store.
In 1949, the British army auctioned war supplies. Goh bought barrels of paint from them at low prices. Armed with a Chinese dictionary on chemicals, he mixed colours and added solvents. This created his own Pigeon Brand paints.
The Korean War started in 1950. Import restrictions severely limited paint supplies. His paint business boomed during this period.
In 1955, Goh set up his first paint shop in Singapore. He became the main local distributor of Nippon Paint. The Japanese paint manufacturer had approached him for this partnership.
Nippon Paint established its first manufacturing plant in Singapore in 1965. In 1974, Goh founded Wuthelam Holdings. He built it into a global conglomerate over the following decades.
Wuthelam Group now owns nearly 60 per cent of Tokyo-listed Nippon Paint. The Goh family’s other ventures included the former Liang Court and Mount Elizabeth Hospital. Goh developed both properties before selling them later.
In a rare 1997 interview with The Business Times, Goh explained his preference for private companies. “My personal philosophy is I never want to go public. First, I’m not a professional manager. Second, these professional managers who come and join me, I don’t know how to handle them, I don’t know how to drive them.”
Cancer Survivor Champions Medical Research Through Goh Foundation
Goh established the Goh Foundation in 1995 with help from late Singapore president Wee Kim Wee. The foundation provided structure for his philanthropic efforts.
The Goh Foundation contributed to establishing the National Cancer Centre in Singapore. It also funded the centre’s expansion, which includes the Goh Cheng Liang Proton Therapy Centre.
The foundation awarded grants supporting children’s cancer research at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. It also funded research at the VIVA Foundation and National University Hospital.
Goh survived cancer himself. He championed research into better treatments for rheumatological and immunological conditions through the ARiSE programme at Singapore General Hospital.
He backed supportive and palliative care initiatives with the National Cancer Centre. This collaboration involved the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre.
Beyond Singapore, Goh funded infrastructure in Dawu Village, his ancestral home in Chaozhou, China. He paid for roads, clean water supplies, sanitation systems and several schools.
Goh donated to various welfare agencies throughout his life. He provided bursaries and scholarships for underprivileged students.
Goh is survived by three children: Goh Hup Jin, Goh Chuen Jin and Goh Chiat Jin. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He loved spending time with his grandchildren. His favourite activities included boating, fishing, enjoying good food and travelling.
Family and friends knew him as a humble and private man with a great sense of humour. His eldest son Goh Hup Jin called him “a beacon of kindness and strength.”
“We are very fortunate to have had him show us how to be a good person – he taught us to live life with compassion and humility,” Goh Hup Jin said.
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