Car salesman’s journey to riches

BEFORE making it to Forbes Malaysia’s 50 richest list, Lim Han Weng – the founder behind Causeway Link buses, which serve thousands of commuters daily – was just a young man with a simple dream: finding a stable job.

A Kedah native, he graduated with a Higher School Certificate but was unable to attend university because of his grades.

As a result, he applied for any job he could find in the classifieds, including an air steward position with Malaysia Airlines.

Rejection letters dashed his hopes.

“Every time I’m on an airplane, I’m reminded of this,” the 73-year-old says when recounting his challenging job hunt in an interview with The Straits Times in his Kranji Green office.

Eventually, he became a car salesman for Wearne Brothers, earning just RM250.

Lim’s monthly target was to sell two cars – no easy feat in a small town where the big, expensive Jaguar, Holden and Opel models he sold were less popular than Japanese cars. Still, he met his target and appreciated the sales training.

Next venture

Next, he joined Lori Malaysia, a semi-government logistics company, where he was posted to different parts of the country.

At the Johor branch, a driver commented that this was the best place to make money because of its proximity to Singapore. Lim stayed for five years, and when it was time to return to the Kuala Lumpur headquarters, he chose to resign.

In 1984, he co-founded his first company, Yinson Transport (M) Sdn Bhd, with his wife Bah Kim Lian, moving goods across the border for businesses using a small fleet of lorries.

That modest company would evolve into something far bigger after he diversified into marine logistics, supplying ships and offshore support vessels to oil and gas companies.

In 1996, Yinson Holdings Bhd went public, and continued to expand its global presence. It is now one of the world’s biggest providers of floating production, storage and offloading vessels, which are used to extract and store crude oil.

According to Forbes, the company has USS$21bil worth of leasing contracts extending till 2048. Yinson is also in the business of producing renewable energy and building electric vehicle charging networks.

In Singapore, Lim set up Liannex Corp in 1993, and the company now offers services in bus modification, marine logistics, port operation and the supply of construction materials.

In 2024, through Liannex Corp, he bought a controlling stake in marine logistics company Icon Offshore Bhd, and turned it into Lianson Fleet Group, which has a market capitalisation of more than RM670mil as at June 2.

The serial entrepreneur also saw the pain point of cross-border commuters, and launched Causeway Link bus rides in 2003 after overcoming political red tape, financing and recruitment challenges.

On March 28, this company went public as HI Mobility, and has plans to pioneer more smart mobility solutions on both sides of the Causeway.

Even as a tycoon with a family net worth of US$480mil, according to Forbes, Lim remains remarkably hands-on, taking calls and responding to WhatsApp messages from irate passengers, concerned parents and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, known for his frequent trips to the land checkpoints to address congestion issues.

Next generation

Lim has handed the reins of his three listed companies to his children, with Chern Chuen and Chern Fang overseeing HI Mobility, Chern Yuan helming Yinson Holdings, and Chern Wooi heading Lianson Fleet Group.

He sent his children to Australia for their studies before they even turned 10.

With no relatives around and their mother unable to be with them all the time, they had to learn to fend for themselves from a young age.

“When you help them too much, they don’t want to think for themselves,” says Lim, who has never believed in over-parenting.

He says young people have to learn to survive in an uncertain world, unless their parents are prepared to feed them forever.

He is still involved in growing his other businesses, especially managing deals in Indonesia, as his children do not speak the local language.

“If you retire, your brain will go haywire,” he quips.

Chern Chuen, agrees that it is difficult for his parents, especially his father, to retire.

“Our dinner conversations usually revolve around work,” the HI Mobility chief executive says.

Lim is a big advocate of entrepreneurship.

He is proud to have nudged some of the bankers he has met over the years into striking out on their own – and watched them succeed.

He says aspiring entrepreneurs do not have to look far.

“Singapore has a financial centre, Malaysia has land and resources. When we look at these two countries, there are plenty of opportunities.”

For him, global ambitions start from home, and there is no better launch pad than Singapore and Malaysia. — The Straits Times/ANN