Turnaround champ sets sights on Fuji Offset

Lim Ah Cheng orchestrated one of the most impressive corporate turnarounds in recent memory. When he took over as CEO of Dyna-Mac in 2020, the company was in crisis. Its founder had just passed away, and cash flow was so tight that survival beyond the next month was uncertain. Instead of layoffs or pay cuts, … Read more

AutoCount’s Rise: Driving Software Solutions in Malaysia and Beyond

While we remain deeply rooted in the Singapore small and mid-cap space, we are also actively monitoring opportunities across the region. During David’s recent trip to Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN Investment Conference, he took the opportunity to conduct several side meetings. One notable meeting was with Autocount Dotcom Berhad, a software provider specializing in … Read more

Amara Rides into the Sunset

Amara Holdings has just announced a privatisation offer valuing the hotel group at $515 million. The takeover consortium is led by Amara’s founder, Albert Teo, alongside property developers Hwa Hong and Wing Tai. A few years ago, some shareholders voiced their dissatisfaction at the AGM over the company’s languishing share price, which hovered around $0.40 … Read more

My Journey With Phillip Over the Years

PhillipCapital recently marked its 50th anniversary. I first got to know about Phillip in 1986 – the year Linus L. and I met in Primary 5. Just a few months before, in late 1985, his dad Lim Hua Min had steered the young company he founded clear of the worst stock market crisis in Singapore’s … Read more

Engaging retail investors through retail

Cecilia Tan, CEO of Sasseur REIT, champions investor relations. Listed on SGX since 2018, Sasseur runs four outlet malls in China worth RMB 8.4 billion. The REIT has stayed solid on dividend payouts, even through Covid. Since taking the helm in 2021, Cecilia’s been actively engaging with investors – not just the institutional ones. Last … Read more

He’s got my back!

Those from my generation will remember the pre-smartphone era – when phones came with plastic number keypads. Memtech International was a key manufacturer of those components. The company grew rapidly, and founder Chuang Wenfu listed it on the SGX in 2004, just four years after it was established. However, with the rise of smartphones, keypads … Read more

Growing business while serving the country

Dr Lim Wee Kiak and I first met in 2007 during our school’s Founders’ Day. We were both invited to deliver speeches at the prize-giving ceremony. At the time, Wee Kiak, an ophthalmologist, was a freshly minted Member of Parliament. In 2006, the same year he entered politics, he partnered with Dr Julian Theng to … Read more

Kopitiam lunch with Titans

Met up with Wilmar International Chairman Kuok Khoon Hong and Q&M Dental CEO Ng Chin Siau. Khoon Hong runs Wilmar’s sprawling palm oil and edible oils empire with a market cap of S$20 billion, while Chin Siau’s Q&M is Singapore’s largest dental chain with 106 clinics. Our choice for lunch? The humble kopitiam at Sixth … Read more

Charity Czar-Columnist lends support

Chew Sutat’s “Chew on This” column first appeared in The Edge’s 1000th issue in September 2021. Sutat – who now wears multiple hats, including Chairman of Community Chest – became a regular columnist shortly after leaving SGX as Senior Managing Director. His column has since become my weekly must-read. This week, he discusses MAS’ initiatives … Read more

Russian Aficionados

Brought together two friends with deep insights into Russia. Russell Wee, director at Jean Yip Group, is one of the few Singaporeans I know who can converse in Russian. We visited Tan Wang Cheow at his new office. I first met Wang Cheow nearly 25 years ago when he took instant coffee manufacturer Food Empire … Read more