Joseph Yuvaraj Pillay (b. 30 March 1934, Klang, Malaya), more commonly known as J. Y. Pillay, served as a top-ranking civil servant for 34 years from 1961 to 1995. He is one of the pioneers who helped build the economy of post-independence Singapore. One of his ...

Goh Eng Wah (b. 1923, Muar, Johor, Malaysia–d. 5 September 2015, Singapore) was one of the pioneers of Singapore's film industry. He founded Eng Wah Organisation (now known as Eng Wah Global) in 1946, a major film distributor and cinema operator in Singapore specialising ...

Chew Boon Lay (b. 1851 or 1852, Changchow, China–d. 2 June, 1933, Singapore) was one of Singapore’s early pioneers. He bought large tracts of land in Jurong on which he cultivated pepper and gambier, and later rubber. He also founded the Ho Ho Biscuit Factory. ...

Manasseh Meyer (Sir) (b. 1846, Baghdad, Iraq–d. 1 July 1930, Singapore) was a pioneer Jewish businessman who was responsible for the building of Maghain Aboth Synagogue on Waterloo Street and Chesed-El Synagogue at Oxley Rise. A key figure in the early Jewish community ...

Leonard Montague Harrod (b. 21 May 1905, Horsham, England–d. 12 March 1984), commonly referred to as L. M. Harrod, was appointed Librarian of the Raffles Library on 8 September 1954, and then its director from January 1955 to December 1959. A qualified librarian, ...

Alexander Laurie Johnston (b. Dumfriesshire, South Scotland–d. February 1850, Bluehill, Kircudbright, Scotland), a former ship’s owner/captain, merchant, businessman, magistrate and Justice of the Peace, arrived in Singapore between 1819 and 1820. One of the earliest ...

G. D. (George Dromgold) Coleman (b. 1795, Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland–d. 27 March 1844, Singapore) was Singapore’s pioneer colonial architect. He became the first Government Superintendent of Public Works when he was appointed in 1833. Coleman planned, surveyed ...

Benjamin Peach Keasberry, Reverend (b. 1811, Hyderabad, India–d. 6 September 1875, Singapore), was an early Protestant missionary to Singapore known for his pioneering work in the Malay mission here. He arrived in Singapore in 1839 and went on to establish the ...

Seah Liang Seah (b. 1850, Singapore–d. 14 September 1925, Singapore) was a wealthy local-born Chinese merchant who was known for being the Chinese representative on the Straits Settlements Legislative Council. He was a keen proponent of British rule and co-founded ...

Naraina (Narayana) Pillai (Pillay) first came to Singapore in May 1819 together with Stamford Raffles. Attracted by Raffles’s persuasive ideals of Singapore, Pillai left Penang, Malaysia only to find he had to start from scratch. Pillai began as chief clerk at ...

Hoo Ah Kay (also known as Whampoa) (b. approx 1816, Whampoa, Guangdong, China–d. 27 March 1880, Singapore) was a prominent Chinese businessman who ran Whampoa & Co., expanding it after the death of his father. With an uncommon mastery of English, Hoo became the ...

Syed Abdulrahman bin Taha Alsagoff (b. 17 October 1880, Singapore–d. 22 May 1955), or Engku Aman as he was also known, was a member of the wealthy trading Arab family, the Alsagoffs. The landowner was a philanthropist dedicated to administering Muslim charitable ...

Gaston Dutronquoy was a prominent hotelier and entrepreneur in Singapore during the 1840s and early 1850s. He was also the island's first recorded resident photographer. A native of Jersey in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France, he first arrived in Singapore ...

Seah Eu Chin (佘有进; She Youjin) (b. 1805, Guangdong, China–d. 23 September 1883, Singapore) was a wealthy Teochew merchant who made his fortune from the cultivation of pepper and gambier. A prominent member of the Chinese community in early colonial Singapore, Seah ...

Tan Kah Kee (b. 21 October 1874, Jimei, Tong’an, Quanzhou, Fujian, China–d. 12 August 1961, Beijing, China) was a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist, nicknamed the “Henry Ford of Malaya”. He contributed extensively to the financing of schools and ...

Lim Boon Keng (Dr) (林文庆; Lin Wenqing) (b. 18 October 1869, Singapore–d. 1 January 1957, Singapore) was an eminent figure of the Straits Chinese community. Trained as a medical doctor, Lim was also a public intellectual and writer who championed Confucianism and ...

Song Ong Siang (b. 14 June 1871, Singapore–d. 29 September 1941, Singapore) was a prominent member of the Straits Chinese community in Singapore and the first Chinese in Malaya to be knighted by the British. He distinguished himself as a community leader, lawyer, ...

Munshi Abdullah (b. 1797, Kampong Pali, Malacca–d. October 1854, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) was also known as Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir. Gifted in languages, he mastered Arabic, Tamil, Hindi and Malay. Abdullah was known for his work as a teacher, interpreter and writer. ...

Lee Kong Chian (Dr) (b. 18 October 1893, Nan’an, Quanzhou, Fujian, China–d. 2 June 1967, Singapore), also known as Geok Kun, was a philanthropist and multi-millionaire businessman who made his mark in the rubber trade and later the pineapple, coconut oil and sawmill ...

Tan Che Sang (b.1763, Fujian, China–d. 2 April 1835, Singapore) was one of the earliest merchants from Malacca to come to Singapore when Stamford Raffles set up a British settlement in Singapore in 1819. A tycoon known for his addiction to gambling, Tan’s prominence ...