G. Gnanalingam
Goh Seng Chong/Bloomberg
G. Gnanalingam, the founder and chairman of Westports Holdings, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 78, according to the company’s filing with Malaysia’s stock exchange.
“Tan Sri Datuk Gnanalingam was the founder of the Company and a source of inspiration; he touched our lives and the community with his compassion, generosity, and kindness,” said the company. Gnanalingam is survived by his wife Siew Yong and his children Ruben Emir, Shaline, and Surin.
The Malaysian billionaire, along with Ahmayuddin bin Ahmad, co-founded Westports Holdings in 1994 by securing the concession to operate. Gnanalingam had been the executive chairman of Westports Holdings since 2013 and held the same position at its subsidiary, Westports Malaysia, since 2000. His son Ruben Emir is the group managing director of Westports Holdings.
Building his fortune from Westports Holdings, Gnanalingam amassed a wealth of $1.4 billion as of Tuesday. “His vision and stewardship of the company have built and transformed Westports and Port Klang into the preeminent gateway port in Malaysia and one of the transhipment hubs in Southeast Asia,” said the company in a statement.
Westports Malaysia, a leading multicargo port operator in Southeast Asia, commands an 80% market share of Port Klang’s container traffic on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. Strategically located in the Strait of Malacca, it provides connectivity with 350 ports worldwide. The company posted revenues of 2.1 billion ringgit ($445 million) last year, a slight increase from 2021.
With a range of port services, including marine services, rental services, and other ancillary services, Westports Malaysia holds a 60-year concession to operate and expand its container terminals in Pulau Indah, Port Klang, a major transhipment hub in the Strait of Malacca.
Gnanalingam began his career as a sales representative for the British American Tobacco group in 1968 and later became the marketing director in 1980. Leveraging his extensive experience in marketing, he started his own marketing consultancy firm, G-Team Consultants, in 1988. Gnanalingam attended the Royal Military College in Malaysia from 1960 to 1964 and earned a bachelor’s degree in arts from the University of Malaya in 1968.
