Padini Holdings Berhad (Padini) a leading apparel company in Malaysia (listed on Bursa Malaysia) is controlled by founder, Yong Pang Chaun, his wife, Chong Chin Lin. Two of their three sons, Andrew Yong Tze How and Benjamin Yong Tze Jet, are Executive Directors. They joined the Padini Group about 10 years ago and were elevated to Executive Directors and the Board five years ago. Youngest son, Chris Yong, is also active in the operations of Brands Outlet in the Padini Group.

Founder Yong Pang Chaun, 69, Managing Director of Padini, joined a textile merchant in Singapore after his secondary education and learned the ropes of the textile...

Many years ago we met up with the lady, Mdm Kwan Swee Lian, at her Madam Kwan’s restaurant at Pavillion, Kuala Lumpur. She was in her late 70s. Time passed by so quickly and Mdm Kwan is 86 now. She has her share of body aches and finds difficulty with walking so her customers do not get to see her much anymore at Madam Kwan’s Pavillion.  

“I didn’t know how to cook,” she told us with a chuckle and that began the start of an interesting afternoon chat. “I was a beautician and I wouldn’t be found getting my hands dirty in the kitchen.” Many people of her time remember her from the Sakura Café days in Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur. Sakura Café...

It began with a family banana leaf restaurant in 1988 called the Lotus Family Restaurant at Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya. Tan Sri Datuk R. Doraisingam together with his brothers, Datuk R. Ramalingam Pillai and Datuk Nagasundaram Pillai, built up the Lotus Group over more than 30 years into a diversified family business with  

• 22 Lotus restaurants 
• a major distributor of Indian films and owning one of the largest cinema chains in the country under Lotus Five Star (13 outlets with 53 screens),  
• An expanding Lotus Care Premier Assisted Living business with the first custom-designed four-storey aged-care facility in Petaling Jaya...

Meng Chui and his wife started young as pasar malam vendors. They had their dreams like other young people. She believed in him and he believed in himself that being a businessman was all he wanted to be. He wasn’t cut out for school. They could have been the typical obladi oblada couple and “life goes on” (The Beatles’ famous song) like the rest of the vendors. But that didn’t happen. They slogged together and probably did not envisage that more than 2 decades later, they would own the SegiFresh grocery chain with 50 outlets and a robust online shopping portal for their bulk buying customers which comprised hotels, caterers, restaurant...

Change at the top of the Berjaya Group conglomerate which includes in its stable a host of listed companies on Bursa Malaysia took place when Dato’ Sri Robin Tan Yeong Ching (47) who was the Group CEO, stepped down in favour of an outsider professional, Abdul Jalil Abdul Rasheed (39). Jalil Rasheed was appointed to the Board on 16 March 2021. Robin Tan was appointed the Deputy Group Executive Chairman of holding company Berjaya Corporation Berhad while his father, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Vincent Tan Chee Yioun, 69, remains the Group Chairman. At the time of Jalil Rasheed's appointment as Group CEO of Berjaya Corporation, Tan Sri Vincent Tan...

Tan Sri Datuk Seri Low Yow Chuan (1932-2021) passed away on 8th May 2021 surrounded by his family and loved ones. He is the son of Tan Sri Low Yat who founded the pre-Merdeka Low Yat Construction in 1947. This is old money family.  

Founder Tan Sri Low Yat was a visionary. In the 1940s he foresaw the future potential of Jalan Bukit Bintang as a vibrant shopping and business district of Kuala Lumpur. So he bought land around the area and he built the first international class hotel along Jalan Bukit Bintang, the Federal Hotel. He built it in time for the Merdeka or Independence celebrations.  Federal Hotel was officially opened on 28th...

Bonia Corporation Berhad, a premium leather goods manufacturer cum lifestyle goods international retailer, was founded in 1974 by Chiang Sang Sem (SS Chiang) who is the major shareholder of Bonia Corporation. The second generation Chiangs are now managing the operations of Bonia Group. Bonia Corporation was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (now Bursa Malaysia) in 1994. 

Founder SS Chiang who resides in Singapore has maintained a relatively low profile over the years. His younger brothers ran the operations, especially Datuk Albert Chiang Heng Kieng, who was the Group Managing Director of Bonia Corporation until he stepped down...

Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) born Red Hong Yi was asked by TIME magazine to create a cover with a theme “Climate is Everything” for its 26 April 2021 issue. Red Hong Yi assembled a team of 6 people to help her with the project. An outline of the world map was drawn on a huge art board (7.5’ x 10’) and tiny holes were drilled onto the board to be able to fit in 50,000 green tipped match sticks which were to resemble trees. It took the team 2 weeks working 8 hours a day to complete the task. On the day of shooting, the matches were lit and the whole art work was burnt in 2 minutes. You can watch the video at The Story Behind TIME's 'Climate is...