Aw Boon-Haw (1882–1954), OBE, was a Burmese-Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as founder of Tiger Balm. He was a son of Hakka herbalist Aw Chu-Kin, with his ancestral home in Yongding County, Fujian, China.
Career
Aw was a Burmese born to a Chinese herbalist father in Rangoon (now known as Yangon), Burma on 1882 under the British colonial government.[1] In 1918, Aw perfected the product and it was renamed "Tiger Balm" in order to gain broader appeal. By 1918, the Aw family had become one of the wealthiest families in Rangoon. Tiger Balm sold well in Burma, and was exported to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. In 1926, due to problems with the British Colonial government at the time, Aw migrated to Malaysia and expanded their business overseas to Southeast Asia, where he cofounded the business with his brother. Aw used cartoon commercialisation to promote his Tiger Balm product, named after himself, to any potential customers as well as at any public celebration. In the 1920s, his main factory, Eng Aun Tong, was set up at 89 Neil Road, Chinatown, Singapore.[2]