David Siang Hai Teoh is an Australian businessman. Until March 26, 2021, he was the executive chairman of TPG, a company he founded with his Taiwanese wife Vicky in 1992 after emigrating from Malaysia in 1986.[1] He is also the founder and executive chairman of Tuas Limited, who owns Simba Telecom, a telecommunications company in Singapore.[2]
Biography
TPG started off as a computer retail company, but several acquisitions including the purchase of a mobile spectrum licence, have contributed to its success as a major internet service provider.[3]
In August 2018, Teoh announced TPG was in discussions with Vodafone Hutchinson Australia about a proposed $13 billion merger.[4] Teoh's only comment about the proposed merger was the pricing would be “very aggressive” and that it would bring value to the customer.[5] It was blocked by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission on the grounds that it would lessen consumer choice in both the internet and mobile phone markets.[6] In early 2020 Vodafone and TPG were granted permission by the Federal Court to merge, paving the way for the stalled $15 billion deal to finally proceed.[7]
Personal life
Reclusive, Teoh has only been photographed in public twice. A photographer staked out his house for three days in 2015,[6] and in 2019 the proposed merger with Vodafone obliged him to attend court.
His four sons, Shane, Jack, John and Bob, have launched more than a dozen startup companies dealing in clothing, furniture, technology, and eyeglasses. In 2016 it was reported that his wife, Vicky, had substantial investments, including Vita Life Sciences Ltd, a pharmaceutical and healthcare company.[8]
