Kitchen Confidential The Peak brings together five of Singapore’s hottest new chefs: Chef Andre Chiang, chef de cuisine of Jaan, Swissotel The Stamford Singapore He has honed his skills with the Michelin-starred chefs, the Pourcel brothers, worked Joel Robuchon and helmed restaurants in Shanghai and Seychelles. Chef Michael Han, executive chef and co-owner of FiftyThree He has learnt the ropes in the kitchens of Michelin-star restaurants in England, Spain and Copenhagen. These gourmet experiences have influenced his style of cooking. Chef Masayoshi Shiina, A971 Cafe He is trained in Japanese and French cuisines. After a stint as sous chef at A971 Cafe in Roppongi, Shiina came to Singapore to helm the kitchen at the Japanese bistro’s Singapore franchise. Chef Ryan Clift,Tippling Club He has trained at Michelin-starred kitchens around Europe. Headed the kitchen at the award-winning Vue De Monde before coming to Singapore to start Tippling Club with mixologist Matthew Bax. Chef Om Prakash,Vintage India After 13 years in the Middle East, the chef moved to Singapore to head Vintage India. Om Prakash has served dignitaries including Kofi Annan and Singapore's President SR Nathan. Chef Frank Killian, Pontini The German has worked at one-star Michelin restaurants such as Die Ulrichshoehe, Becher, Waldhorn and Vintage. He joined the award-winning Pier Restaurant in Sydney as senior sous chef, before moving to Singapore to helm the kitchen at Pontini.

The Cultural Revolutionary "One of the main reasons I joined Income was because it is a large franchise that makes a difference to almost every household in Singapore,” shares Tan Suee Chieh, NTUC Income’s chief executive officer. To successfully make that difference, he undertook a major overhaul of Income so it could play on the same field with the likes of Aviva, AXA and Prudential. And if anyone can pull it off, it is Tan. As a trained actuary, he spent over 20 years at Prudential and became the British insurer's first Asian CEO. He feels the need to transform Income to stay relevant to the younger market. “Our brand appealed to unionists and workers in the 1970s and 1980s, but we need to appeal to their children now.” His goal is to make Income the brand of choice for insurance buyers. Being a cooperative under the NTUC umbrella, Tan believes that its strength is in its value-for-money products, where customers get “good service, advice, kept promises and trust”. Tan stresses that being a cooperative doesn’t discount Income from being any less performance-oriented or profit-driven than his commercial, publicly listed competitors. He believes that any profits Income makes should benefit “those who need it the most”.

My Beautiful Career Thia Breen has had a spectacular 32-year career at one of the world’s biggest beauty company, Estee Lauder Companies, which has seen her launch brands within the group such as Aramis, Clinique and Origins. Breen, 58, is the global president for Estee Lauder Worldwide, based in New York. She oversees the flagship brand’s global growth in over 130 countries, and supervises day-to-day operations in the home market of the United States. Her mantra of working hard and always listening, and explaining, to the customer exemplifies the working style of Mrs Estee Lauder and the company she founded. As the overseer of a global portfolio, Breen has to consider the different products and modes of distribution that work best in the various markets under her care. The brand carries the name of the founder and last name of her descendants, many of who hold senior positions at the company. “There’s always going to be quality associated with it, we’re never going to do anything that tarnishes their name.” Breen’s talent and passion for the products she peddles has earned the trust of the family and is likely to continue to play an ever bigger role in the company. She says: “I’ve been with the company for 30 years and I love this company, it has been wonderful to me.”