The industries that are immune to COVID-19. "Youth have expressed a desire [amidst COVID-19] to continue growing, developing, and upskilling, and I'm glad that Advisory's series of online Discovery+ industry panels and mentorship programmes are meeting these needs. I’m not a libertarian who says, “You can shout anything and it’s okay. Back then, there was nothing much in Phuket. Mr Ho has received multiple awards such as the London Business School Entrepreneurship Award; CEO of the Year at the Singapore Corporate Awards; CNBC Travel Business Leader Award ; Distinguished Alumnus Award from the National University of Singapore; and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Creativity Association, China Hotel Investment Summit and Australia Hotel Investment Summit. Mr Ho Kwon Ping is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and Laguna Resorts and Hotels, and Executive Chairman of Thai Wah Public Company. We were like a mini conglomerate. ", "With the support of the National Youth Council, Advisory provides youth with the opportunity to connect with working professionals from a wide range of sectors. Executive Chairman Banyan Tree Holdings. You don’t get a Lee Kuan Yew or Lim Chin Siong any more. Which of the many fields in which you are a leader - civil society, business, education and academia, and journalism - do you hold to be key to who you are? What did you find you had been lying to yourself about given that you say jail was a time when you found that you could no longer lie to yourself? Main photo: Former SMU Chancellor Mr Yong Pung (2nd from left) standing next to his official portrait which will be hung in the SMU Boardroom, together with (left to right) SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping, SMU Chancellor Mr J Y Pillay and SMU President Prof Arnoud De Meyer. That was a time of life and death. What do you wish you had known before you started out on your careers. The concept of service is very ingrained in them. Will it ever change its course to becoming funkier or “flashier” to win over consumers who prefer more funky or “showy” hospitality brands? Mr Ho Kwon Ping, founding Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, an international hospitality business, founding Chairman of Singapore Management University, former journalist at the Far Eastern Economic Review, has worn many hats over the course of his long and illustrious career. What advice would you have for entrepreneurs today? We would be manufacturing shoes for Nike and Adidas or other brands. The only thing that I planned to do was that I wanted to create a brand but at that time, I didn’t have a clue what that brand would be all about. Ho Kwon Ping is founder and executive chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and founding chairman of the Singapore Management University. Mr Ho: The lie I was telling myself was that I was this revolutionary that was going to go and help change the world. For businesses in the post-COVID world, they have to find out what are the differences that can set you apart from other people. It’s done already. What makes you really strong is not your physique; it’s your mind. Crafting the Banyan Tree Narrative. delivered to your inbox. 13 Oct 2020. These properties will evoke a strong sense of place and the culture of the places where they are located. You have to think through it; if you want to say these things, is it responsible? It is not always the greatest surfer who successfully rides the waves. And then, we came to the last piece of land, which doesn’t have a beachfront at all. We in Singapore have our own specific context, as do many other countries, where you cannot say those things. What occupied your mind while you were in jail given that you often say that in jail, your mind is your worst enemy? Free events like this one are hosted every month in dozens of cities. About the alumnus: Mr Ho Kwon Ping is currently the Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and the Chairman of the Singapore Management University. This helps them gain a better understanding of the different career pathways available today. You can insult somebody’s race and religion – it’s okay, it’s freedom of speech”. Mr Ho: In terms of the questions I asked, they were completely different – a different set of questions but with the same origins. For someone now running a large multinational company, Ho Kwon Ping's early career is … Sometimes, you would break out in a cold sweat because time just goes on and on, and you have no sensation of time – it just drags on. So, for businesses to ride the waves, you have to find out what is your unique selling proposition and what is so different or special about you, compared to all the other businesses out there. What would you like to see in the next generation? Dear Straight People, I was recently asked by the founders of the Pink Dot movement to write something to commemorate the tenth edition of Pink Dot. Has the “wave” changed with the COVID-19? It’s not hardly their fault. You have to move on in life. He is also the founding and current Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Singapore Management University and Chairman of The Singapore Summit. He is also the founding and current Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Singapore Management University and Chairman of The Singapore Summit. There may other things I can do too: I’m going to be getting two more grandchildren, so maybe I’ll be a purposeful grandfather. You ask why, you get an answer and then you ask ‘why this?’, then ‘why that?’ and ‘why so and so?’ – until you get to an answer that is satisfactory to you. IPS-Nathan Lecture III - Security and Sustainability by Mr Ho Kwon Ping - Duration: 1:53:45. The Culture Embassy Pte Ltd met up with Mr Ho Kwon Ping to find out his inspirations behind the founding of Singapore’s hospitality group, Banyan Tree Holdings and the future plans for the company. Back in Singapore, having served National Service and getting some sense knocked into you, that you can’t ask why too many times of your instructors otherwise they’ll charge you. These came about because we had concrete problems like not having a beach. That if I did this I would lose a lot of money and almost go bankrupt. Driving towards a fully autonomous vehicular world. ASSOCIATED SITES. You’re disoriented in time also because sometimes it’s bright 24 hours round the clock so you could be starving and have no food and then you could get meals when you’re full. For his services to his home country Singapore, Mr Ho has been decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal and the Distinguished Service Order by the Singapore government. You can’t be feeling guilty every day of your life. 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