Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong

Lim Goh Tong started his tender age of 16 with his father passed away and he was forced to take over his father’s petty trading business. There were all sorts of problems with the business, on some days he failed to make even a single sale. In 1937, the year the Japanese launched their war of aggression on China, he at 20 years old, bravely set off for Malaya with a small suitcase and 175 dollars (100 from his mother and 75 from his own savings).

In Malaya, he eventually went into iron mining; became a middleman for heavy machinery trading; and took on government contracts for development projects. You have correctly guessed that he had already made himself a fortune by then. However, in 1964 when he was a sub-contractor for part of the Cameron hydro-electric dam project in Cameron Highlands, an evening stroll hit him upon the idea of developing a mountaintop resort in Malaysia to cater to city dwellers seeking an escape from the tropical heat.

After 40 years, today his publicly-traded Genting holds the only license to operate a casino in Malaysia; his Star Cruises touts itself as the operator of the world’s “most modern and exciting world-class fleet.”

He was renowned for his vision and courage in transforming Genting Highlands from an unexplored hilltop into one of the world's most successful Casino resorts. He was once the 3rd richest man in Malaysia with a net worth estimated to be 4.2 billion USD, making him the 204th richest person in the billionaire list compiled by Forbes.