Editor’s Letter
Success is never achieved overnight. When you look at people who have achieved wealth, influence or power and the story of how they got there, you will realise that they have been putting in the work for a long time— those critical steps needed to make success possible at a very high level.
Stories like these remind us that it’s important to have a purpose in life and not be afraid to dream big. Find out what drives you, what do you care about, how do you make a positive impact, what legacy do you want to leave behind? And we find that these weigh heavily in the minds of the various individuals featured in this issue.
For a second-generation leader like Joanne Kua, sustaining and future-proofing her company is uppermost in her mind. To her, “Creating a legacy is about building an engine that keeps moving forward, even when you are not around anymore.” Close to her family, her dad was the one that taught her to dream and she considers him her mentor. Being the group executive chairman’s daughter naturally came with a lot of expectations but her own willingness to roll up her sleeves and put in the work earned her the respect of her team and business associates.
And she’s always looking ahead of the curve. In the midst of completing her maiden property project, we received some interesting news: in a time where finances need to be kept on a tight leash, their company has launched a first-of-its-kind Platter Accelerator programme that aims to fund over Rm1mil for F&B SMES. The objectives are two-fold: it allows them to set the stage for tomorrow’s trailblazers in culinary art and experience, and to sustain the growth of young talented business owners in the F&B sector. The way I see it, they’re doing something that positively benefits the community as a whole.
The Assouline family is also featured in this issue. Famed for their eye-catching fashion, art and travel books that embody all things beautiful and glamorous, readers will get a glimpse at the family whose lives mirror what they publish about.
On the other hand, our cover personality Omar Khan didn’t choose to go into the family’s property development business and instead forged his own path designing rugs. As he tells it in the feature, “Legacy is what you make it. You can learn from longstanding legacies, but I’m of a generation where things are different now. Instead, we fashion our own.”
We also share the story of Maye Musk, who became the face of Covergirl at 69. (You may know her as Elon Musk’s mother.) She’s a woman who’s led a full life but not without difficulties. What’s admirable about her is that she embraces growing old and living every moment with grace and panache.
Just like most of us, she had plans for 2020 but then, you know, the global pandemic happened. But as Musk said, you just have to keep going—“you have to do everything you can to survive.” And that’s what we’ll be doing too.