Co-founder and CEO of Charles & Keith Group honoured at the 39th Singapore Business Awards

Media Releases

May 16, 2024 8 minutes

Singapore, 16 May 2024 – Co-founder and CEO of Charles & Keith Group, Charles Wong, was named Businessman of the Year at the 39th Singapore Business Awards (SBA), jointly organised by The Business Times and DHL. He was honoured for his visionary leadership and innovative strategies, having played a pivotal role in shaping the success of Charles & Keith as a global fashion brand.

Charles, together with his younger brother Keith, was instrumental in placing the Charles & Keith and Pedro brands into major cities around the world. Starting out as a shoe retailer in Amara Shopping Centre, Charles led the group to create its own label, going into design and manufacturing as well. He initiated the digitalisation of the group's operations and launched an e-commerce site – all before online shopping became the norm.

Today, Charles & Keith Group manages Singapore's highly regarded shoe and accessories brands, with nearly 700 outlets in more than 30 countries, and online sales from nearly 60 markets worldwide.

Ms Adeline Sim, Chief Corporate Officer of HRnetGroup has been awarded the esteemed title of Young Business Leader of the Year. Ms Sim’s leadership, passion and pursuit of excellence have been instrumental in driving HRnetGroup’s growth and success in the competitive landscape.

The awards were presented during the SBA gala dinner, graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information & Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity.

The SBA gala dinner which took place at The Ritz Carlton, Millenia Singapore on 16 May saw business leaders come together to celebrate the night’s awardees, which included:

Mr Loh Chin Hua, CEO of Keppel Ltd, who was named this year’s Outstanding Chief Executive of the Year,
Mr David Su, Founding Managing Partner of Matrix Partners China, who was awarded the Outstanding Overseas Executive of the Year, and
HMI Medical, which received The Enterprise Award.

Ms Chen Huifen, Editor of The Business Times, said, “The Singapore Business Awards serves as a platform to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our business leaders. The dedication and ingenuity demonstrated by each award recipient are a testament to the vibrant spirit of entrepreneurship driving our economy forward. It is a privilege to be part of an event that recognises excellence and fosters a culture of success within the business community.”

Mr Christopher Ong, Senior VP & Managing Director of DHL Express, Singapore, said, “As we applaud the achievements of these outstanding business leaders, we also honour the passion, grit and commitment to innovation and progress that brought them to where they are today. In doing so, they have inspired many and set a standard for the rest of the business world to follow.”

The annual Awards recognise local business leaders who have made a difference in their respective industries and have created value for their stakeholders. The winners of the SBA were decided by a panel of 11 judges, including Mr Stephen Lee, former Chairman of Singapore Airlines. The full panel of judges can be found in Annex A.

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ANNEX A

Information on the Singapore Business Awards

Objectives of the Singapore Business Awards

The objectives of the Singapore Business Awards are:

To acknowledge the vital contributions made by companies and individuals to Singapore business both locally and internationally.
To create an environment that will encourage and sustain the entrepreneurial spirit and enhance standards of corporate management in Singapore and abroad.
To illustrate the depth of talent that exists here by highlighting nominees' success stories.
To enable the organisers, The Business Times and DHL, to fulfil their responsibilities as good corporate citizens.

Panel of Judges

Mr Stephen Lee (Chairman of SBA Judging Panel), Former Chairman, Singapore Airlines
Ms Chen Huifen, Editor, The Business Times
Mr Christopher Ong, Senior VP and Managing Director, DHL Express (Singapore)
Ms Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director, Economic Development Board
Ms Jennie Chua, Chairman, Vanguard Healthcare
Ms Jeannie Lim, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Lifestyle & Consumer, Enterprise Singapore
Mr Lim Ming Yan, Chairman, Singapore Business Federation
Mr Loh Boon Chye, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Exchange Group
Professor Wee Chow Hou, Adjunct Professor, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore University of Social Sciences
Mr Wong Wei Kong, Editor-in-Chief, English/Malay/Tamil Media Group, SPH Media
Mr Yung Chiun Ooi, Senior Vice President, Commercial, DHL Express Asia Pacific

ANNEX B

Citations and brief bios of the Singapore Business Awards 2023/2024 winners

Businessman of the Year - Mr Charles Wong, Co-founder and CEO of Charles & Keith Group

Citation:

For his resilience and entrepreneurial spirit in growing a well-loved Singaporean brand over the decades. Charles, together with his younger brother Keith, was instrumental in establishing both brands - CHARLES & KEITH and PEDRO - in major cities around the world. From its humble beginnings as a shoe retailer in Amara Shopping Centre, Charles played the pivotal role in guiding the brand's transformation from a conventional wholesale model to the creation of a distinct brand identity. He initiated the digitalisation of the Group's operations and launched an e-commerce site, all before online shopping became the norm. Today, CHARLES & KEITH GROUP manages Singapore's highly regarded shoe and accessories brands, with nearly 700 outlets in more than 30 countries, and online sales from nearly 60 markets worldwide.

Outstanding Chief Executive of the Year - Mr Loh Chin Hua, Chief Executive Officer of Keppel Ltd

Citation:

For his strategic leadership in transforming Keppel from a diverse industrial conglomerate into a horizontally-integrated asset manager with deep operating capabilities in Infrastructure, Real Estate and Connectivity. Under Chin Hua's watch, Keppel successfully divested its offshore and marine business, evolved from a balance sheet player into a company with an asset-light model, and pivoted from lumpy earnings towards recurring income. In 2023, Keppel achieved its highest profit in 55 years of S$4.1 billion and posted total shareholder returns of 61.1%. Keppel is accelerating the execution of its Vision 2030 roadmap to become a global asset manager and operator, creating alternative real assets and solutions for a sustainable future.

Outstanding Overseas Executive of the Year - David Su, Founding Managing Partner of Matrix Partners China

Citation:

For his foresight and unflinching belief in the prospect of China’s startup and tech scene over the past two decades. David Su co-founded venture capital firm Matrix Partners China in 2008 with two other partners and together, they grew it to become one of the top early-stage investing venture capital firms there, with an extensive investment portfolio.

Its early successes include Li Auto (NYSE: LI/HK: 2015), XPeng (NYSE: XPEV/HK: 9868), Didi Chuxing (NYSE: DIDI), Ele. me (acquired by Alibaba in 2018), Bona Film (NASDAQ: BONA), Baidu (NSDQ:BIDU), Kingfriend Biochemical (CH: 603707), China Youzan (HK: 8083), AAC Technologies (HK: 2018), and so on.

He also co-founded San Si Institute, a community of high achieving entrepreneurial leaders in China who are committed to solving major societal challenges.

The Enterprise Award - HMI Medical

Citation:

For its significant growth since privatisation of the group in 2019. HMI Medical, previously known as HMI Group, has expanded its business to include a primary healthcare chain, ambulatory care, ophthalmology, cardiovascular, and medical benefits administration businesses. The group also transformed its healthcare education unit into a social enterprise with a mission to help train and reskill nurses, allied healthcare professionals and caregivers for Singapore and the region. Today, the Group touches over 3 million lives annually through its network of hospitals and clinics in Singapore and Malaysia. The group's commitment to holistic care and community health has earned it numerous accolades, including the ASEAN Business Award for Healthcare Innovation.

Young Business Leader of the Year - Ms Adeline Sim, Executive Director & Chief Corporate Officer of HRnetGroup

Citation:

As Chief Corporate Officer, Adeline has been leading strategic initiatives for HRnetGroup, including bringing it public on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange in 2017 - the first recruitment staffing firm here to do so. She has been instrumental in identifying and executing investments and acquisitions for the Group, and has spearheaded the development of the company’s technology backbone in order to grow its footprint which now spans 37 business units with 44 Co-Owners in 17 cities, reporting revenues of S$578 million and net profit of S$66 million in 2023. Adeline is all set to intensify HRnetGroup’s dominance of the talent acquisition and staffing space in Asia and beyond.