CEO Interviews

The wallywhy200 superyacht rears up in the historic vieux port of Saint-Tropez, broad, angular and brooding in its black carbon-fibre and metallics that glint in the sun and catch the eye amidst the more conventional power yachts and sailing boats, the pastels and the cobblestones of the picturesque harbour. Drippingly chic with its teak beach-platform and elegantly arrayed daybeds framed by sharp, linear rails and mirrored black ceilings, the superyacht is almost out of place in this hedonistic Riviera hotspot, as if it belonged on set serving as a Bond villain’s pleasure barge, or in some noir future world given over to unabashed luxury and devastating design.

Aesthete and cultural connoisseur Amanda Love possesses a passion, vision and an inner circle that elevate her long-standing independent art advisory business, LoveArt, from expertise to art-world icon. Over 20 years of sourcing exceptional contemporary art across the globe and advising the sharpest private collectors and corporations, LoveArt has developed some of the most covetable collections in the world. You can only imagine what her personal collection and private haven are like. Until now.

Transcending the usual gallery experience, Loy Gallery bridges the gap between multi-disciplinary art communities not just in Singapore but also all over the world. Its latest exhibition, 'A Trail to Chase', is no different, showcasing the intersect between art and design. Here, founder Dennis Ouyang talks us through the inspiration behind the gallery and its latest show, collecting art and more.

“The last thing I turn to for inspiration is architecture,” says Rene Tan. “I turn to music, or to football. If I hadn’t been an architect, I’d be a football historian. Football has taught me a lot of things – organising a team, organising space. There is an approach to football that emphasises what you do when you don’t have the ball – rather than what you do when you do have the ball. To mark space, to occupy and manage the space.”

The CEO of Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, Eric Martel says saving time is the ultimate luxury.

Leny Suparman, co-founder and CEO of KOP Group, the developer behind The Ritz-Carlton Residences and Hamilton Scotts, talks through the changing demands of the luxury property market – and changing a project, midway through construction, to keep up with it.

“The oldest family office in the world goes back over 19 generations. It’s the family behind Kikkoman – the soy sauce – and they’re going strong. There are no feuds, no scandals to read about in the papers. The family has lived by a carefully considered creed for hundreds of years,” says Kathrin Mutinelli, MD of Seventy-Two Global. “By contrast, because Australia is such a young nation, you don’t have those three, four, five generations of wealth. But it’s starting to take place as Australia enters a period of inter-generational wealth transfer. More and more families are starting to think about what to do with their money, how to preserve what they have built, and how to transfer it to the next generation.”

A nondescript warehouse in Sydney’s Northern Beaches is not the likeliest HQ for a flashy new investment fund – and gives away few clues as to the riches within. Inside, it’s a different story: row after row of high-gloss, high-octane supercars fill the space, some on full display; most, tantalisingly hooded and double-stacked. It’s just one of three sites housing the luxury auto assets in Chrome Temple’s growing portfolio.

'MB&F' stands for 'Maximilian Büsser and Friends'. Since its inception in 2005, from the moment the business name was registered, this watchmaker and purveyor of mechanical art objects has had collaboration at its core. Essentially, it’s a vehicle for founder Büsser to partner with individuals possessing specialised skills, in order to make innovative horological concepts and out-there inventions a reality.

Fancy a helicopter with sex appeal? Look no further than the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition, says high-flying Australian techpreneur Jean-Paul Thorbjornsen, who was the first in the world to own one.

Today, like most Sydney suburbs within easy reach of the CBD and harbour, Rozelle has been thoroughly gentrified. Back in late ’80s, however, this inner-west enclave — considered since the early 20th Century to be one of the state’s most underprivileged, polluted areas — maintained a steely grip on its original unvarnished industrial character.

The Macallan's fabled Harmony Collection is a celebration of creative force. Harmony I brought together the worlds of chocolate and whisky with some help from the Roca brothers. Meanwhile, Harmony II drew from five coffee experts, creating two whiskies with a distinct coffee flavour.

One of Southeast Asia’s most respected start-up entrepreneurs and investors, Patrick Grove is best known for his involvement in a string of highly successful online businesses. So when this IPO panjandrum recently revealed that he’d acquired ultra-luxe Formula 1 afterparty organisation, Amber Lounge, it came as a bit of a surprise. Why the abrupt switch from mega-exit digital dealings, to decadent dance-all-night debauchery? 

Tappeti CEO Karinna Gobbo and Architology co-founder Terrence Quah talk us through their collaboration on a glamorous line of custom rugs, and the transformation of a newly refurbished duplex in the waterfront Sentosa condo, Seascape.

Producing and marketing fine wine requires a particular set of skills, blending science and agriculture, sober business savvy and Dionysian artistry. It follows that it takes certain special qualities to be the CEO of a winemaker – especially a winemaker as esteemed as Château Palmer.

Singapore-based interior designer Elliot James Barratt gives Boulevard the inside story on a sophisticated sanctuary in South Beach Residences, complete with whiskey library and covetable walk-in wardrobe for two serious collectors.

Singapore’s sublime new members’ club began in London, when founder and former banker Grant Ashton found himself with a wine problem. The dilemma was an overabundance of fine wines in his collection – and a desire to share it.

The modern headquarters of Commonwealth Bank is, on entering, an airy, atrium-like affair that feels less like the lair of a financial Goliath and more like a chic Scandinavian convention centre, with its second-floor concierge and huddles of event attendees, its sprawling array of meeting and luncheon and entertainment spaces serviced by in-house caterers and a phalanx of directional staff, its profusions of glass and greenery and sustainably sourced native woods, not to mention its long corridors of important Australian art pieces.

When you've mastered the full suite of mechanical complications – including an extraordinary phases of the moon dial complete with orbiting satellite – where to next? For Bovet 1822, it was a step back from engineering, and into art.

De Bethune is among the most innovative watchmakers in operation today. So it seems apt to ask the company’s CEO, Pierre Jacques, how he drives his team to remain inventive and inspired. Jacques deflects all praise in this regard to his partner in the business, De Bethune cofounder and master watchmaker, Denis Flageollet.

The past few years have been difficult for the hospitality industry, to say the least. But for the proprietors of Nihi, an ultra-luxury surf resort on the Indonesian island of Sumba, one hour’s flight east of Bali, there’s been a silver lining to the restrictions on international travel. 

One of the key responsibilities of a CEO is keeping their team motivated, engaged and inspired. The inspiration element is especially important at a brand like Bang & Olufsen, which is both a producer of state-of-the-art electronic equipment, and a company that makes beautifully designed, handcrafted objects. Boasting nearly 100 years of tradition, this is a business which, nevertheless, existentially depends upon remaining on the technological cutting edge.

Esin Güral Argat is the vice-president of the board at the Gürok Group, the Turkish conglomerate founded in 1948 and run by her family ever since. The company has interests in packaging, real estate, mining, roof tiles and construction, among other concerns. Entering the family business in the 1990s, Güral Argat quickly seized the initiative to build a start-up of her own within the company, LAV. Today, it’s the world’s fifth-largest glassware manufacturer, producing some two million drinking receptacles per day, while employing more than 2,000 people at its offices and factories.

“My superpower is bringing great design to life,” says Jaelle Ang, founder and CEO of premium coworking space The Great Room. It may not compare to x-ray vision, but Ang’s design-led approach favouring considered space-making and value-creation over sheer scalability has proven almost heroically prescient in an industry famed (and shamed) for growth at any cost. And with the launch of the brand’s ninth space (and first shophouse), on South Bridge Road, with two more on the way, along with their acquisition in 2022 by Industrious, the scale is taking shape.

State Of Craft founder and designer Daniel Goldberg talks us through the timeless essence of design and what it means to create internal spaces, from an anthropological perspective, that caters to an individual's physical and emotional needs.

For more than three decades, Langtons Classification has served as the ultimate form guide for connoisseurs. It has found, recorded and predicted how demand, preferences and wine styles have ebbed and flowed over the years, as well as the emerging influence of Australian fine wines globally.

“Everything is customised, to some extent, whenever a designer works on anything,” says Bobby Cheng. “But for me, when pieces become one of a kind, and created for the context and purpose of one particular project, and when we labour through it as though it were a project in itself – at that point, I would dare say there is a bespoke nature or process.”

A phenom of an ultra-luxury SUV, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II has finally gotten a much-needed revamp. Seen in the new Cullinan are major changes to its interiors, technological and cosmetic innovations and of course a noticeably different fascia, among other new features.

After spending 15 years as a professional – and highly regarded – jazz pianist both in Singapore and on the international circuit, Peter Ng eventually started and settled down into his core property business in London. It was only when he found himself looking for somewhere to smoke a cigar that he conceived of, and then opened Robusto – the first incarnation of Maduro. The now beloved jazz, whisky and cigar club recently relocated to the Sofitel hotel in Sentosa, where Boulevard caught up with Ng over a Montecristo…

Thinking about the Aeternitas Mega, one can't help but appreciate this masterclass in Franck Muller's technical prowess. It's only fitting that the most complicated watch in the world (built with a whopping 36 complications and 1,483 components) is made by the master of complications themselves. This piece encapsulates the brand's commitment to horological innovation. It's a philosophy that has defined its iconic collections since the introduction of the Cintrée Curve in 1987.

The Ferrari 12Cilindri might well be the final frontier of the front-engined V12. Introduced earlier this year during the Marque's 77th anniversary, the Grand Tourer should be a fitting successor to the 812 or F12. It mostly enjoys a more futuristic character, albeit keeping retro motifs borrowed from the legendary GTs of the '50s and '60s. It can be described, after all, as a homage to the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona.

The general manager for private wealth at Commonwealth Private talks us through the historic transfer of wealth taking place against the backdrop of volatility.

One common dilemma among supercar owners is that the higher the value the cars are, the more customised their insurance policies are. If a vehicle like Ferrari is peerless in its prestige, then so should its insurance be, after all. Ferrari Australasia recently addressed the need for such by introducing a first-of-its-kind service: its own insurance product.

Co-founder of Art SG, Magnus Renfrew talks us through the rising regional art market, the growing global interest in Southeast Asian talents, and the next generation of collectors.

The workforce today is a far cry from the one Rosi Fernandez, managing director of La Prairie ANZ, entered some 25 years ago. “When I had my son, the workplace was not engineered to support working mothers. Juggling career and motherhood was challenging, to say the least,” she says. “I feel proud to see that this new generation of women is more assertive and comfortable.”

On International Women's Day, Boulevard had the privilege of co-hosting an exclusive luncheon at the private residence of independent art advisor and advocate Amanda Love. Esteemed clients were treated to a bespoke luncheon, as well as an intimate art tour of love's personal collection.

BOULEVARD: Congratulations on the launch! It must be a thrill to see so many people out here – and a welcome sign of the growing interest in yachting coming out of Singapore.

In his hometown of Singapore, Sacha Leong is best known for his design work on two of this city’s most acclaimed restaurants: chef Julien Royer’s Odette and Claudine. That’s perfectly fine with Leong. While Nice Projects, the London-based studio he operates in partnership with Australian Simone McEwan, has worked on a wide variety of projects, including coworking and coliving spaces, luxury residential and retail, “Hospitality is our passion,” Leong says.

“Whatever it costs, it’s not a problem, as long as it’s something very special,” says Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, and without doubt one of the foremost names in luxury, in savoir vivre, in how to spend it. Müller-Ötvös is holding court in his Presidential Suite at Raffles, Singapore, ensconced in a private high tea and referring to the demands of his clientele for ever more extraordinary, and more personal cars.

Following several years of painstaking R&D, top British luxury shoemaker George Cleverley recently launched its first sneaker. With classic, minimalist lines, these handmade luxury ‘kicks’ are available for bespoke orders in an array of exotic hides — from crocodile to ostrich, lizard to kudu — plus a rainbow of colours.

Normally, the chairman of a company will oversee the board of directors, help decide on key C-suite appointments, and at regular intervals, check up on a CEO to ensure a company is running smoothly and is financially healthy. Generally, the chairman is not a day-to day role, and the chair won’t be involved in the ‘nuts and bolts’ of daily business operations.

Think ‘classic men’s outfitter’ and immediately, your mind will dance with visions of chestnut leather Chesterfields, dark wood panelling, oil paintings of horses, tartan-upholstered cushions and rich mahogany shelves lined with leatherbound books. What you’re picturing is an old-school Savile Row tailor’s premises — or more probably, Ralph Lauren’s sleek, romanticised remix.