April, 2020 | The Health
of 38 trillion cells, with about 300 different
types of cells. We produce about 200 billion
body cells every day. With good health, we can
progress and lead a happy life. I believe that the
formula for a long, healthy and prosperous life
is in what I call the 5 Quality Wells: Clean well,
Eat well, Work well, Exercise well and Sleep well.
If you follow these simple practices closely,
I believe you will be able to live healthily and
contribute positively until you are 120 years
old or more! My personal motto is “Work is my
Hobby, Exercise is my Duty, and Health is my
Wealth”.
How do you keep mentally and physically
healthy? Do you go for regular checkups?
Yes, I go for regular checkups and practise the
5 Wells strictly. I also stay active by exercising.
I do light stretches every morning and make
time for yoga, golf and badminton throughout
the week. I believe prevention is better than
cure.
To stay healthy mentally, we need to have
ethical values. At Top Glove, our foundation
is based on good people and Top Glove's
business ethics which are honesty, integrity
and transparency which we incorporate in all
our business dealings. We remind ourselves
every day of these values by starting every
morning and meeting with our Business Ethics
Clap, which calls out honesty, integrity and
transparency. Each of Top Glove’s 18,000
employees have worn an anti-corruption badge
every workday for the past 12 years. It reads:
“To prevent corruption and bribery. Corruption
and bribery is a crime”. Top Glove has its own
Integrity Unit to educate employees on the
importance of these values and investigate any
reported corruption or bribery.
Staying
healthy and
wealthy
Work is his hobby;
exercise his duty
T
an Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, the Executive
Chairman and Founder of Top Glove
Corporation Bhd, is ranked the 14th
richest Malaysian. Not bad for Lim who
started the company in 1991 with his
wife with just RM180,000 in savings.
Today, it is the world’s largest manufacturer
of gloves, listed on both Bursa Malaysia and
Singapore Exchange.
Lim’s exposure to the rubber business began
in his younger days where he grew up in the small
town of Titi in Negri Sembilan. His parents ran a
rubber smallholding and they were involved in
the rubber trading business. After completing his
secondary education, he pursued his A-levels at
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Kuala
Lumpur. Later, he graduated with a Bachelor
of Science in Physics from University Malaya
in 1982, after which he worked for two years
as a sales executive and three years as a sales
manager at a subsidiary of OYL Industries Group.
Before Lim and his wife went into the glove
business, they pursued an MBA at Sul Ross State
University in the United States.
With a huge empire to run, you would have
thought Lim would have little time for hobbies
or “co-curricular” activities like staying fit,
right? Not so. He places huge importance on his
mental and physical well-being. And it is those
traits that have helped him build his wealth.
Lim talks to The Health about his values,
interests, what keeps him going and his goal to
live to 120!
Robotic arms are used to assist in research and development.
Among corporate tycoons in the country,
you are one of the few who emphasises on
good health. When did you first start on
this?
I believe you should take care of your health
from young. I started practising the 5 Wells
since I was a boy. I became a full vegetarian
on 29 July, 2018. I feel healthier and more
energetic after this transition. I believe Health
is Wealth. The human body contains an average
What differentiates Top Glove from other
companies when it comes to its special
emphasis on health and fitness?
We believe that building a company is like
building a tower. We need a good foundation.
At Top Glove, the people are that foundation
where we can propel towards greater heights.
Our people continue to be our priority. We have
in place various initiatives prioritising employee
health and wellbeing, including annual medical
checkups. We have our company gym which
employees can join for free, arranging health
talks and so on. It is in line with what I call the 5
Quality Wells I mentioned earlier. We are also
the only company to employ full-time corporate
nutritionists. We have seven nutritionists,
two medical doctors, seven nurses/medical
assistant and one pharmacist.
How has this emphasis on health impacted
the Group in terms of productivity?
In FY2019, our average sick leave per year was
three days compared with the market average
of nine days. We are three times healthier.
Having said work is your hobby, what are
your other hobbies if any?
This is the best hobby. It is the only hobby
which earns money, instead of costing money!
“Work is my hobby” is a reflection of how much
I enjoy my work. I can work seven days a week
because I like my work, to the extent it no longer
feels like work, but a hobby. “Exercise is my
duty” underscores my commitment to staying
healthy. I intend to live till I am at least 120 years
old and work till I am 120 or for as long as I am
still able to contribute positively.
Therefore, I need to ensure my body is fit
enough to do so. To fit in exercise regularly,
even in my busy schedule, I must slot in
exercise/ sports as part of my daily routine.
I play badminton twice a week and golf and yoga
once a week consistently. I also stretch for at
least 10 minutes in the morning when I wake
up and again before I go to bed. My schedule is
planned out everyday including time for
my breakfast, lunch, dinner and exercise.
— The Health
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