Tan Sri Datu Seri Utama William Cheng (ancestry: Chaoyang Guangdong) was born in Singapore in 1943 and started learningthe ropes of the business at 10 years old. At 19, he started working for his father in his family steel furniture, rubber products and food manufacturing company. In 1972, he set up his own steel mill in Indonesia and took over the Malaysia business in 1978 to form one of the largest steel mills in Malaysia at that time.

He later merged the companies founded by his father into the famous Lion Group of Malaysia. Under the stewardship of Cheng, his steel mills garnered some 60% share of the Malaysian market, earning him the title of Malaysian Steel King. Lion Group was floated on the KLSE and SGX and in 1993 the group ventured into the consumer retail market. The group has since grown into one of Malaysia’s biggest conglomerate with a strong international presence.

During his tenure as the ACCCIM President, the association decided to purchase its own 6-storey 15,522 square feet building as the ACCCIM’s new office. Cheng was also committed in resolving issues faced by bird’s nest farmers, he also gather the MCA, Huazong and 7 major Chinese associations to set up the Malaysian Chinese Economic Advisory Council, the ACCCIM Socio-Economic Research Trust Fund, as well as the Socio-Economic Research Centre.