Scan to watch the

behind-the-scenes
footage
ART DIRECTOR CLEMENTINUS LIEM
PHOTOGRAPHER MICKY WONG
videographer Matthew teo
HAIR & make-up ARTIST Joi Leong
of Joi The Makeup Bar

40
under

Be it fearless entrepreneurs taking their businesses to the world stage,

champions for the marginalised or researchers with gutsy new innovations, this
years roll call of up-and-comers demonstrate how one can break new ground
while serving as an inspiration to all. Future leaders of tomorrow? These rising
stars are ready to take the wheel. by sara yap, lydianne yap and mavis ang
SEPTEMBER 2015 PRESTIGE

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PEOPLE

Ash Singh, 33
Tireless entrepreneur

Nicholas Ng, 36
Feeding the poor
According to a study conducted by
the National Environment Agency, a
staggering 788,600 tonnes of food
were wasted last year. This statistic
is something Nicholas Ng hopes to
change with The Food Bank Singapore,
a charity he and his sister Nichol
founded in 2012 to reduce wastage
within the supply chain. The biggest
challenge we face is that people and
companies still do not want to donate
due to pride; companies are also
worried about legal and [branding]
issues, he says.
His organisation functions as
a centralised warehouse for food
donations from companies and the
public, and passes the donations to
charities that in turn distribute the
goods (ranging from surplus produce
to food with short shelf lives) to the
needy. It is currently working on
a food rescue project with F&B
establishments to assist in salvaging
and donating excess cooked food. In
December, The Food Bank will embark
on a festive drive to collect unwanted
food gifts. Ng hopes such efforts will
inspire the public to do their part in
reducing wastage: Everything starts
small, but it has to start somewhere.
NG WEARS THE MASTER ULTRA THIN PERPETUAL
FROM JAEGER-LECOULTRE

324 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

Denise Lee, 33
Dressed for action
Interning for Calvin Klein and
Chanel in New York while
studying at Northwestern
University in Chicago, Denise Lee
took to the fashion industry like a
duck to water. Upon graduation,
she joined Armani Exchange in
the Big Apple before working in
business development at Burch
Creative Capital (run by billionaire
entrepreneur Chris Burch, Tory
Burchs ex-husband who helped
kick-start her brand).
Having always kept an active
lifestyle, she noted the lack of
stylish yet functional sportswear
in the market while training for
her first triathlon in 2012. In 2013,

she launched womens activewear

brand Alala. I remember being
so excited to get our first order
from a retailer Equinox, a
national luxury gym chain. Seeing
celebrities like Reese Witherspoon
and Naomi Watts wearing our
clothes is always exciting too,
says Lee, who reveals that despite
the high costs, many of Alalas
products are still produced in
New Yorks Garment District to
ensure quality. Even when she
needs to take a break, this sporty
entrepreneur says that theres
nothing like a great spin class with
amazing music to take my mind
off work for an hour.

For five days every week, Ash Singh

arrives at Evolve Mixed Martial
Arts at 6am to practice Muay Thai
thats just his way of taking his
mind off work. The Canadian-born
entrepreneur divides the rest of his
energy towards managing Kundan
Holdings, a group with diverse
companies ranging from sports
entertainment (he is co-owner of
pro-basketball team Singapore
Slingers) to health and wellness
(Expat Dental clinics). He also
teaches tech start-up courses.
Growing up a Sikh in Canada,
Singh learnt early on to take
advantage of the fact that he stood
out visibly. When you stand out,
you are remembered. This helps a
lot in business, he says. Being an
entrepreneur is about taking the
path less travelled.
Some of his achievements
include establishing his first
company, Social Network Business
Systems, with just US$1,200 when
he was a 22-year-old student at
The Chinese University in Hong
Kong and more recently, creating
entrepreneurial reality television
show Angels Gate, which was
televised to 30 million homes and
hotels around Asia.

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PEOPLE

Alexander Ling, 39

Hazlina Halim, 30

Changing the way coded data is sent

Spreading knowledge one

TV screen at a time

fashion stylist: chia wei choong; photographer: gan

As a principal investigator at the

Centre for Quantum Technologies,
Dr Alexander Ling focuses on
using optical quantum technology
to improve how protected
information is transmitted
over long distances. He is now
working on sending palm-sized
photon machines out to space on
satellites by the end of this year.
Quantum optics in simple terms
Its the study of packets of light
energy (photons) that can be
treated as particles. It was only in
the 1900s that physicists collected
sufficient evidence to demonstrate
that light can behave as particles.
Nowadays, we treat light as having
both wave and particle behaviour.
How it all began
What really influenced my
passion for physics was watching
how my father designed and
built things as a welder. Putting
things together requires an
understanding of how the different
bits interact and physics gives us
a model about how different parts
of our material world can interact.
Dealing with setbacks
Setbacks are part of research
work you have to fail often in
order to know what not to try.
The trick is to also to learn from
the failure of others so that the
learning period is shorter.

Quah Zheng Wen, 18

Swimming towards an Olympic medal

HALIM WEARS THE REVERSO CLASSIC MEDIUM

DUETTO FROM JAEGER-LECOULTRE and is

Record-breaking swimmer
Quah Zheng Wen made waves
at the recent SEA Games as the
most bemedalled athlete with
12 wins. And now that he has
been granted a deferment from
national service to concentrate
on his sport, Quah, who is
qualified to compete at the
next Olympic Games in Rio de
Janeiro, has set his sights on
bringing home a medal.
Family support
They have supported me
in terms of nutrition, moral
support, general happiness and
many other things. The fact

326 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

If theres one thing broadcast journalist

Hazlina Halim believes in, it is that
knowledge should be shared. So
when the opportunity to lecture at
Temasek Polytechnic presented itself
in 2011, she jumped at the chance of
teaching Communications and Media
Management, something she did for
the next three years. It was a really
enriching experience and I really felt
like I was contributing to the future; like
I was investing, she says.
Inspired by her students desire
to learn, Halim decided to return to
the media industry in 2014 to further
hone her talents. Joining broadcaster
MediaCorp, she now plans local news
coverage on Channel NewsAsia and
is a news presenter on Suria and radio
station 938 Live.
Halim also chairs the Corporate
Communications Advisory Committee
at the Singapore Muslim Womens
Association (PPIS) and serves as
Assistant Honorary General Secretary
at the Singapore Council of Womens
Organisations (SCWO).

that my siblings are engaged in

the same [sport] also helps me
remain steadfast on the route to
my goals.

OUTFITted in BCBGMAXAZRIA

Pushed to the limit

As coaches and mentors, both
Gary Tan and Sergio Lopez have
cultivated the belief in me that it
is possible to be world class and
race at the highest levelI also
have to thank Kei Hyogo, my
training partner who now trains
at Yale University. We have
always pushed each other to our
limits. Without him, I dont think
I would have the same tenacity
that I now possess!

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PEOPLE

Darren Tan, 36

Rhonda Wong, 30

From delinquent to lawyer

When Darren Tan was called to the
Bar last year, he had a nagging fear
that someone would disrupt the
ceremony. As I was standing there to
be sworn in, there was this sense of
uneasiness that someone might jump
to his or her feet to object, says Tan.
When he was younger, he had spent
nearly 11 years in and out of prison
for gang- and drug-related offences,
and received 19 strokes of the cane.
It was at 23 that he decided to turn
his life around and pursue the more
honourable path of becoming a
lawyer, says the National University
of Singapore Faculty of Law alum.
Tans Mass Call ceremony went
without a hitch and he is now a
commercial litigation and dispute
resolution lawyer at TSMP Law
Corporation. He is also co-founder
of Beacon of Life Academy which
helps at-risk youth and a director
of Tasek Jurong, a non-profit
organisation that provides seed
money for social enterprises that
support the marginalised.
His advice for youth trapped in
the web of crime: Your life up to this
stage does not determine your future
and you have the power to create the
future you desire.
TAN WEARS THE MASTER CALENDAR FROM
JAEGER-LECOULTRE

328 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

Realtor who gives back

Royston Tan, 38
Silver-screen superstar
This year is shaping up to be a
hectic one for Royston Tan. He
headlined the anthology 7 Letters
(an SG50 collaboration with six
other local film-makers) and
directed a humorous governmentcommissioned video about
the health insurance scheme
MediShield Life. Both projects
were met with positive reception.
Tickets to 7 Letters sold out within
hours of release and earned rave
reviews, while the Journey To The
West-themed video targeting the
pioneer generation went viral on
social media.
He is particularly proud of

the success of 7 Letters: [My

proudest moment was] when
the seven directors stood up on
stage to present the movie to
the audience at Capitol Theatre.
It was a challenging journey,
but we managed to [produce] a
heartfelt present for our fellow
Singaporeans.
Not one to rest on his laurels,
Tans next major project is a
feature film titled 3688, which hits
the silver screen later this month.
Despite his sterling portfolio,
he says: I am still learning and
evolving; and every day is a new
discovery for me.

Sincerity has to be at the heart of

everything one does, says Rhonda
Wong. Formerly a treasury bonds
trader, she established Anthill
Realtors last year, a firm that
places importance on establishing
good rapport with clients.
According to Wong, she also
chooses her business partners
based on good values such as
honesty, integrity, diligence and
willingness to learn, rather than
the amount of capital they have.
Aside from work, Wong also
devotes her time towards good
causes, in particular anti-human
trafficking efforts. She also plans
to volunteer at Challenging
Heights, an organisation that
rescues and educates trafficked
children in Ghana. They have a
good system in place for selecting
volunteers, including conducting
checks on criminal history. I
appreciate this because there are
volunteers who abuse the weak
and needy, says Wong.
Although dealing with human
trafficking can be emotionally
draining, this businesswoman says
it reminds her to work hard and
live her life well, or I wouldnt be
doing justice to the people who
never had a chance to.

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Lois Wan, 39
The accidental banker
Being a banker was never part of Lois
Wans plan. What she really wanted to
be was a business journalist. You cant
really be a journalist covering financial
news if you do not have hands-on
experience. So I joined a bank to get
experience, Wan says, of her initial
decision to enter the finance industry.
In the end, she fell in love with
the dynamism of the banking sector
and never felt the itch to leave. Now
executive director and senior client
partner at DBS Private Bank, Wan
manages the wealth of ultra-high-networth individuals. But her services go
beyond portfolio management. She has
assisted clients in bond issuances, IPOs,
mergers and acquisitions, and private
equity deals. She also helps businesses
manage succession planning and risk
through the application of various
fiduciary products. Lauded as one of
Singapores top young banking talents,
Wan was named Outstanding Young
Private Banker by Private Banker
International last year.
Looking ahead, Wan intends to set
up a philanthropic fund for the less
fortunate one day. If we could share
some of what we have with others, it
will definitely make the world a much
better place for all, she says.

Lenny Wee, 31

Ho Tzu Nyen, 39

Larry Peh, 39

The music man

The artist

The designer

The music composer, arranger and

producer may not be a household
name here, but hes making waves
abroad. Based in Los Angeles, the
Berklee College of Music alum has
worked with big names the likes of
Stevie Wonder and Katy Perry. Wee
runs music production company
Orange Music Group in the US.

Ho recently bagged the grand prize

at the third Asia Pacific Breweries
Foundation Signature Art Prize for
his video installation Pythagoras.
His 42-minute short film Earth
is also on display at travelling art
showcase Singapore: Inside Out,
which makes its way to New York
City later this month.

The founder and creative director

of design firm &Larry received the
nations highest design accolade
when he was named Designer of the
Year at the 2014 Presidents Design
Award. His studio recently created
the collaterals for SG50-themed
anthology 7 Letters.

What do you
enjoy most about
your craft?

I love that music is a universal

language[it] is sometimes able to
convey emotion much better than
language can.

For me, making art is a kind of

excuse to embark on adventures
that dont have pre-determined
outcomes.

I can make a living out of what I do

best. The thrill of seeing what goes
on in my head and heart come to
life still amazes me after 15 years in
business.

What was the

proudest moment
in your career?

Probably when I got to arrange for

Natalie Cole. As a kid, my dad used
to play Frank Sinatra and Natalie
Cole records at home. I became
such a huge fan that I would pick
apart her songs and arrangements.
When I met her, I was star-struck
and told her what a huge influence
she was on my music.

I always feel something close

to pride whenever someone Ive
worked with on a project tells me
that they have gained something
from the processI dont think of
myself as being a champion of any
kind; Im just glad to have my works
shown and to have the opportunity
to continue working.

When I received my award

from President Tony Tan at
the Presidents Design Award
[ceremony]. Pursuing accolades
has never been high on my list of
priorities, but I believe that this
award has a significant role to play
in influencing the state of design
in Singapore. I felt honoured and
humbled at the same time.

Whats next?

Wee has been enlisted to arrange

music for the final season of
American Idol next year and
has recently started a Youtube
channel, where he plans to do video
collaborations with Singaporean
and American musicians. Its going
to be like a music melting pot with
different featured genres.

Later this month, Ho will present

2 or 3 Tigers, a motion capture
and digital effects project, at the
opening of the Asian Cultural
Complex in Gwangju, South Korea.
He will also showcase a new video
work titled No Man at the Singapore
Art Museum.

My studio has quite an exciting

line-up of projects, ranging from
brand identity to environmental
and digital [work]. Im also looking
at new collaboration opportunities
for both &Larry and Faculty (my
fashion label), both locally and
internationally.

WAN WEARS THE RENDEZ-VOUS MOON FROM

JAEGER-LECOULTRE

330 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

Born To Create

PEOPLE

SEPTEMBER 2015 PRESTIGE

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PEOPLE

Rehan Amarasuriya, 29

Anne Cheng, 34

Master of the teahouse

Uniting entrepreneurs all

over the world
Self-confessed serial
entrepreneur Anne Cheng is no
stranger to success (or failure,
for that matter), having launched
several B2B technology companies
over the years. While two of these
start-ups found buyers, a much
larger number of her ventures did
not quite take off. But I believe, as
an entrepreneur, failure teaches us
a lot about ourselves and how to
operate, she says.
As such, armed with the
experience of her past business
endeavours, Cheng co-founded
Start Up Nation (SUN) with
Rachel Yang in 2011. Though it
started as a business incubator
offering seed funding to early
stage start-ups, the company has
since diversified. We now have
complementary businesses that
support our investment business,
like advertising-based businesses,
a social impact division and a
consultancy business, she explains.
While it is based in Singapore, SUN
currently has networks and assets
in 21 countries and diversified
operations in three of these.
Passionate about social causes,
Cheng also spearheads SUNs
Bean Sprout Project, which aims to
establish social impact ecosystems
in less fortunate towns and regions
in Southeast Asia. Its past projects
include raising funds to build a
library in Cambodia and delivering
food and medical parcels to the less
privileged in Singapore.

332 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

Jonathan Yang, 30
Restaurateur with a hunger for success

Rehan Amarasuriya has big plans to

revolutionise the local tea-drinking
scene. Later this year, the director of
The 1872 Clipper Tea Co will open his
brands first flagship caf, where diners
can indulge in tea-infused cuisine and
a variety of tea blends prepared using
new-to-market brewing methods.
Plans are still underway and the
venue hasnt been confirmed, but
Amarasuriya reveals the establishment
will enable people to enjoy tea in
unconventional ways. We [want] to
take away the stiffness of tea and
bring in a spirit of adventure, he says.
Were hoping to create a space that
[provides] high-quality tea and food in
a friendly and inviting space.
Also in the pipeline is a collection
of tea-scented candles, which will
be launched this month, marking
the brands first foray into lifestyle
products. The variety and versatility
of tea really is quite unparalleled
and there are multiple nuances from
even the most basic cup of tea...
its a fascinating industry, says
Amarasuriya, who is also a director
at BP de Silva, the parent company of
Clipper Tea.
AMARASURIYA WEARS THE MASTER ULTRA THIN

When restaurateur Jonathan

Yang first set up burrito bar
Muchachos along Keong Saik
Road in 2013, he never expected
it would chalk up a profit in eight
months and reach $1 million
in annual revenue just seven
months later. After all, his main
intention of opening the business
was simply to satisfy his craving
for burritos something he
found lacking in Singapores
limited Mexican food scene.
As clich as this may sound,
Muchachos was never conceived
with profit as a primary motive.
More than anything else, it was a

passion project, says Yang.

He tasted sweet success again
a year later, when he started salad
joint The Daily Cut at Raffles
Place and it broke even within
four months. The establishment
opened its second outlet at
One-North in May and recently
launched a lunchtime delivery
service in the CBD area. While
Yang has some new restaurant
concepts swimming around
in [his] head, hes in no hurry
to embark on his next business
and is currently occupied with
building up his existing projects
to greater heights.

TOURBILLON FROM JAEGER-LECOULTRE

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PEOPLE

Lim Kexin, 33

Brian Gothong Tan, 34

The multitasking accountant

The all-round visual artist

It all began when local playwright
Alfian Saat approached Brian
Gothong Tan, who was then
still in the army, to design some
multimedia elements for his play,
The Optic Trilogy. One thing led
to another and Tan soon found
himself working on several
plays by Action Theatre and The
Necessary Stage. No stranger
to large-scale productions, the
multidisciplinary film and theatre
practitioner has since directed the
film and visual components for the
National Day Parade and Youth
Olympic opening and closing
ceremonies.
The California Institute of
the Arts graduates progressive
multimedia and directorial works
have also won him a multitude of
accolades, including the recent
Singapore Youth Award 2015.
The awards have forced me to rethink what I am doing in relation to
society and culture at large, says
Tan, whose works often revolve
around loneliness, ideas of beauty,
and sociopolitical issues.
He is currently working on
several plays, multimedia works
for National Day Parade 2016 and
is finalising plans for an arthouse
multi-narrative feature film.

Clement Zheng, 28
The digital craftsman
Currently pursuing a Masters of
Human-Computer Interaction at
Georgia Institute of Technology
in Atlanta, the industrial designer
was named one of the rising
furniture designers at International
Furniture Fair Singapore 2015s
Asian Star Showcase. He is known
for using algorithms to improve
the personalisation, fabrication
and assembly of furniture.
How do digital designs fit into the
current climate where designers
tend to focus on handmade
elements?
Underlying the resurgence of
handmade goods is the bigger
notion of craft. It is a critical
reaction that designers have

334 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

in this world where almost

everything comes to us readymade; and this spirit of craft is as
important in digital design as it is
in making things by hand.
Many digital designers have
approached their work with a
mindset rooted in craft practice.
As part of my ongoing research, I
collaborated with a ceramic artist
to produce a series of interactive
ceramic lamps. The artist was
responsible for creating the form
and texture of its body, while I
focused on its electronics and
programming.
I believe there is a lot of room for
us to critically examine the state of
digital design and craft offers us
one such lens.

Lim Kexin might very well be one of

the most cheerful accountants out
there and its a wonder how she does
it, with the number of commitments
she juggles. A senior tax manager at
PwC Singapore, Lim is currently on
secondment to PwC Indonesia and
based in Jakarta. She is a council
member of both the Institute of
Singapore Chartered Accountants
(ISCA) governing council where she
chairs its Young Professionals Advisory
Committee and the Singapore
Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia.
A self-declared serial volunteer,
Lim makes it a point to give back to
the community as well. Having actively
volunteered since the age of 17, she
has worked with various organisations
including the National Youth Council,
Yellow Ribbon Project and YMCA.I am
always looking out for opportunities to
make a positive difference, she shares.
For her commendable efforts within
and outside the workplace, Lim has
received many awards and accolades.
Among these are the titles of Rising
Star at the Financial Times-RBS
Coutts Women in Asia awards in 2010
and Young Accountant of the Year at
the inaugural Singapore Accountancy
Awards in 2014.
LIM WEARS THE RENDEZ-VOUS DATE FROM
JAEGER-LECOULTRE

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PEOPLE

Ian Gregory Tan, 30

The creative game developer
Ian Gregory Tan is the co-founder and
creative mind behind Witching Hour
Studios, a game developer known
for apps with rich narratives such as
Ravenmark: Mercenaries and Romans
in My Carpet. The former picked up
an Editors Choice nod at the Digital
Life Awards 2014, while the latter
scored the Indie Prize for Best Game
Art at Casual Connect Asia.

David Cheang, 38
Rags-to-riches property developer
A young man steps in as a guarantor
for his familys mounting bank loans,
only to lose everything and end up
a bankrupt when they cannot pay
up. It sounds like the stuff soap
operas are made of, but this is what
happened to property developer
David Cheang in his younger days,
after the 1997 Asian financial crisis
left his family in debt. It was dreadful
when the doorbell rang. There
would be debtors with court orders,
summons, power supply officers and
HDB officers at the door as we were
unable to even pay for the monthly
[flat] instalments, he recalls.
Despite those setbacks, Cheang
persevered as a property agent,
rising through the ranks to be
appointed CEO and principal
consultant at various firms. Today,
he is the director of property
development firm DC13 (which he
founded in 2013) and carries a Dato
title conferred to him last year by
the Sultan of Palembang, Indonesia.
He was discharged from bankruptcy
two years ago and is writing a book
about his journey. It is slated for a
year-end release. He says: One of
the most important lessons I hope to
share with everyone is dont give up;
believe in yourself.
CHEANG WEARS THE DUOMTRE QUANTIME
LUNAIRE FROM JAEGER-LECOULTRE

336 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

A good entrepreneur
Develop a good sense of humour
being able to find the funny in
anything means youre able to see and
internalise flaws. Vulnerability is a
close second. Being able to share your
worries, hopes and dreams with your
team aligns them to your vision.
His co-workers
Ive learnt to value the intangible.
Like the little things about my crew
that I would never be able to learn just
by looking at their resumes their
kindness, ingenuity and drive. Weve
hired people better than us and I could
not be more proud.
Inspiration for games
Game designers are, by nature,
knowledge hoarders. When you have
enough nonsense swimming in your
head, fun things happenideas are
such a heady drug.

Benjamin Tee, 33
The enterprising bio-engineer
Medical technology (MedTech)
entrepreneur Benjamin Tee
is at the forefront of the
commercialisation of electronic
skin, or e-skin a soft material
applied to prosthetic body parts.
Just like human skin, electronic
skin is touch- and pressuresensitive, and has self-healing
properties. Not only does the
technology sound straight out of a
science fiction movie, the A*Star
National Science scholar who
completed his PhD in Electrical
Engineering at Stanford University,
actually turns to stories such
as Star Wars and X-Men for
inspiration. Both, he says, feature
creations that were unimaginable
at the time of release, but are now
scientifically feasible. E-skin uses
very new materials and processes.
So many of the challenges
I face come from inventing
processes that enable e-skin to be
manufactured on a large scale, so
that it makes economic sense to
use them in the first place.
Innovation to me means an
invention put to usethe way I look
at solving a problem is by first
considering whether the e-skin
technology can be mass-produced
using existing technologies.
Of course, as manufacturing
technologies improve, some
of the inventions then become
commercially feasible.

Goh Yiping, 33
The e-commerce whiz
Best known for establishing AllDealsAsia.com,
a site which gathers daily e-commerce deals
in one place, Goh Yiping admits that her
entrepreneurial itch is a tough one to ignore.
She has since backed many practical apps
and services, and more recently, has become
a founding member and product and
technology head at Indonesian shopping
website MatahariMall.com, an initiative of the
Lippo Group.
What does it take to be a successful
entrepreneur in the digital realm?
1) In the initial phase, be able to execute
digital ideas through a strong technical team,
preferably in-house. A digital product, whether
a website or an app, may look simple to do, but
needs constant iterations to meet users needs.
2) Realise that not all ideas are equal. Some
can potentially be successful, while others may
not be substantial or sustainable. Keep testing
product-market fit to find where demand lies.
3) In the long run, how an entrepreneur
can persist is largely due to his/her own
perseverance to keep going even when they
have doubts about their product.

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Jeremy Au, 28

Jennifer Heng, 39

Natasha Latiff, 27

The social change agent

The pro-life advocate

The human rights activist

During his undergraduate days

at UC Berkeley, Jeremy Au was
involved in providing pro bono
consulting services to 16 nonprofit organisations in California.
That experience made him
understand the challenges faced
by the social sector and inspired
him to find a way to revolutionise
volunteerism by moving away from
the current hours-based paradigm,
to a system that allows people to
use the best of their skills.

After undergoing two abortions as

a teenager due to fear, ignorance
and lack of support, Jennifer Heng
struggled with the guilt and shame
that came with the experience for
years. She went on to spend most
of her teenage and early adult
life feeling lost and hopeless. It
was only in her late 20s, through
embracing religion, that Heng had
a change of perspective.

At the age of 13, Natasha Latiff

came across an article about
Afghanistan and the oppressive
conditions its citizens faced under
the Taliban regime. She soon
began sponsoring a former Afghan
refugee who had returned to Kabul
after years of exile in Pakistan.
When she was 17, Latiff made her
first trip to Afghanistan to meet with
this child without her parents
knowledge.

Giving back

In 2011, Au co-founded Conjunct

Consulting, a charity that offers
pro bono consulting services to
Singapores social sector, with
Kwok Jia Chuan, his ex-army
buddy and best friend. To date,
Conjunct Consulting has worked
on 84 projects for more than 60
charities and social enterprises.
Having handed over the reins to
its current president Samantha
Lee, Au is currently pursuing his
MBA at Harvard Business School
and dreaming up his next phase of
social impact.

Since then, Heng started

thinking of setting up a centre to
help women with unsupported
pregnancies. With the support of
Highpoint Community Services
Association and DaySpring, she
opened DaySpring New Life Centre
in 2014 and currently serves as its
director. Formerly a senior pastor,
Heng was one of the 13 finalists for
the Junior Chamber International
Singapores Ten Outstanding
Young Persons Award this year.
She was also named an Honoree in
the Moral Leadership category.

Having spent the years between

2011 and 2014 in Kabul as a human
rights advisor, Latiff has returned
to Singapore to complete her legal
training. She remains an executive
director of Strategic Advocacy for
Human Rights, a non-government
organisation she founded in 2007,
as a law student at the University of
Warwick. Latiff travels to Kabul at
least once a year, either to volunteer
with education projects for children
or to campaign for human rights.

Food for thought

In the healthcare space, there

are huge barriers to access all
across Asia, especially in mental
healthcare where awareness is low
and the stigma is high. Deploying
healthcare via mobile devices is
an incredible boon not only to
sufferers, but also to caregivers
and employers.

Though my work now focuses on

helping a specific group of people
in need, I find again and again
that many of our beneficiaries
have dysfunctional, broken and
challenging family backgrounds
that contribute to the situation
they find themselves in.

The work of human rights

[workers] in conflict zones is one
of many disappointments and guilt
for not doing enough. There
is too much to do. The former
president of Doctors Without
Borders, Rony Brauman, puts
it aptly: In this type of work, we
inscribe ourselves in failure.

The first step

Ruth Ling, 35
Musician flying the Singapore flag
Although musician Ruth Ling has
performed all around the world,
supporting singers such as Stephanie
Sun and A-mei at their concerts, her
heart will always remain in Singapore.
In 2012, Ling shifted her focus from
performing to music management
and founded Red Roof Records, in
hopes of raising the bar of Singapores
music industry. The company
mentors budding producers and
performers, and provides production
and marketing services for live
performances. Today, every artiste
owns their own record label, since
they can publish and distribute music
through the Internet. This levels the
playing field. However, I believe the
principles of teamwork, budgeting and
networking still stand, and artistes still
need a good dose of that to succeed,
she says.
Red Roof Records was involved in
The LKY Musical, an achievement that
brings Ling immense gratification:
When Singapore Repertory Theatre
approached me to orchestrate the
musical, it was hard to say no because
Lee Kuan Yew is someone I have a lot
of respect for. I am a direct beneficiary
of his hard work and talent.
And as a gift to Singapore for its
50th birthday, Ruth has produced
Sing, Love, an album of songs by local
talents in our four national languages,
about the concept of home.

338 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

James Chan, 33
This investor leads by example
Having founded venture capital
companies Neoteny Labs and
Silicon Straits, and overseen the
establishment of popular apps
such as Burpple and Caarly,
James Chan doesnt kid when
he says that entrepreneurship
is far from glamorous. Its a
terribly lonely journey. Youll find
yourself failing and having to dig
deep within to pick up the pieces,
recover, and go at it again.
Thanks to this wealth of
experience, the 33-yearold now often finds himself
setting an example for his

colleagues at Grey Orange, a

robotics systems start-up he is
helping to expand as its vicepresident (international). In
the early stages, founders and
management need to wear
multiple hats and lead the charge
from the front. We overcome
the seemingly insurmountable
in order to command faith and
respect from our team members.
Its not that different from the
military in that regard I draw
a lot of inspiration for leadership
styles from (military science
fiction novel) Enders Game.

Hearts of Gold

PEOPLE

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PEOPLE

Ian Teo, 39
Respected maritime lawyer

Alan Choo, 25
The violin virtuoso
While others his age are only just
starting out in their careers, Alan Choo
already has an impressive track record
of concert performances, various
accolades including the 2014 Goh Soon
Tioe Centenary award and two Masters
degrees in Violin Performance and Early
Music from the Peabody Institute of The
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
I love the feeling of communicating
my emotions and connecting with the
audience through the unspoken language
that is music. There is something very
magical when a connection is established
between performer and audience, and
when that happens, I am reminded of
why I do what I do, says Choo, who, at
the age of 15, was admitted into the Yong
Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the
National University of Singapore.
He is currently pursuing a
Graduate Performance Diploma
in Violin Performance at Peabody
and will perform with the Singapore
Symphony Orchestra later this month.
[My]accomplishments have taught me
to never give up and to persevere for the
sake of my art, he says.
CHOO WEARS THE GRANDE REVERSO 1931 SECONDE
CENTRALE FROM JAEGER-LECOULTRE

340 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

Felicia Tan, 36
A surgeon with a passion for giving and living
Thank you for saving my life
is a line that Dr Felicia Tan has
heard repeatedly, yet it still hits
the soft spot each time. Tan
specialises in breast cancer
and pioneered the radioisotope
occult lesion localisation (Roll)
procedure in Singapore, which
enables the location and removal
of non-palpable breast lesions.
The mother of two is now a
chief surgeon at FeM Surgery, a
practice that provides surgical
care for a range of diseases.
Personal goals
I dedicate 10 percent of my time
and earnings to running free
breast screening programmes
and clinics around the world
[including Bali]. My goal is to

spread the word on breast cancer

awareness and screen as many
women as possible.
Work-family balance
Most people separate work from
family but I merge themI bring my
kids on ward rounds on weekends
and on mission trips. They have
grown to be very independent with
this kind of upbringing.

What started as a simple interest

in ships has evolved into a
rewarding career in maritime
law for Ian Teo, thanks to the
multifaceted nature of his area of
specialisation that has kept him
engaged for the past 15 years.
Well-regarded for his practical
approach to disputes in
shipbuilding, commodities trading
and charter party, the partner
at Rajah and Tann is a highly
recommended shipping and
commodities lawyer who has been
named Singapore Trade Lawyer
of the Year by Best Lawyers
International 2016.
The most enjoyable and
challenging aspect of my job is
the conduct of court hearings and
trials, which can last for days and
weeks. We have to stay alert and
on course, despite the mental and
physical fatigue. I can expect the
judges to ask the most unexpected
but challenging questions. I also
often have to deal with the most
unexpected answers given by my
own witnesses. But the satisfaction
that I get when a case is won more
than makes up for all the time and
effort put into it.

A life well lived

I deal with sickness and death
regularly but I will never become
cold towards it. My patients have
taught me a lot about living and
loving. I love fiercely and live life
to the fullest, not because there
is nothing to lose, but because I
know that everything can be lost.

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PEOPLE

Roshni Mahtani, 32

Melissa Jane
Fullwood, 32

The womens rights advocate

The award-winning researcher

As the founder of Tickled

Media, a popular content and
community platform for Asian
parents, Roshni Mahtani often
wondered why there arent many
female entrepreneurs like herself.
So on top of spearheading her
companys expansion it now has
75 employees across Singapore
and four other regional countries
working on several websites such
as theAsianparent.com Mahtani
is also a firm advocate of gender
equality in entrepreneurship. She
co-founded Female Founders
Network last year, a non-profit
group that aims to break the glass
ceiling and increase the number of
female-led organisations.
One project we embarked
on is to simply bring visibility to
successful women entrepreneurs.
They are there, just that people
dont know about them. There
have been many events where we
see all male panels or a dismal
representation of women. By
highlighting these successful
women, we bring increased
awareness of the role and success
of women, and create role models
for other women (and men) to
look up to, she says.

342 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

Nicholas Ye, 31
A creative who sets his own rules
Coming from a family of musicians
and architects, Nicholas Ye has
always been encouraged to take
the road less travelled. One of his
biggest influences is his mother,
a former fashion designer: [She]
taught me to observe the beauty in
both art and commerce.
At 27, Ye set up his own
creative agency named The
Secret Little Agency (TSLA),
where he serves as its CEO. We
realised that advertising was
obsolete and that brands needed
smarter ways to communicate to
their audiences that went beyond
the realms of television, radio

and print, he says.

Now, TSLA is neither secret
nor little. It has 45 employees in
Singapore and Hong Kong, and
there are plans to set up a branch
in Shanghai this year. Ye states
they are focused on our vision to
be an Asia global creative agency
a bold and beautiful expression
of Asia to the world. Yes out-ofthe-box creative solutions for his
clients have bagged the bespoke
agency many accolades, including
Creative Agency of the Year 2015
by Marketing Magazine.
And his idea of success? When
you create culture.

According to Melissa Jane Fullwood,

the path of a researcher is one of
long hours, stiff competition and
criticism. Compounding the situation
is the notion that scientific research
is typically a mans domain making
it difficult for women to establish
themselves. It can be quite nasty
sometimes. I have had people tell me
things like: Oh its easier for you to get
this job or award because you are a
Singaporean woman, says Fullwood.
All that negativity has never
deterred Fullwood, who is today
a junior principal investigator at
the Cancer Science Institute and
the Institute for Molecular and
Cell Biology (IMCB), as well as an
associate professor at Nanyang
Technological Universitys School
of Biological Sciences. Her current
research focus is on blood and
gastric cancers.
Fullwood also has many awards to
her name, with the most recent being
the A*STAR/SNAS Young Scientist
Award in 2014. You just have to
believe that what you are doing is
something that will pay off in the end,
she says. We do research for our
childrens children.
FULLWOOD WEARS THE RENDEZ-VOUS
NIGHT & DAY, BOUTIQUE EDITION FROM
JAEGER-LECOULTRE

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PEOPLE

Chew Jia Wei, 34

Helping the poor gain selfsufficiency

Tay Su-lyn, 39
Taking heritage food to new
heights
There are two things Tay Su-lyn enjoys
in life: Food and fashion. And as luck
would have it, she has professional
experience in both fields. Co-founder
of fashion label T-Bags, which
she divested out of two and a half
years ago, she now runs Violet Oon
Singapore with younger brother Tay
Yiming. The firm takes its name from
their mother, a local culinary icon
It was the thought of losing their
mothers lifes work and legacy that
prompted the siblings to revive the
Violet Oon brand and turn it into a
restaurant business. It was a heritage
we wanted to preserve. I was thinking:
Imagine if my children dont get
to see or taste these [Peranakan]
flavours [next time]! exclaims Tay.
The family will open its second outlet
this November at the National Gallery
Singapore. Plans to open overseas, in
London, are also in the works.
Between juggling motherhood (she
has three young children) and running
Violet Oon Singapore, Tays days are
hectic, but she wouldnt have it any
other way. This business is really close
to my heart, she says. Im also doing
it for my kids. I want to have something
to pass down to them.
TAY WEARS THE REVERSO CLASSIC SMALL DUETTO
FROM JAEGER-LECOULTRE

344 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

In Chew Jia Weis opinion, the

way to build a sustainable welfare
system is not just through statesponsored handouts, but in
ensuring that marginalised and
disadvantaged individuals are
provided with opportunities to be
self-sufficient.
The Nanyang Technological
Universitys School of Chemical
and Biomedical Engineering
assistant professor and Singapore
Membrane Technology Center
cluster leader is actively involved
in Tasek Jurong, a non-profit that
helps social enterprises in hiring
individuals who will otherwise
have difficulty supporting
themselves and their families. One
of the projects thriving start-ups
is Aestiwood, a company that
markets and designs bespoke
wooden furniture. It counts exconvicts and out-of-work senior
citizens among its staff.
When not doing her part for
the community, she spends
her time researching costeffective engineering solutions to
sustainability challenges related
to water supply and minimising
the carbon footprint. For her
commendable efforts on both
fronts, Chew was one of the five
recipients of the Singapore Youth
Award this year, the nations
highest accolade for youths.

Tan Yinglan, 34
A venture partner who never
stops learning
Tan Yinglan is a venture partner
with Sequoia Capital, which
has funded companies in the
region such as Appier, Carousell,
Tokopedia and 99.co. But its
not all about dollars and cents
for this venture capitalist. I
have the privilege of rolling up
my sleeves to work alongside
exceptional founders of emerging
market leaders to build dentmaking businesses which might
change the world, says Tan, who
previously served in the Singapore
Administrative Service, where
he oversaw investments in highgrowth ventures and venture funds
for the National Framework for
Innovation and Enterprise. It was
something that Alibabas Jack Ma
once told Tan that continues to fuel
his passion for entrepreneurship:
He told me that Alibaba Groups
success was because we had no
money, we had no technology and
we had no plan. Every dollar [we
had], we used very carefully.
Quizzed about what it takes to
be a young leader in the cut-throat
finance industry, Tan, who is also
an adjunct assistant professor at
Nanyang Technological University,
says it was his willingness to
learn and audacity to challenge
conventional wisdom that
propelled him to where he is today.

Lam Shumei, 29
Doing good in Rwanda
Lam Shumeis fascination with Rwanda began
while she was working for Portek, her fathers
port company. I visited Rwanda to launch an
acquisition of their dry port and was intrigued
by how vibrant the country was it was
buzzing with energy and opportunities. The
people were incredibly kind and forwardlooking for a population that went through so
much strife and anguish.
While there, she discovered that poultry in
the country was extremely costly due to the
lack of farming infrastructure. So I traded
my heels and skirts for boots and khakis to
start Rwandas first integrated poultry farm,
says Lam. Poultry East Africa Ltd (Peal) was
founded four years ago and today, were the
largest supplier of poultry produce in Rwanda,
she says. A social enterprise, Peal also helps
small-scale farmers by providing training and
contract farming.
Lam points to her late father Larry Lam as
the most influential figure in her life: He was
an exuberant entrepreneur and one of the first
Singaporean investors in Africa. He was the
mastermind of this project and encouraged me
to pursue this crazy idea.

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PEOPLE

Julien Royer, 32
This chef goes back to basics

Thaddeus Yeo, 39
Restaurateur who values the
little details
It sounds clichd but a restaurant
truly is the sum of its parts, says
restaurateur Thaddeus Yeo, cofounder of Mediterranean-inspired
Lolla (named one of the 10 Hottest
Restaurants in the World by Zagat
in 2013) and its more experimental
sister, Lollapalooza. From the
choice of flowers, to the amenities
in the washrooms and even the
type of peppermill and salt cellar
we choose to use at the table
these things make a difference.
Thankfully, I find this aspect of
the job, though time-consuming
and exhausting, very interesting. I
thrive on it.
Although Yeo has run restaurants
for over a decade, he admits that
it never gets easier as there is
always something new that will
go wrong. And when it comes to
service, this gracious host takes it
upon himself to put his customers
at ease: I think people can come
across as difficult because they
are used to having to fight to be
heard in the daily course of their
lives. Once they realise that they
dont have to fight, that we are truly
listening and honestly want them to
have a good time, they relax.

346 PRESTIGE SEPTEMBER 2015

According to chef Julien Royer,

one of the toughest hurdles
in setting up a restaurant is
assembling the best possible
team who embody the same
drive, passion and beliefs so that
we can work together cohesively.
For that, hes delighted to partner
The Lo & Behold Group on
Odette, the upcoming fine dining
restaurant that will serve up
modern French cuisine.
My cooking philosophy is very
much produce-driven and is
continuously evolving. I also try
to stay grounded to the values I

learnt as a young chef, which are

to respect the taste, terroir and
integrity of ingredients, says the
Frenchman, who grew up in rural
Auvergne. Formerly head chef of
Jaan, Royers ability to showcase
the purity of what mother
nature has to offer has not gone
unnoticed last year, he was
named the Chef of the Year at the
World Gourmet Summits Awards
of Excellence.
But for Royer, having return
customers and forming a lasting
relationship with them is still the
biggest accomplishment.