| Robin Loh | |
| Native Name: | 羅新權 |
| Birth Place: | Sumatra |
| Nationality: | Singapore |
Robin SK Loh (; 1928/29 – 28 August 2010) was a Singaporean businessman and real estate developer. Loh was best known in Australia as the founder of Robina, Queensland, a suburban town on the Gold Coast of Queensland.[1] Robina, which turned 30 in 2010, is considered one of Australia's most successful planned communities.[1] He was also credited as a leading businessman during Singapore's industrialization.[2]
Loh obtained a Master of Arts in Asian political science in 1995[3] and subsequently a doctorate from University of California, Berkeley. The University of Berkeley considered his business success as a general degree and allowed him to pursue his degree in the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.[4]
Loh was born in Sumatra,[5] and moved to Singapore during the 1940s at the age of 18.[6] [7] He began his career in business by salvaging abandoned U.S. Army military equipment.[7] He also worked as a taxicab driver.[6] In the early 1970s, Loh established the Robin Shipyard in Singapore.[6]
In 1980, Loh purchased 20 square kilometres of grazing land on the southern Gold Coast in Queensland.[1] Loh built the town of Robina, which grew into a planned community with a population of approximately 30,000 people, as of 2010.[1] Loh built a town center with entertainment, parks and healthcare facilities.[1]
In addition to Robina and other real estate holdings, Loh also held interests in research and development, hotels, banking, shipbuilding, manufacturing, shipping and oil rig construction during his career.[1]
Robin Road and Robina House, in Singapore's Shenton Way, are named after Loh.[6]
The government of Malaysia also granted him the title Datuk.[7]
On 28 August 2010, Robin Loh died of breathing difficulties on an international flight from Singapore to Hong Kong, at the age of 81.[1] He had suffered from Parkinson's disease.[1]