Cover Tatler Gen.T’s digital editor Valerie Lim moderating a panel featuring Singapore entrepreneurs Felix Lee (centre) and Nelson Yap, organised in partnership Glenfiddich’s Where Next Club
Tatler Gen.T’s digital editor Valerie Lim moderating a panel featuring Singapore entrepreneurs Felix Lee (centre) and Nelson Yap, organised in partnership Glenfiddich’s Where Next Club
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On October 30, Tatler Gen.T and Glenfiddich hosted a private event anchored by a discussion with two Singapore business owners on their single-best quality as leaders and how that has driven their journeys in work and life
On the evening of October 30, Tatler Gen.T and Glenfiddich organised a private event to introduce the Scotch whisky brand’s Where Next Club, a platform designed to connect and inspire young leaders through an exchange of ideas, experiences and wisdom. It aims to help cultivate original thinking and encourage people to forge their own rules.
Held at the Jungle Ballroom of the Mondrian Singapore Duxton, guests arriving at the venue walked through a vine-covered walkway decorated with floor-to-ceiling mirrors for photo moments and a timeline describing Glenfiddich’s heritage. Before they entered the space, they were greeted by three Glenfiddich whiskies from the brand’s exquisite Grand Series sitting inside glass displays.
Inside, a bar lined with bottles of Glenfiddich whiskies welcomed them to the space, while well-dressed servers offered them a selection of cocktails inspired by the evening’s three speakers and infused with the brand’s 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
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Glenfiddich whiskies
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The main highlight of the evening was a panel discussion featuring Singaporean entrepreneurs Nelson Yap, the co-founder of Benjamin Barker Group, and Felix Lee, co-founder of ADPList. Both were part of Gen.T and Glenfiddich’s Where Next campaign, celebrating mavericks who are pushing their limits and embracing challenges for meaningful personal and professional growth. The campaign also featured industrial designer Poh Yun Ru, who won recognition for her cognitive stimulation therapy tool for dementia patients. She, however, was unable to join the panel due to work.
Talking about his ambitions for his mentorship platform, Lee shared: “We want to do something that someday will not just mean something to our little red dot, but to the world”.
Yap, too, has plans to continue the global expansion of his fashion and lifestyle company. The Benjamin Barker Group is currently in five countries, with store openings coming up in Singapore, Sydney and London. Crucial to scaling a business, he shared, is ensuring that you have built a strong foundation and your people share similar values. “I look out for leaders who are similar to me, who can put people before themselves, before their ego and pride.”
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Alfred Sim
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Lee concurred, sharing that a good leader is often curious about knowing and understanding others, their perspectives, problems and ideas. “You don’t start out knowing how to be a leader. It takes time to be comfortable with being wrong and admitting that you’re wrong, which also shows your team that you are self-aware. And this can help you gain their respect.”
Making mistakes and failing are part of life, after all, especially for entrepreneurs—both new and seasoned. For Yap, who has been running Benjamin Barker Group since 2009, he tries to remember not be too hard on himself. “It’s ok to fail. In fact, it is your failures that will bring your successes in the future.”
As an advice to younger founders, Lee said that “having the audacity to say that you are going to make it” is important. “In Asian culture, we seem to think that dreaming big is arrogant. But I think if you want to dream, you should dream big, have a plan and do it.”
Credits
Photography: Adrian Lee and Terrix Lin
