RICHARD HOON
Father to Elizabeth, 32; Ethel, 30; and Eve, 28
“An empowered woman is a self-confident woman; she has an innate stability within herself and is cognitive of her surroundings; she knows how to relate to others and, in the process, inspires them to be an invaluable asset to society. My late wife, Ai Tee, was such an empowered woman—when you sit with her, you feel an aura of wisdom and calmness—and my three daughters emulate their mum. My eldest daughter Elizabeth is back in school studying to be a psychologist and lives in Melbourne with her husband; my second daughter Ethel and her husband are chefs at a ski resort in Austria; and my youngest daughter Eve works at an arts charity here. They are all pursuing different passions in their lives, doing what they believe in and we’ve always encouraged them to do that. My job as a father is to recognise my daughters’ talents and help them discover their calling. You have to learn how to teach, coach and mentor your children: teach them when they are young; coach them when they become teenagers; and when they are in their 20s and 30s, mentor them, and unless they ask for your opinion, you have to learn to keep them to yourself. My wife and
I also believe in inculcating values to our children. Three things that are important to our family: firstly, we want our daughters to have a faith or a belief in something. We are Christians, so believing in God is something that we want them to have. Secondly, they have to read, speak and write well. Even if you have skills and knowledge, it is of little use if you can’t communicate well. And thirdly, we want our children to make a lot of friends. You won’t make too many friends if you are selfish or unwilling to share. Friendship, in real life, is what networking is in the corporate world. If you know how to make friends, you will always be surrounded by enough people who know and support you. Even if you have nothing else in life, I think you will be all right and will survive well if you have these three things.”
Founder and CEO of international headhunting firm, I Search Worldwide, Richard Hoon is also chairman of the Centre for Fathering & Dads-for-life. The nonprofit organisation, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, seeks to eradicate fatherlessness in Singapore