Posts by Stephanie Irvin
Assisted living in Singapore: Companies face steep costs, but innovation is still possible
[SINGAPORE] Assisted living facilities – which enable elderly folk to live semi-independently with elderly-friendly amenities and care services – are a tough business in land-scarce Singapore. But there is still room for more private operators to pilot new models and innovate. Healthcare and real estate company Perennial Holdings is investing in this space. In 2023,…
Read MoreSingPost pays ex-CEO Phang S$616,400 for FY2025 as it pursues automation, leadership reset
[SINGAPORE] Former Singapore Post (SingPost) group chief executive Vincent Phang, who was dismissed over the mishandling of a whistleblower complaint, received S$616,400 in remuneration for the financial year ended Mar 31. According to SingPost’s latest annual report released on Tuesday (Jun 24), the payout comprised S$570,600 in fixed salary, S$10,500 in provident fund contributions, and…
Read MoreUS: Nvidia at new record as stocks end mixed
[NEW YORK] Wall Street stocks finished mixed on Wednesday as markets weighed lingering worries over Iran, while Nvidia surged to a fresh record amid continued artificial intelligence bullishness. President Donald Trump boasted that US strikes had destroyed Iran’s nuclear program, although leaked US intelligence said the strikes had set back Tehran’s nuclear programme by just a few…
Read MoreHSBC sees ‘huge opportunities’ for Singapore businesses in India’s fast-changing economy
[SINGAPORE] Companies based in Singapore are well-positioned to seize “huge opportunities” in India’s rapidly evolving economy, said two senior HSBC executives in a recent interview with The Business Times. Key areas of growth include technology, healthcare, renewables and data centres, said Wong Kee Joo, chief executive officer of HSBC Singapore. “From a renewables perspective, since…
Read MoreWhy Hawkfest Is More Than Just Another Marketing Conference
Hawkfest is coming, and I couldn’t be more excited about what we’ve put together this year. As someone who’s attended countless marketing conferences over the years, I know firsthand how they can blend together into a forgettable blur of PowerPoints and lukewarm coffee. That’s exactly why we created something different. When I founded Hawke…
Read MoreUS: S&P 500, Nasdaq approach record high as Middle East tensions ease
Published Wed, Jun 25, 2025 · 09:45 PM [NEW YORK] Wall Street’s S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes rose on Wednesday (Jun 25), hovering near a record peak, as a ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding and investors awaited more comments from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose…
Read MoreGrab to pause changes to driver incentive scheme following backlash
[SINGAPORE] Ride-hailing service Grab will pause planned changes to its driver incentive scheme, following a backlash about the impact on drivers’ earnings and income stability. The pause is to ensure that drivers’ concerns “are fully addressed before rolling out further changes”, Grab and the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) told The Business Times in…
Read MoreBoard directors must be mindful of family dynamics in businesses, says panellist
[SINGAPORE] Independent directors serving on boards of listed family businesses need to be sensitive to power dynamics within the family, and identify the decision-maker in the business, said one academic specialising in family business and strategy. Although the role of board directors is limited to business matters, family conflicts can spill over into these…
Read MoreSembcorp unit’s acquisition of 49 MW Vietnam hydropower asset delayed
The company will take ‘regulatory uncertainties’ into account for new investments in the country [SINGAPORE] The acquisition of a 49-megawatt (MW) hydropower asset in Vietnam by a unit of Sembcorp Industries has been delayed, the company said in a bourse filing on Wednesday (Jun 25). The completion of the deal by Sembcorp Solar Vietnam, a…
Read MoreDBS targets hiring 40 private bankers for North Asia market
Published Wed, Jun 25, 2025 · 05:41 PM DBS Group, Singapore’s largest lender, is targeting hiring about 40 private bankers this year in Hong Kong and Singapore to cater to wealthy clients in North Asia. The bank has hired roughly half of that number so far this year, said Carol Wu, head of private banking…
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