Dear reader, the weekend is once again just around the corner and most of us are probably ready to unwind with friends and family. Our cover story in this week’s newsletter places the spotlight on global dining firm Paradise Group, which is headed by Asia’s Most Influential honouree Eldwin Chua. The Singapore company made headlines recently after it rewarded 98 employees who had served more than 10 years with Rolex watches in a variety of models. Those who had served five to nine years were gifted 2.5g or 5g bullion bars. Rewards and recognition are key to motivation and satisfaction in the workplace, so should this grand gesture be the standard for workplace appreciation?

It’s also a significant week for many in Singapore as the Muslim community ushers in the holy month of Ramadan. To commemorate this, the annual Ramadan bazaars are back so excited shoppers can look forward to a huge variety of food and retail stalls to visit.

Speaking of food, the Tatler Dining team celebrated the best chefs and restaurants in Singapore with the unveiling of the 2023 Tatler Dining Guide at a by-invite-only event at The Alkaff Mansion. This year’s top 20 restaurants in Singapore were nominated by expert reviewers and a voting panel, who, for the first time, also picked the Restaurant of the Year. Read on for what else we are covering in this week’s newsletter.

This week’s biggest headlines at a glance:

• How SKII’s global CEO Lee Sue-kyung is breaking gender norms in her industry
• Asian celebrities brought more than just style to the Oscars red carpet—they chose outfits woven with meaning
• The most exciting Ramadan bazaars to look out for in Singapore
• Take a look at the most unique McDonald’s around the world

Cheers,
Andrea Saadan
Digital Editor

For years, society has associated certain industries, career paths and jobs with stereotypes based on gender—especially when it comes to more senior titles. In reality, gender does not play a role in making it to the top. And we have seen this in recent years as plenty of women continue to crush these stereotypes, with one prime example of them being Lee Sue-kyung, the global chief executive of renowned Japanese skincare brand SK-II.

Throughout her career, Lee shattered multiple glass ceilings for women in leadership positions.

Read about her journey here.

Even before Michelle Yeoh’s legendary win, the Oscars 2023 was destined to be a big night for Hollywood’s Asian community. It was in its 95th edition and thus steeped even deeper in historical importance than other film awards. It was also the first edition that seemed to welcome and celebrate talents of colour so unabashedly. This was nothing like the Oscars that Anna May Wong knew.

Yeoh, as if predicting her history-making Oscar moment, arrived in a white Dior haute couture gown that was at odds with the more fashion-forward looks she had showcased this awards season. The Everything, Everywhere, All At Once star was intent on being immortalised, and her Dior dress, in all its simplicity, is as timeless as you can get.

Read how Asian attendees at the Oscars chose outfits that were woven with meaning.

This year, Ramadan falls on March 23 and on top of being a period of worship and piety, the month also sees the return of exciting Ramadan bazaars.

Apart from the popular Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar, one of the biggest bazaars in Singapore, this year we also see the return of various smaller-scale bazaars too. This month, join in the festivities and check out some Ramadan bazaars in Singapore.

Here are the bazaars to visit this year.

Design flair and aesthetic value are probably not top of mind when visiting a McDonald’s. Yet in some locations sporting the Golden Arches, you’ll get more than Big Macs and Happy Meals but some seriously staggering architecture in the bargain.

As one of the largest fast-food chains in the world, the ubiquitous eatery has an expansive collection of restaurants in interesting and noteworthy downright extraordinary buildings.

Read story.

After a two-year hiatus, due to the pandemic, the Tatler Dining Awards has finally returned.

Since 2005, the Tatler Dining Awards has offered a snapshot of the Tatler Dining Guide, which has been a staple in Singapore’s culinary scene since 1986. Each restaurant in the guide—both established and novel—is carefully selected by Tatler Dining’s expert reviewers and tastemakers based on the quality of the food, wine selection, service and ambience.

This year, we saw the island’s top chefs, restaurateurs and industry insiders gather together at The Alkaff Mansion on March 20 for the 16th edition of the Tatler Dining Awards.

Read more about what went down that night.

Bot MD, a Singapore-started company that creates artificial intelligence chat products, has signed a partnership with the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI). IDI is the largest medical association in Southeast Asia, overseeing doctor accreditation and strengthening medical education in Indonesia.

With this, Bot MD will embed its AI Clinical Assistant on IDI’s website. This enables more than 200,000 of its doctor members to search instantly for association information and services, renew their membership, submit feedback, and learn about the national guidelines. The chat assistant is available in Bahasa Indonesia and English.

Read more about the partnership here.