Inspirational Men & Woman

Boonchai Bencharongkul is from Thailand and has a mass wealth of said $210 million - a telecom tycoon who is said to loves farming and helping the needy farmers.  Boonchai’s father who began distributing Motorola radios in Thailand in the 60s had sent him out to Motorola for a special training.  It is no surprise that he became an investor in telecom which Boonchai founded in 1980.  But his company ran into some trouble but was bailed by Norwegian Telecom company Telenor but Boonchai still holds the company stake of 40%.  As we all know, in Thailand - you have the very rich and the poor - there is no middle income family there, so as I read more about the adult acne treatments one can get in Thailand - one cannot help but see the many rich people in Thailand and wonder why there are so much more poor people on the streets in Thailand.

Sandra Lovelace was born in New Brunswick in 1947 - she was an activist - a Maliseet woman who married an American and relocated to California with him in 1970.  While i was reading up on  hgh supplement , my kid had shown me her picture because they were going thru’ some history about her. When her marriage ended, she returned to Canada a few years later to discover she had lost her native status.  She was denied housing, education and health care provided to those with status under Canada’s Indian Act, which ws first passed in 1869.

She felt the Indian Act was prejudiced, as women and their children lost their Indian status when they married a non Native men, but Native men did not when they married non - native women.  Sandra’s success came when she changed Canadian law in 1981, thru’ an appeal to the United Nation Human Rights Commission.  This meant not only challenging the Canadian government, but also the male leadership within the First Nations.  Her supporters were among the aboriginal and non-aboriginal women’s organizations of the second wave of feminism during the 1970s women revolution.  Thanks to her - native women can married non -native and not fear of retribution.

Flora Macdonald was a politician from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, born in 1927, she served 16 year for Kingston and the Islands, holding 3 cabinet positions, Secretary Of State for External Affairs, Minister of Employment and Immigration and Minister of Communications.  Flora was also Canadaès first female foreign minister.  I bet she used the best eye cream for dark circles when she was in office - since she was always busy - holding so many roles and being able to look so good.

Why do i say that??  because in 1990 to 1994, she even hosted the popular TV series, North South - now tell me that isn’t a very busy woman.  Flora also served on the boards of advisory councils of several promininet organizations, including CARE Canada, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and Doctors Without Borders.

In 1998, she was named Companion of the Order of Canada for working towards improving the human condition in Canada and around the world.  In 2004 she received the Government of India’s Padma Shri award for distinguished service and excellence, one of India’s highest civilian awards rarely presented to someone outside of India.

Dear Mr Wee - I remember him so fondly - i was but starting out with the hotel industry at the Mandarin Hotel but was considering jobs in phildelphia and UOB was having a function there.  Mr Wee owns the biggest bank in Singapore and the turnover is definitely closed if not more than Capitaland.  It is said that Mr Wee - although being the director for many, many years only paid himself a $6million bonus as compared to other bankers.

His net worth is said to be $2.3 billion - now who don’t want to be married to someone like that right?   But Mr Wee is pretty private - and low profile where his private life is concern. At age of 76 now - he became the chairman of the bank when his father retired.   Under Mr Wee’s leadership, the bank has grown into one of the leading banks in Asia, and is constantly expanding its banking subsidiaries and services both regionally and locally. Despite his heavy business schedule, Wee finds time to engage in community service.

He is being recognised for his contributions to Singapore and the government had awarded him with the Public Service Star in 1971 and he was also named Businessman of the Year in 1990.  In 2006, for his contributions to the banking sector. He was presented with the inaugural Credit Suisse-Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award, which honours the accomplishments of Singapore’s pioneer entrepreneurs.

Ho Kwon Peng is not a  Slingbox but this multi-millionaire is networth about $250 million last year.  And when you think about Ho Kwon Peng - you also think about the Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts.  But having said that - the person who runs the show at  the Banyan Tree is his wife Claire Chang.  But that is another story for another day.   KP as fondly known in the industry also opened his first North Amercan resort in Mexico last year.  He manages 25 resorts and hotels and 68 spas in 23 countries - now that must say something to you eh.  He was born in Hong Kong and studied both in Taiwan and US - attended Standford and was a former journalist.  If this is not an accomplished man than I don’t know who is.   Happily married with 3 children - his wife was once an MP in Singapore as well.

KP has been honoured with Innovation Award ( HICAP, 2003), Travel Personality of the Year (Travel Trade Gazette Travel Awards, 2004), 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum (2005), and Business Week magazine’s 25 Stars of Asia (2005). He was also bestowed the 2005 Entrepreneurship Award by the London Business School; Lifetime Achievement Award from the Advertising Hall of Fame Awards (2005); Lifestyle, Hospitality & Retail Entrepreneur of the Year from Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2006); CEO of the Year at the Singapore Corporate Awards 2008 and Hotelier of the Year at the Stylemaker Awards (2008). In April 2009, KP was the joint recipient of the Hospitality Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious China Hotel Investment Summit and most recently, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his significant contribution to the success of the Singapore Management University .

Dasha Goody - what a unique name eh - when i came across this beautiful picture - a musician and a teacher by profession - she started her singing career at a very young age of 14 in Winnipeg.  And in 1952, after moving to Edmonton - she started working with a young pianist Tommy Banks at the Orion Theatre.  She was then a Artistic Director and the Master Vocal Instructor for 24 yrs.  I would have loved to have known her because i could use some voice lesson - like the woman i know from that natural acne treatment place who told me about how good Dasha Goody was.

You see she had instructed so many who have reached professional level including some you might even know like Danny Austin.  She was also the first woman appointed to the Edmonton Northlands Board and a recipient of many awards :  Alberta Achievement Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre and even an induction of the Dr Dasha Goody Memorial Foundation in 2004.

Joyce Hayden born in 1931 - older than my own mother is a innovator from Birch Lake, SK.  In the early 70s, she was the founding president of the Yukon Status of Women Council, took on the initiative to solve the problem of no public transit system for the people of Whitehorse.  She was a busy woman alright - certainly not like myself - and have no need of weight loss pills like most people during her time.

In 1975 because of Joyce’s effort - Yukon Women’s mini-bus society received a $80K grant.  With that money the got the buses up and running and used the money very wisely too.  I salute them for cut costs whereever they can.  The people were then picked up and dropped off at their own door or they could flag a bus down along the streets and highway.  The ridershp grew and in 1978, the city took over the system.  In 1999, the Mini - bus society was recognised and honored by naming Joyce Hayden the Transportation Hall of Fame’s Person of the Year.  She accepted on behalf of all the women who helped make it happened.  What a great woman - Joyce Hayden is.

Chin Ning Chu was not only an internationally known speaker but also the best selling author of Asian Mind Game and Thick Face, Black Heart - and if you haven’t read The Art of War for Women - you should hurry out and get one now.  She was also a fashion designer who loves  hip hop clothing and has many talents - this woman amazes me.  Unfortunately she died in 2009 after fighting a long battle with cancer  - she was born in China but grew up in Taiwan before migrating to United States.   I loved her books and I loved the way she helped the Americans understand the Asian culture and to negotiate with the Asian businessmen.  She wore so many hats - it was hard to keep up with her.   She was honored woman of the year and named an all time successful writer before her passing.  Truly amazing woman - if only i was half like her.

Who doesn’t know Mr Kwek Leng Beng of the Hong Leong Group in Asia - must have lived in outer space - haha! really - he is famous but very, very low key in my opinion.  I did get to meet Mr Kwek very briefly in a hotel function - we shook hands and was introduced - he thank me and he must not even know my name then - haha!  Mr Kwek Leng Beng is so rich - you need a barcode scanner to measure his wealth - he heads the Hong Leong Group in Singapore - a conglomerate with more than 300 companies.  One of them is the hotels in Asia and in the Plaza Hotel in New York.   His net worth is rumored to be US 1.2 billion - but trained as a lawyer - Mr Kwek is not only into properties, hotels but financing as well.

It is said that he has an  international property and hotel conglomerate and the leading real estate developer in Singapore. It operates in 20 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Australasia. The CDL Group has over 250 subsidiaries and associated companies including 8 companies listed on the stock exchanges of Singapore, London, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, New Zealand and Manila. CDL has a market capitalization of US$5.8 billion and ranks just outside Singapore’s top 10 listed companies. It is also the second-biggest property developer in Southeast Asia.

Ong Beng Seng is the person known for bringing the F1 race to Singapore and just about everyone knows who Ong Beng Seng is in Asia.  Ong Beng Seng, a Malaysian is the managing director of Hotel Properties which includes the Four Seasons, Hard Rock Hotels in Southeast Asia and also owns the rights to Singapore Grand Prix.  He is Singapore’s only official Ferrari dealer and you see his name just about everywhere - one day - you might even see him acquire some  funeral planning place - since they do make lots of money too - from what i hear - hahaha.  But in all my years in the hotel industry - i’ve heard many stories about Ong Beng Seng - how true it is - i really don’t know - but beautiful women are always linked to his name - but which rich men isn’t eh with some beautiful woman.  Plus his own wife is such a beautiful woman and a successful one at that.

Born from a rich family - Ong Beng Seng moved to Singapore when he was only 4 yrs old. He quickly made a name for himself when he went into business on his own - but always known for being the flamboyant and generous tycoon - it didn’t quite surprised me when ppl rumored that he married his wife to get the connection his wife have in her family.  Immensely rich and powerful in his own rights - Ong Beng Seng continued to amaze everyone with all his business decisions.  I heard he even have his own private jet - so yes - Ong Beng Seng is going to go down in history, although already rich himself - he is his own self - made man in my opinion.