Cover Wuthelam Group founder and philanthropist Goh Cheng Liang (Photo: Archive)
Wuthelam Group founder and philanthropist Goh Cheng Liang (Photo: Archive)
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From building a global stake in Nippon Paint to transforming healthcare and education through the Goh Foundation, his legacy is defined by vision, generosity and an enduring commitment to improving lives
Singapore has lost one of its most influential business leaders and benefactors. Goh Cheng Liang, the visionary founder of Wuthelam Group and a deeply respected philanthropist, passed away peacefully on August 12 at the age of 98, surrounded by family. His life’s work spanned the building of a global business empire and the creation of a philanthropic foundation that has transformed healthcare and education in Singapore and beyond.
Raised in a shophouse on River Valley Road with his parents and four siblings, Goh’s early life was far from the corporate boardrooms he would later inhabit. In 1949, he launched his Pigeon Brand paint business, a modest venture that laid the foundation for a transformative partnership with Nippon Paint, now the world’s fourth-largest paint maker. Today, Wuthelam Group holds a nearly 60 per cent stake in Nippon Paint Holdings, a testament to decades of astute, patient growth. His entrepreneurial reach extended to landmark developments such as the former Liang Court and Mount Elizabeth Hospital, both of which he developed and later sold.
Goh’s philosophy was that commercial success carried with it a responsibility to give back. In 1995, with the encouragement of the late president Wee Kim Wee, he established the Goh Foundation to provide a structured approach to his philanthropic work. Healthcare was a particular passion. The Foundation contributed significantly to the creation and expansion of the National Cancer Centre Singapore, including the Goh Cheng Liang Proton Therapy Centre, which offers advanced radiation treatment.
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As a cancer survivor, Goh understood the urgency of medical innovation. His Foundation funded children’s cancer research at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, the Viva Foundation and National University Hospital. Beyond oncology, he championed research into rheumatological and immunological conditions at Singapore General Hospital through the ARiSE programme, and in recent years supported palliative care initiatives with the National Cancer Centre and SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre.
His philanthropic reach extended to his ancestral home in Chaozhou, China, where he funded infrastructure projects—including roads, clean water systems, sanitation and schools—to improve living standards and stimulate economic development in Dawu Village.
To those who knew him, Goh was a private, humble man with a sharp sense of humour and a keen eye for opportunity. He credited his achievements to the loyalty of employees and the trust of business partners, valuing generosity and integrity above all. Outside of work, he found joy in family life, time on the water, fishing, travelling and sharing good meals.
“My father was a beacon of kindness and strength,” said his eldest son, Goh Hup Jin. “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 is survived by three children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild—along with a legacy defined as much by generosity as by enterprise.
