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Tan Sri Lau Gek Poh
劉玉波
PSM, SPDK, PGDK
(BORN 1917 - RIP 4 April 2008)

Lau Gek Poh rose from a humble beginnings to someone who built one of Malaysia’s prominent corporate entities.

He was known as the timber king of Sabah in the 1970s. Lau passed away in 2008 in Kuala Lumpur at age of 92.

In the mid 1970s, Berjaya Party took over Sabah government. Under a new government, Lau Gek Poh enter a new era of diversified businesses expansion in plantations, property investment, housing development, credit financial, trading, building materials, stone quarries etc.
The Panglima Setia Mahkota award, which carries the title “Tan Sri” was bestowed by His Majesty Yang DiPertuan Agong Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah on the occasion of the King’s birthday on 3 June 2000, in recognition of his magnanimous contribution to Malaysia.

Sabah’s formal Chief Minister, YAB Datuk Musa Aman, also presented him with the Diamond Award on 31 May 2003 for his many valuable contributions to society.

Lau's tomb stone at the Teo Chew Cemetery, Tawau Town

Lau Gek Poh RIP on 4th April 2008 at the age of 92.
He is survived by Puan Sri Khoo Geuh Noi, three children, nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
He had three children, but the family business is run by his nephew, Datuk Seri Panglima Lau Cho Kun.
He remained a simple and enigmatic man until his death. Despite his great wealth, he flew economy class on his business trips and cultivated an interest in Chinese calligraphy, swimming and tai chi.

Lau's Chinese calligraphy carved in stone.

Hap Seng Consolidated Bhd is a diversified and well-established companies in Malaysia, with interests in
1) Plantations
2) Property investment
3) Housing development
4) Credit financial
5) Trading
6) Building materials
7) Stone quarries

1) Plantations

Hap Seng Plantations is the one of the largest producers of sustainable palm oil in Sabah. It has 16 palm oil estates and 4 oil mills in Sabah

2) Property investment

3) Housing development

Bandar Sri Indah
is a new township comprising residential, commercial and industrial components:
Developer : HAP SENG PROPERTIES DEVELOPMENT SDN. BHD.

4) Credit financial

5) Trading

6) Building materials

7) Stone quarries

Bukit Kukusan Quarry
Hap Seng Building Materials Sdn Bhd

Hap Seng’s fortunes revolved around one man, business maverick Lau Gek Poh, who arrived in what was then known as British Borneo in 1936 at the age of 19, a small-town boy from Swatow in Guangzhou.

Lau Gek Poh began his business life in Sabah before the Second World War as a migrant from China. Through sheer determination, toil, endeavours and hard work, he succeeded in creating the business enterprise of Gek Poh Group.
Started out as a shop assistant in Sandakan, Lau moved to Tawau, where he pawned his wife’s jewellery as capital to start a sundry shop, Hup Seng, with a friend. Business was good, but Lau had big dreams as he realized the shop had only a limited potential.

Looking for another opportunity, he decided to go into timber from which he made his first RM1 million. By the 1970s, he was the “timber king of Sabah”. Restless and entrepreneurial, Lau could not narrow his vision to timber industry alone.

Like most timber tycoons, he made a lateral move into rubber, cocoa and oil palm plantations. He incorporated The River Estates Ltd in 1950 which was later known as Hap Seng Plantations (River Estates) Sdn Bhd. As heavy machinery was required in the logging industry, he invested in its distribution.

The East Asiatic Co (M) Bhd

The formerly The East Asiatic Co (M) Bhd was listed on the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1978.

Hap Seng Auto Sdn Bhd

In 1969, Hap Seng Auto Sdn Bhd was incorporated under the name of Si Khiong Industries Sdn Bhd and Lau acquired the dealership for Mercedes Benz. He also ventured into a fertilizer business in the same year and Hap Seng Fertilizers was set up as Sasco Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Gek Poh (Holdings) Sdn Bhd.

Si Khiong Star Sdn Bhd

A wholly owned subsidiary, Si Khiong Star Sdn Bhd, located at Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, is an authorized dealer for Mercedes-Benz passengers cars in Malaysia.

The Malaysian Mosaics and Hap Seng Consolidated Group are well diversified public companies involved in tile manufacturing, plantations, property ownership and development, automotive retailing, credit financing, fertilizer distribution, quarry and building materials distribution.

Wisma Gek Poh
Jalan Hj. Saman, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Gek Poh Hall in SRJK (C) SIN HWA, Tawau

RUMAH HOSPIS TAN SRI LAU GEK POH TAWAU
PERSATUAN HOSPIS TAWAU

Lau Gek Poh Foundation

The Lau Gek Poh Foundation was formed in 1991 as a testament to Lau’s investment in the community in Tawau, Sabah. The foundation contributes to educational, scientific and charitable causes.

The Rm 5 Million Lau Gek Poh Foundation Building was completed in Tawau in 2000.