Olivia Lum facts for kids

Olivia Lum Ooi Lin is a famous businesswoman from Singapore. She is known for starting and leading the Hyflux Group, a company based in Singapore. Hyflux focuses on treating water.

Olivia Lum's Early Life

Growing Up and Education

Olivia Lum was adopted when she was born. She never met her biological parents. A woman she called her "grandmother" raised her. When Olivia was only three, her grandmother lost their savings. They had to move from their house to a small shack. This new home did not even have running water.

At 15, Olivia moved to Singapore. She went to Tiong Bahru Secondary School. To pay for her studies, she worked as a tutor and in sales. She then studied at Hwa Chong Junior College. In 1986, she earned a degree in chemistry. She graduated with honors from the National University of Singapore.

Olivia Lum's Career Journey

Starting Her Own Business

Olivia Lum began her career as a chemist. She worked at Glaxo Pharmaceutical for three years. In 1989, at age 28, she decided to start her own company. She left Glaxo and founded Hydrochem. This company later became Hyflux.

She started with only SG$20,000. She got this money by selling her apartment and her car. At first, she hired three people. Olivia herself rode a motorcycle to sell her company's water filters and chemicals.

Hyflux's Growth and Success

Hyflux grew quickly. By January 2001, it became the first water treatment company to be listed on SESDAQ. This is a stock exchange in Singapore. In April 2003, Hyflux moved to the main board of the Singapore Exchange.

Olivia Lum received many awards for her work. In 2002, she won the Her World Woman award. This was for her important contributions to Singapore's water industry. By 2005, she was very successful. Her wealth was over US$240 million. This made her the only woman on Forbes' "Southeast Asia Rich List."

Public Service and Recognition

Olivia Lum also held several important roles in public service. She was a board member for SPRING Singapore. She also served on the National University Singapore Council. She was part of the Singapore Exchange board. She was also the president of the Singapore Water Association.

She was a member of the UNESCAP Business Advisory Council. She also joined the Singapore Green Plan 2012 committee. From 2002 to 2005, Olivia was a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore. In 2003, she received the International Management Action Award. The next year, she won the Global Female Invent and Innovate Award.

In 2008, Olivia resigned from her role at the Singapore Exchange. She said this was because Hyflux was growing very fast. She wanted to focus more on her company's expansion.

In 2011, Olivia Lum achieved another big honor. She was named Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year. She was the first woman ever to win this global award. In 2013, she joined the board of International Enterprise Singapore. In 2014, she was appointed to the board of Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering). She later resigned from this position in 2018.

In 2016, she was recognized as one of the Asian Scientist 100 by Asian Scientist magazine.

Challenges Faced by Hyflux

In May 2018, Hyflux faced some challenges. The company asked the Singapore High Court for protection. This was to give them time to reorganize their finances. Olivia Lum announced meetings with the company's many shareholders. She stated that efforts would be made to keep the company strong.