United Malacca Berhad

United Malacca Berhad (UMB), formerly known as The United Malacca Rubber Estates, Berhad was incorporated on 27 April 1910 under the Companies Ordinance 1889 by its founder, the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock who held the post of Chairman until 1960. Thereafter, the Company was managed by his family until his son, the late Tun Tan Siew Sin took over the Chairmanship in 1974 after his retirement from the Cabinet. He held the post of Chairman until 1988. Under the distinguished leadership of Tun Tan Siew Sin, the former Minister of Finance, UMB had accumulated substantial reserves which contributed significantly to the financial strength of the Group today. The late Tun Tan Siew Sin was posthumously awarded the National Integrity Award by The Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity on 28 June 2003. The late Mr. Choi Siew Hong, the former Deputy Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, who had been on the Board of Directors since 1976, became the Chairman of the Group following the death of Tun Tan Siew Sin in 1988. Under the leadership of Mr. Choi, the Group has expanded and broadened its earnings base and continues to grow steadily in financial strength. United Malacca Berhad (UMB) started in 1910 with a paid up capital of and 460 acres of rubber. Over the years, UMB expanded its planted acreage and operations through acquisitions and mergers to acres with estates in Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Johore. In 1966, UMB adopted the policy to diversify into oil palm cultivation under which old rubber trees were replaced with oil palm. Government compulsory acquisitions of the Company’s land resulted in the reduction of its planted acreage from acres to acres all of which have since been diversified into oil palm. Starting from 1997, the company has embarked on expanding its plantations activities to Sabah. To date, it has acquired 16,924 acres of land which have been developed into oil palm estates including a new 45/60 m.t/hr palm oil mill