Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai is a Malaysian businessman. He is the Executive Chairman and Founder of Top Glove Corporation Bhd, a rubber glove making company, which was founded in 1991 and is listed on Bursa Malaysia and the main board of the Singapore Exchange. Lim was listed by Forbes as Malaysia's 14th richest person in 2020.
In 1991, Lim founded Top Glove, a rubber glove manufacturing and trading business which started with one production line. Top Glove has since emerged as the world's largest manufacturer of gloves, capturing about 26% of the world market share. Today, the company owns and operates 45 manufacturing facilities with a total of 700 production lines in Malaysia, Thailand, and China. These factories have a production capacity of 78.7 billion pieces of gloves per year, to meet the demand of over 2,000 customers in more than 195 countries. In 2017, Lim announced that Top Glove would launch a new condom business in 2018 with a RM30 million investment.
Investments
In 2019, Lim Wee Chai holds a total stake of 10.49% in Tropicana Corp Bhd. He has also been redesignated from non-executive deputy chairman to non-executive chairman of the board. In March 2020, Lim emerged a substantial shareholder in LBS Bina Group Bhd after purchasing 103.13 million shares or a 6.81% stake in the property developer.
Involvement in associations
Lim has been actively involved in many glove industry-related associations and organisations in Malaysia. He served as the president of the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers' Association from 1997 to 1999. Prior to that, he served as the Vice-President, Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of MARGMA for the past seven years. In addition, he was also the director of the Association of Malaysia Medical Industries and board member of the Malaysian Rubber Board in 1998 and 1999. In view of Lim's experience in manufacturing and global business, he was appointed as a Council Member of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers in 2010 and subsequently in 2011, as an Executive Council Member of The EastAsia Business Council by the Minister of International Trade and Industry Malaysia. In 2013, he was elected National Vice President of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers and was President of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers in 2016/2017. He has also been reappointed as EPF Board Member by the Ministry of Finance and served as a Director and Board Member of University Malaya from 2015 to 2018. In addition, he holds the roles of Honorary President of The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia, The Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor and the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce as well as Honorary Advisor of the Klang Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Lim Association of Malaysia, as well as the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia.