How lifelong learning shaped Dr Ho Leng Woon's success
From sleeping under a bed to leading a mainboard-listed company, NTU alumnus Dr Ho Leng Woon proves how far lifelong learning can take you. Today, he is determined to help others improve their lives, too.
Text: Christine Teh
In a rented room of about 7 square metres, four family members shared a single bed, with a young boy sleeping underneath it.
That boy would one day become Dr Ho Leng Woon, Executive Chairman of AP Oil International Limited.
Born in China, Dr Ho arrived in Singapore in 1959 to reunite with his father. His family had little, but he carried a quiet conviction that education could change the course of one’s life.
Dr Ho Leng Woon graduated with first-class honours in Geography from Nanyang University in 1972. (Photo: L+M Magazine)
He studied hard through primary school to pre-university, consistently topping his class with distinctions.
In 1972, he graduated from Nanyang University – now NTU Singapore – with first-class honours in Geography. His studies were supported by a government merit bursary, awarded that year to just 11 recipients across the entire university.
Dr Ho said: “That merit bursary was a recognition of my academic performance and diligence. It gave me the opportunity to receive a university education, which was a major turning point in my life.”
Learning his way up
His outstanding results earned him a fellowship from the Ministry of Science & Technology to pursue a Doctorate in Hydrology at the University of Hull, UK. After returning to Singapore, he began his career as a hydrologist with the Public Utilities Board.
But Dr Ho was already planning his next move. After five years in public service, he left to join an oil trading company with his wife in 1981. He established the first Singapore-owned lubricant plant in the country the following year.
Never stop learning
“I love learning,” he says. “To become a learned person, one must embrace continuous learning at every stage of life – after graduation, during working life and even in retirement. And we must focus and learn the right things.”
He studied humanities in high school and majored in geography at university. For his doctorate, he pursued hydrology, an interdisciplinary subject.
He then taught himself chemistry and petrochemical engineering, and later obtained a management diploma from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Dr Ho attended a company anniversary event in Vietnam in 2023. (Photo: AP Saigon Petro Joint Stock Company)
When setting up a factory in Vietnam, he taught himself Vietnamese. Today, he is the only Singaporean among 170 employees at the Ho Chi Minh City joint venture company. He conducts all his meetings in Vietnamese.
With keen business acumen and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, he expanded AP Oil’s market presence from local operations to a customer base spanning 20 countries, including the US, Australia, Greece, Japan, China, Bangladesh, the Middle East and ASEAN.
He was also the founding chairman of the Asian Lubricants Industry Association (ALIA), and the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Djibouti in Singapore. Over the years, he has served on school boards at Hwa Chong Institution and Anglican High School. He has also lectured at Nanyang Business School and participated in NTU's student admission panels.
In 2024, he received the Nanyang Alumni Achievement Award from NTU President Professor Ho Teck Hua.
Dr Ho (left) received the prestigious Nanyang Alumni Achievement Award from NTU President Prof Ho Teck Hua in 2024.
Paying it forward
Dr Ho never forgot the bursary that made his university education possible. In 2024, he established the AP Oil International Limited Bursary at NTU Singapore with a S$500,000 endowed gift to support students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
He says: “Lifelong learning has changed my course of life, and it is time for me to pay it forward and to help others. I believe in equal educational opportunity for all.”
He has also donated to school libraries in Singapore and Malaysia, hoping to inspire in others the same love of reading that has shaped his own journey.
What he tells students today
His advice to students is simple: “Applying knowledge is more important than simply studying. Do not wait for opportunities to showcase your talent; opportunities come to those who are prepared. Go seek chances to work and learn on the job, as practice makes perfect. Networking is also important, so befriend like-minded peers at university – they may one day become your partners down the road.”
At 78, having stepped back from daily operations, Dr Ho continues to read widely and explore new areas of knowledge – from quantum engineering to plant-based proteins. His passion for learning has never dimmed.
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