The old school and new school think, feel and act differently – all in the name of business

SOME 50 odd years ago, my partner's father, Ang Toon Chew was staying in a hotel in Johor Bahru when he bumped into two reputable commodity traders whom he had heard of by reputation but never met before. That was the first time he had come face to face with Robert Kuok and Tan Chin Nam. They were among the early batch of famous entrepreneurs trading across Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

From this chance meeting, they created a business alliance that spawned many joint ventures and collaborations. Together with a few other associates, they created their own business empires by being pioneers in many industries. They pooled their financial resources in those days when capital was scarce and stayed united through a maze of cross holdings that were complemented by complete mutual trust.