Kuan Kam Hon

Kuan Kam Hon is one of the most successful self-made tycoons in Malaysia, best known as the founder of Hartalega Holdings, the largest producer of nitrile gloves in the world.

Kuan started his career in his father’s construction company, which specialised in building high-end homes. Deciding to pursue his own path, he left to establish his own company, Timol Weaving, a pioneer in woven labels and badge manufacturing.

In 1988, in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, Kuan decided to move into manufacturing rubber gloves for the medical industry. He established Hartalega Holdings with only four production lines. Now, 33 years later, the company has an annual production capacity of 40 billion gloves, cementing its status as one of the world’s largest glove exporters.

Kuan also led Hartalega through many firsts, from the development of a lightweight nitrile glove—a cheaper alternative to rubber gloves made out of synthetic rubber—to the recent introduction of the world’s first non-leaching anti-microbial glove. While Kuan remains as chairman of Hartalega, he leaves the operations of his public listed company to his two sons, Kuan Mun Leong and Kuan Mun Keng.