In the spirit of celebrating all things local this month of National Day, we profile eight Singaporean companies and the people that have driven the business to find success not just in Singapore, but across the globe.

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Banyan Tree Holdings

Founders: Ho Kwon Ping and Claire Chiang

Banyan Tree is a brand familiar to luxury travellers, currently enjoying a strong presence in 28 countries. Ho Kwon Ping and Claire Chiang established the first Banyan Tree resort in Phuket in 1995 with just seven staff members. And while it took thirteen years for them to own their second location, Banyan Tree has since experienced tremendous growth, with over 35 hotels and resorts, more than 70 spas, and 80 retail galleries today. Commenting on Banyan Tree's Singapore base, Ho says, "The hotel industry is global in nature, so positioning ourselves as a global niche player steeped in Asian tradition is more strategic and spot-on." 2011 saw yet another milestone, with the opening of Singapore's first Banyan Tree Spa, at Marina Bay Sands. The first Singaporean to attain the ACA Lifetime Creative Achievement Award, Ho, together with Chiang, has plans to add a fourth brand to its stable that now comprises Banyan Tree, Angsana and Cassia.

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BreadTalk Group

Founder: George Quek

It has been a long entrepreneurial journey for George Quek, from selling dragon beard candy in Taiwan to founding the S$536.5 million revenue-generating behemoth BreadTalk Group in 2000. Before BreadTalk, Singapore was scattered with neighbourhood bakeries offering run-of-the-mill items, and it took Quek's vision to see the potential of making bread a lifestyle concept, presenting a unique selection and sleek stores which revolutionised the food and beverage industry. Following BreadTalk's success, Quek has continued to roll out new concepts such as Toast Box, RamenPlay, Food Republic, Thye Moh Chan and successful franchise Din Tai Fung. "One of the biggest challenges," he remarks, "is definitely the process of taking the company to the next level; from a local firm to an international organisation spanning 15 countries today." With 7,000 employees worldwide, Quek still isn’t done. The company’s annual 2014 report noted the addition of 80 new bakery outlets internationally, pushing the total to 817 worldwide. By 2016, that number is expected to shoot up to 1,000 outlets. Last year, Toast Box also celebrated their milestone 100th outlet at Shaw House. He remains humble, saying, "We are learning every day to make the concepts of the BreadTalk Group a continued part of our consumers' lives, by evolving our concepts and products to ensure they are always creative, engaging and relevant to the times."

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Hyflux

Founder: Olivia Lum

As founder and CEO, Olivia Lum has grown Hyflux from the fledgling water treatment startup it was 22 years ago to a publicly listed corporation. But success didn't come easily - at age 28, Lum sold her apartment and car and started selling water treatment systems along the Malaysian peninsula off the back of a motorcycle. Realising the company would only be scalable if she went into manufacturing, she brought in membrane technology and set up water plants in clients' factories during the mid-nineties. The firm soon won a groundbreaking S$250 million contract to build and operate Singapore's first seawater desalination plant, and was one of the earliest industry pioneers in China, having succeeded in building China's largest desalination plant. Winner of the prestigious 2011 Ernest & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year award, Lum is still setting her sights high – after successfully planting the world's largest seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in Algeria last year, next up is Oman, the water desalination plant set to be the sultanate’s largest.

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Osim

Founder: Ron Sim

"'Sim' is my surname, and the ‘O' is actually the globe," says Ron Sim, founder and chief executive of Osim International, when asked about the origins of his namesake brand. The name is fitting, given how this specialised retailer of home health care products has grown since its first shop in 1986 to having more than 856 outlets across 111 cities in Asia, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, North America and Europe. Sim attributes the brand's success to having consolidated products manufactured by different companies under the Osim brand, and focusing its marketing strategy on improving the health of its customers.

Bouncing back from being nearly driven to bankruptcy during the 1985 recession, Sim's is a remarkable success story, having subsequently transformed the company to a reputable health and wellness brand. No expense is spared when it comes to raising Osim's brand profile, and internationally renowned Asian celebrities such as Chinese actress Gong Li and Hong Kong star Andy Lau have graced the brand's advertising campaigns.

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Raoul

Founders: Douglas and Odile Benjamin

Odile and Douglas Benjamin first started Raoul as a men's shirt label, and it has since evolved into a rising homegrown brand on the international front. They confide that when the brand first launched in the US, most department stores felt that while Raoul's products were of designer quality, it was hard for buyers to decide where to place the brand as they were priced significantly lower than the other designer brands. Both founders commented that international receptiveness toward Singapore brands has been steadily on the rise, and that the world is now more ready for an Asian fashion legacy, with designers like Philip Lim and Alexander Wang paving the way.

Odile Benjamin strongly believes in building Raoul's brand image by adhering to its promise of high quality apparel at moderate prices. "We have remained true to the brand's DNA," she remarked, "and that transcends through the product, design, price, marketing, public relations and the channels that represent Raoul."

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Spa Esprit Group

Founder: Cynthia Chua

Founder and managing director of Spa Esprit Group, Cynthia Chua, oversees a beauty, lifestyle and wellness giant today, having opened her first spa outlet in Holland Village in 1996. Back then, she broke the stereotypical mould of a typical spa, introducing one with eclectic interiors and quirky beauty treatments. Bolstered by humorous and innovative marketing campaigns, Chua went on to launch a waxing salon, Strip, a huge achievement considering the social taboos about waxing at the time.

Spurred by her success, she developed several new ventures including food concepts Skinny Pizza and Tippling Club. Spa Esprit now has a burgeoning clientele spanning several continents and has received dazzling reviews from the international media. She is particularly proud of her London and New York outlets, citing them as great achievements for the company as they have been able to "take a Western product, fine tune it in Asia and reimport the brands back into key fashion cities." Chua's success can be attributed to her passion. She firmly believes that "you have to love what you do and have strong beliefs in the brand. Don't engage in a concept just for cash, you must have genuine interest and love in the subject matter."

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Thai Express

Founders: Ivan Lee and Dellen Soh

Noting the absence of Thai franchises among casual eateries in Singapore despite popular demand for the cuisine, Ivan Lee and Dellen Soh opened the first Thai Express outlet in Holland Village in 2002. The restaurant proved to be a hit and within a period of eight years, Thai Express expanded to nearly 100 stores across the Asia-Pacific region including Mongolia, Australia and China.

The company went on to develop other brands including Xin Wang Hong Kong Café, New York New York, and Shokudo. By 2008, business was booming and Lee and Soh sold 70 per cent of the business to Thai-listed conglomerate Minor International, valuing the company at $114 million. Soh, who is currently at the helm of Thai Express expressed his dedication to the company's future. "As we continue to work towards strengthening our brand in Singapore through constant innovations and revamps, we have our eye set for overseas expansion too.” Well, he has definitely succeeded spectacularly with 35 Thai Express outlets in Asia, 21 of which are in Singapore, and the other 14 franchised across outlets in Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Mongolio and Vietnam.

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Tung Lok Group

Founder: Andrew Tjioe

Established in 1984, the Tung Lok Group is recognised as Singapore's leading restaurant chain which offers distinct and multi-sensory dining concepts. Led by founder Andrew Tjioe, the company owns and manages over 40 restaurants across the region. Driven by the success of the group's flagship, Tung Lok Restaurant, he went on to open other upscale Chinese restaurants, of which many are still in business after more than 18 years.

The company has since expanded to Japan, India, Indonesia and China. Fortunately, in the process of taking the brand overseas, he found that Singapore enjoys a good reputation. "Being known as a Singaporean brand gives diners confidence," says Tjioe, as it equates to having "superb quality cuisine, reputable brands and professional management". In February 2008, he won the prestigious International Star Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award by American Academy of Hospitality Sciences for his success and contribution to the industry. This was swiftly followed by his win as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year Award 2011 (Lifestyle) at the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence 2011, and recipient of the Epicure Excellence Award 2013. Looking ahead, Tjioe says, "We will be expanding at a pace that we are comfortable with. We are not compelled to chase numbers."

Read more about home-grown brands’ success tatler_tatler_stories in From Singapore to the World in the August issue of Singapore Tatler. 

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