Lim Kok Thay

Lim Kok Thay, a successful entrepreneur, is Malaysia’s #5 richest man, according to Forbes, with an estimated net worth of 5.5 billion dollars.

Thay attended school at the University of London, and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering. He resumed his education attending the advanced management program at Harvard University.

Thay’s father, Lim Goh Tong, started his business after arriving to Malaysia from China as a teenager. Genting was founded by Tong, and as Tong’s second son, Thay became director of Genting Group, and later announced as the Chairman and CEO.

Genting Group acts as an umbrella for a variety of companies across different sectors. This conglomerate is involved in leisure and hospitality, oil and gas, plantations, property development, biotechnology, and power generation.

Thay quickly became successful at Genting Group. He became the co-founder of Genting Hong Kong, formerly called Star Cruises. In collaboration with Norwegian Cruise Line, Star cruises is the third largest operator worldwide. Furthermore, Genting Group established various brands, including Resorts World, Maxims, Crockfords, and Awana. Under his leadership, Thay developed relationships and partnerships with Universal Studios, Hard Rock Hotel, Premium Outlets, and several other companies.

The company became operational in the gaming sector. Thay assisted in the Foxwoods Resort Casino, which is the largest casino in the United States. He also expanded the Group’s presence to the UK, running 43 casinos, making it the largest casino operator in the country. Thay also opened the Genting Jeju Casino in South Korea, part of his multibillion dollar idea to expand the Genting Group globally. Since his appointing as Chairman and CEO of Genting, the married father of three only shows signs of continued expansion.