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Don't simply face the figures. Know the faces behind the figures.
Get up Close and Personal with Movers and Shakers
When analysing companies, we believe in knowing the management rather than staring at cold hard numbers.
yuu THE MAN
If you are one of the 1.5 million yuu members in Singapore, you have Sng Ren Yeong to thank. He is the Managing Director of Temasek’s AI Strategy and Solutions. During his tenure as CEO at minden.ai, a Temasek-backed tech venture, he led the creation of the yuu rewards programme. Ren Yeong and team enlisted … Read more
Coffee With Ven-erable Journalist
Veteran journalist Ven Sreenivasan and I are kindred spirits, bonded by our shared passion for uncovering under-the-radar small caps. Even before I started out as an analyst, I relished reading his articles in The Business Times. His small-cap analyses in the Hock Lock Siew column, along with his insightful scoops on the aviation sector and … Read more
CNA Turns 25!
CNA began its journey in March 1999 as Channel NewsAsia, while my investment career started a few months later in December of the same year. My first appearance on Channel NewsAsia was in April 2000. It was an IPO segment on Corporate Watch, a weekly programme which was later renamed Money Mind. During the interview, … Read more
On The Go With NYGH Students
Collaborated with Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYGH) on a first-of-its-kind immersion experience, where Sec 4 girls shadowed me to gain insight into a typical day in a fund manager’s life. Since I spend most of my time out of the office meeting management, they joined me for a morning meeting at APAC Realty, the parent … Read more
Gunning For The Pole Position in Co-Living
Eugene Lim established The Assembly Place (TAP) in 2019. Over the span of four years, it has burgeoned into the second largest co-living operator, boasting nearly 1,800 rooms and managing assets worth S$500 million. Among its assets are properties owned by partners such as Apricot Capital and Eric Low of Oxley Holdings. Initially focused on … Read more
Best World’s COO ‘endorses’ Own Products
Huang Ban Chin and family dropped by for CNY. He is the Executive Director and COO of Best World International, the leading direct selling company listed in Singapore, specialising in skincare and lifestyle products. When Best World was first listed 20 years ago, we worked together on seminars to promote the counter to my clients. … Read more
Gathering With Old Friends From Money FM
My regular Thursday chat on MONEY FM 89.3 with finance presenter Chua Tian Tian touched on the Singapore market and Nvidia, the US$2 Trillion tech behemoth. Over the past week, I also caught up with a few friends I made from MoneyFM at my place – Michelle Martin, Michael Switow and JP Ong. I was … Read more
After-Work Kopi With MTQ’s Kuah Boon Wee
Plenty to discuss over coffee with MTQ’s CEO Kuah Boon Wee. But our journey didn’t start off this way. I first met Boon Wee in 2001 when he was CFO at ST Engineering (STE). I was then an analyst covering the defense conglomerate. Both he and STE CEO Tan Pheng Hock were notably tight-lipped about … Read more
Amara Seeks To Go Private
I caught up with Amara CEO Albert Teo over coffee at his hotel’s Element Restaurant, a place that holds fond memories. He helped me organise my eldest child’s first birthday in the restaurant some years back. Recently, Albert teamed up with PE fund Dymon Asia to privatise Amara at an offer price of S$0.60 per … Read more
From Blue Pool to Green Fingers
Before Joseph Schooling, there was Desmond Koh. I first met Des after he hung up his speedos 25 years back. The three-time Olympian, who once held four national records, was also a Rhodes Scholar. Since his retirement from the pool, he has been navigating the currents of finance and we were, for a brief moment … Read more
Meeting 2nd Chance on 2nd Jan
Great catching up with Salleh Marican, founder and CEO of Second Chance Properties. While many recall his attempt at the presidential race in 2017, those of my vintage would also remember the iconic Second Chance pants from the 1980s. Since then, he has amassed a portfolio of properties and investments valued at nearly S$400 million. … Read more
From Coffee To Property
Last week, it was reported that David Teo bought Serene Centre, a mixed-use development in Bukit Timah, for S$105 million through his family office Apricot Capital. He is best known as the controlling shareholder of Super Group, which owns the ubiquitous Super Coffee and Owl coffee brands. Super is one of the top coffee players … Read more
Losing A Friendly Wager
I made a friendly bet with Han Khim Siew, CEO of OUE Commercial REIT. Both of us were convinced we were the elder of the two. Han had a lot on his plate when he assumed the chief executive role early last year. The REIT owns a number of prized assets in hospitality (Hilton Orchard, … Read more
En-Bloc King’s Latest Venture Takes Off
Meet “en-bloc king” Karamjit Singh. He brokered Singapore’s largest en-bloc deal – the S$1.338 billion sale of Farrer Court in 2007. CapitaLand emerged as the buyer, and it transformed the expansive site (840k sq ft) into D’Leedon. What made this accomplishment more astonishing was the fact that Karamjit was not from a globally recognised brand … Read more
Disruptor Takes On A Fresh Role
Tan Chin Hwee has a penchant for disrupting his life. In 2015, he retired as the founding partner of Apollo Global Management, where he earned recognition as the Best Asia Hedge Fund Manager. After 20 years of managing money, he went on to manage people at Trafigura as its Asia-Pacific CEO. After 8 years, Chin … Read more
Japan Trailblazer
Singapore investors have been actively snapping up Japanese properties this year, surpassing all other countries with over US$3 billion. This surge comes as Japan’s economy and property market show signs of revival. Jeremy Yong was ahead of his time, making a big bet on Japan over a decade ago when he founded Croesus Retail Trust, … Read more
Comm Chest Chair Can’t Sit Still
Congrats Chew Sutat and Community Chest team for raising $16.7m last night! I recall having coffee with Sutat on his last day as Senior Managing Director at SGX in 2021. I could have sworn he told me that he was going to take it easy. Two years on, this hardly seems the case. Other than … Read more
Turning Around… Almost
Melvin Ang, chairman of entertainment company mm2 Asia, went through some really tough times. Covid affected all of mm2’s business lines – film production, concert and cinema. It bled the most with cinema, having spent almost S$200m on Cathay in 2017, only to see the valuation slide more than half. It is in the midst … Read more
Being Schooled On Roads
Tagged along a group of promising students from Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) to visit Samwoh Group, a well-known name in civil engineering and infrastructure construction. Many roads that we ride on, including the Marina Coastal Expressway (Singapore’s costliest) and the F1 circuit, were built by Samwoh. We never knew so much science goes into paving … Read more
Seeing (Michelin) Stars
Loh Lik Peng has earned one of the most Michelin Stars in the world, amassing over 20 since 2016. Last year was a record as the restaurants he own picked up 11 Michelin Stars, including Zen (3 ), Cloudstreet (2 ), Burnt Ends and Nouri (1 each). Trained as a lawyer, Peng started his entrepreneurial journey with boutique … Read more
A Blast From The Past
David Kuo and I were judges in Singapore’s first reality TV stock competition on CNA back in 2017. Ten contestants from across the island, including two celebrities, had to construct their own stock portfolios, and the one with the best returns over eight weeks would go on to win. Any one who follows David’s media … Read more
The Man Behind “Mark to Market”
Ben Paul made quite a splash when he joined The Business Times almost 4 years back. His ‘Mark to Market’ columns remind me of Lee Han Shih, who was known for penning hard-hitting articles on stocks in the 1990s, particularly on government-linked companies. It is clear from Ben’s articles that he taps on his past … Read more
‘Food For Thought’
If you are a fan of Polar’s signature curry puff, you have Dr Chan Kok Yew to thank. The chairman of Polar takes time off his medical practice regularly to prepare the curry mix. The recipe is a closely guarded secret! Considering how much sweat Kok Yew pours into the preparation of curry puffs, I … Read more
Singapore’s Largest REITs Conference
Saturday morning with panelists and old friends Song Seng Wun (Economist, CIMB PB) and Chan Kum Kong (Head of Research, SGX) at Singapore’s largest REITs conference.
Remember Extrim?
Slimming pills earn fat margins. I learnt this from Kenneth Goh, whom I first met in 2004 when the company he founded listed on the SGX
Starting the Year of the Rabbit with a Cut
Haircut at Jean Yip Salon before visiting Jean Yip for CNY.
CNY Cheer for Hotels
My CNY house visit to Albert Teo’s place three years ago wasn’t particularly auspicious.
Best Hand Wins
With Q&M CEO Ng Chin Siau, Food Empire Chairman Tan Wang Cheow and Tung Lok COO Tjioe Ka In.
Cityneon raises money from Temasek-backed fund
Ron Tan, CEO of Cityneon, had some good news to share when I visited his house earlier today. Temasek-backed 65 Equity Partners has just invested S$150m in his company.
SPH Media’s new top dog
Congrats Wong Wei Kong on your promotion to the top job in SPH Media. I wish there was an abbreviation for your new role. Editor-in-Chief of the English/Malay/Tamil Media (EMTM) Group is quite a mouthful.
SIAS Most Outstanding CEO Award
I was judging for the ‘Most Outstanding CEO Award’ at the SIAS Investors’ Choice Awards.
Marco Polo makes convincing turnaround
Sean Lee is a fighter. It was not apparent when I first got to know him in 2010. Back then was a great time to be an offshore marine vessel owner, as oil prices were climbing towards record levels.
Largest listed fund manager finds value play
Vincent Toe is the CEO of Yangzijiang Financial (YZJF), the largest fund management company listed on the SGX with an AUM of S$4.6 billion. It is backed by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding (YZJ), one of the largest shipbuilders in the world. Since it’s first day of trading in April 2022, YZJF’s share price has dived 40% to … Read more
Pubbing at Stamford Land
Met Ow Yew Heng in the in-house British-styled pub in his HQ. He runs companies in two of the hottest sectors now – hospitality and shipping. His family owns and operates SGX-listed Stamford Land and Singapore Shipping Corp. Heng is the CEO of Stamford Land, Australasia’s largest independent owner-operator of luxury hotels. It was reported … Read more
Kopi with Tembusu’s Andy Lim
Good catching up with Andy Lim, chairman of private equity firm Tembusu Partners. A few common investments, and many common friends.
Innotek readies for impending storm-with cash
Met up with Neal Chandaria, the chairman and controlling shareholder of Innotek. His family is also a major shareholder and founder of Venture Corp, the largest manufacturer listed on the SGX. Innotek was formerly known as Mangecomp, a company I covered a couple of decades ago. It’s core HDD business was sold off about 15 … Read more
Marcus Chu drives ERA to record numbers
Congrats on the official opening of the ERA APAC Building today, Marcus Chu! Few people can boast better on the ground knowledge of the property market. As CEO of real estate agency ERA, he oversees 8,000 agents who raked in a record $740m in commissions last year. That’s close to a quarter of the Singapore … Read more
Dentist attempts to save No Signboard
Caught up with Dr Chin Siau Ng, CEO of Singapore’s largest dental chain Q&M with 100 clinics here (another 42 in Malaysia). He made news recently for taking a controlling stake in No Signboard Holdings, the embattled seafood restaurant group best known for its white pepper crab. The Catalist-listed firm was suspended from trading in … Read more
Blast from the past with Natsteel Electronics
Over breakfast yesterday, Chay Yee Meng reminded me that we last met up for coffee before I got married. That’s almost 15 years ago. We first met when he was the CFO of Natsteel Electronics, the largest contract manufacturer in Singapore and the sixth largest in the world. Apple was its top client, accounting for … Read more
Kim Heng’s riding on high oil prices and reaping the benefits
I met up with Thomas Tan, CEO of Kim Heng, for coffee. The offshore & marine company his family founded has bucked the trend, with its share price surging 40% over the past week as it is seen as a beneficiary of the climbing oil price. I first met Thomas back in 2008 when he … Read more
Russia and Ukraine’s top instant coffee maker sees tough times
Tan Wang Cheow, founder of Food Empire, started doing business in Russia in the late 1980s, when it was still known as Soviet Union. The adventurous accountant built a coffee empire there, before expanding to other far-flung countries like Iran, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Notably, Food Empire’s MacCoffee is the #1 instant coffee brand in both … Read more
Privatisation Yields 50x Return for this entrepreneur
It has been a while since I caught up with Aztech Global’s founder Michael Mun. I knew him back in 2005 when I initiated coverage on his company. It’s core tech manufacturing business was doing well up till 2007, but started to struggle after. Michael made a strategic decision to diversify into a couple of … Read more
Queen of Pawn
Like most kids, Yeah Lee Ching grew up playing with building blocks. Except that her blocks were made of gold.
Chew Sutat – The man who took away his dad’s lunch
I met up with Chew Sutat, senior managing director of SGX, on his last day of work. He is perhaps the only man I know who took away his dad’s lunch. Back in 2011, SGX introduced the all-day continuous trading that marked the end of the 90-minute lunch break for the army of 3,000 remisiers in … Read more
Blast from the past with Salleh Marican, founder of Second Chance Properties
I am reminded of my growing up years every time I catch up with Salleh, as he built up one of the most popular clothing labels back then.
Trafigura’s Asia-Pacific CEO Tan Chin Hwee launches a new book
He takes a different spin on why economies grow at different speeds, and suggests that human values should be the starting point to assess the growth potential of any country.
Enzer’s founder Boyd Au used to find breakfast a challenge
Growing up in Boys’ Home, the kids with the biggest fist and toughest knuckles got the thickest kaya bread at breakfast. He wasn’t always so lucky.
Toh Soon Huat’s building up the coffers at Sian Chay Medical
Two months ago, Toh Soon Huat led the 118-year old Sian Chay Medical – which provides free TCM treatment and highly subsidised medication – to raise over $8m in its inaugural TV charity show.
Hanging out with Dennis Goh, founder of Lyte and Hungrygowhere
Dennis Goh, best known for starting HungryGoWhere, was my primary school buddy. He was also my wedding emcee. During my wedding preparations back in 2007, Dennis excitedly showed me and my heng dais (groomsmen) his venture.
It all started with a crash, says Mothership’s founder Lien We King
A former fund manager and trained DJ, We King is an accidental mediapreneur.
Retired minister Teo Ser Luck seeds startups
The recent election must have been a strangely peaceful affair for Teo Ser Luck. He stepped down from politics this year, after a 14-year stint as Member of Parliament.
‘Mr Money Mind’ Frederick Lim’s retirement plan not panning out… for now
The award-winning producer of CNA’s Money Mind wanted to see more of the world following his retirement, but travel plans have to be put on hold indefinitely.
Bee hoon brekkie with Lee Sze Hao, CEO of Sing Holdings
Met Lee Sze Hao in his favourite kopitiam on Beach Road for breakfast. Over fried bee hoon, the CEO of Sing Holdings lamented that he just lost out on piece of government land in Fernvale by a whisker.
Dr Ng Chin Siau, CEO of Q&M Dental, prepares for Covid war
Chin Siau hardly got to enjoy Chinese New Year as he was scrambling for surgical masks. Not for himself, but his army of healthcare professionals.
MTQ CEO Kuah Boon Wee, a man of diverse interest
Prior to running the offshore & marine engineering company, Boon Wee held senior management roles in some of the largest companies in the region,
Monster budget targeted to help retail and F&B
Tomorrow’s Budget is going to be the most closely watched in years, as it will be unleashed during extraordinary circumstances. Will desperate times call for desperate measures? I believe that this year’s Budget will be bigger, bolder and dare I say, a blockbuster.
Multi-hyphenate Tan Chin Hwee manages Singapore’s largest company
The commodities trading company is Singapore’s largest firm by revenue, racking up US$180 billion last year. Sales doubled in the past 5 years that Chin Hwee was at the helm.
Albert Teo, CEO of Amara, says tough times coming for hoteliers
In an unprecedented move, Singapore just announced that it will shut its borders to visitors from China due to the coronavirus. The impact will be big as China has in recent years become our largest market, accounting for almost 20% of total tourist receipts.
CNY House Visit – Jean Yip
Jean Yip and hubby Mervin Wee built a wellness empire that is well documented. From a single shop in Katong Plaza back in the early 1980s, they now have close to 80 hairdressing and beauty outlets. These include the Cheryl W chain, which is run by their actress daughter Cheryl.
Food Empire’s founder Tan Wang Cheow builds a global leader
Food Empire’s founder/chairman Tan Wang Cheow may be soft spoken and unassuming, but he is quite a mean marketing machine. How else can you explain the way he created demand for instant coffee in Russia, where tea is almost a religion.
Catching up on old times with Peter Lee, former CFO of OSIM
Kopi with Peter Lee, the former CFO of OSIM. He was instrumental in powering a sharp turnaround in OSIM’s fortunes between 2009 and 2013, a period which saw the share price jump over 40x!
Going back a long way with SIAS founder David Gerald
SIAS founder David Gerald goes against the odds to deliver on his promises. The exception was a promise he made to his wife Rajmala some 20 years back to take her around the world after he retired as a lawyer.
Man behind kopitiam giant Fei Siong
Many may look at him and wonder about his nickname. This svelte granddad was actually quite a bit bigger in his younger days.
Business Times bids farewell to one of its finest
Business Times bids farewell to one of its finest. Kenneth Lim, the award winning deputy news editor, is leaving SPH after 16 years. In my opinion, he pens some of the best headlines and stories the paper has seen, in the league of legends like Conrad Raj and Lee Han Shih.
Coffee with Motley Fool’s David Kuo
We were judges in CNA’s Money Mind Challenge (Singapore’s first televised stock competition) two years back and had a blast of a time.
Sunday Times Invest Editor Lorna Tan launches new book
Her latest book ‘Money Smart – Own Your Own Financial Destiny’ will be hitting the bookshelves this weekend.
Enviro-Hub founder Raymond Ng’s hobby
Caught up with an old friend who runs a listco involved in recycling, renewable energy and piling.
ISOTeam is turning around, suggests CEO Anthony Koh
If you value a stock solely based on the financial information available on the Bloomberg Terminal, you may miss out turnaround businesses.
Coffee with Albert Teo at his flagship Amara Hotel
Homegrown Amara Holdings has slowly and safely grown its hotel presence in the region. Such investments are capital intensive and can pose a potential risk to shareholders.
Yongnam CEO Seow Soon Yong catches up in neighbourhood kopitiam
I had breakfast with Yongnam’s CEO Seow Soon Yong at our neighbourhood kopitiam. Yongnam completed a fundraising exercise the day before, raising S$15m through convertible bonds.
Cityneon sees 600% gains under CEO Ron Tan
Ron Tan, CEO of Cityneon, continues to be busy after privatising his company at $1.30 per share in January. Cityneon holds licenses for four brands, including Disney’s Marvel Avengers, Universal Studio’s Jurassic Park and Hasbro’s Transformers.
Kingsmen Creatives CEO Andrew Cheng takes the IP way
Andrew Cheng, CEO of Kingsmen Creatives, brought me around his new facility in Changi. Unsurprisingly, the interior design was impeccable, given that it has over 1,800 designers in the company. It does design and renovation works for retail shops and theme parks, including Universal Studios Singapore and Disney HK and Shanghai. Lately, the margins for this business has been hit by intense competition.
Wrong place, wrong time for First REIT’s CEO Victor Tan
First REIT was met with a series of unfortunate problems since Victor Tan stepped up to be the CEO in 2017.
Participant in televised budget forum ‘Ask the Finance Minister’
Participated in a ‘live’ townhall meeting on the Budget with Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat. It was a tight one hour TV programme (48 min after commercials) and each participant was limited to a question each.
Visiting ‘tech babies’ in Jakarta
We met up with a few of Indon-listed Kresna’s startups while in Indonesia.
Meeting Garuda Indonesia’s subsidiary
In Indonesia last week and visited Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia Tbk (GMFI), which is 90% owned by PT Garuda Indonesia.
Croesus’ founder Jeremy Yong has the last laugh
Croesus Retail Trust was the only Japanese mall-focused trust listed in Singapore, with few investors believing in Jeremy Yong and his team.
ERA’s property conference with Marcus Chu, COO of Apac Realty
Marcus took on the property market while I shared my views on property stocks.
Ex-CFO of OSIM Peter Lee resurfaces at Popular
Lost and found! Ex-CFO of OSIM Peter Lee went on a hiatus following the privatisation in 2016, and re-joined the corporate scene a year later with Popular Holdings as Group CFO and Head of Singapore business.
Visited APAC Realty’s office to meet COO Marcus Chu
He had a busy weekend with the launch of 3 prime residential developments – Fourth Avenue Residences (Allgreen), Fyve Derbyshire and RV Altitude (both Roxy-Pacific).ERA – the agency arm of APAC – was the sales leader, selling 46 units in total (40% of the units sold).
