How the three-generation tea business Dilmah breaks rules and turns kindness into currency

When Dilhan Fernando took over as chief executive of Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company in 2019, he inherited more than a business. He inherited a philosophy that had already proved commercially heretical: that the purpose of making money is to give it away.

His father, Merrill Joseph Fernando, who founded the company in 1985 and passed away in 2023, had built Dilmah on a principle that runs counter to decades of business school teaching. From the get-go, its values defied Milton Friedman’s doctrine that dominated business thinking in the 1970s and 80s—a teaching that Fernando was familiarised with when he attended the London School of Economics.

“My father grew up in a little village [in Sri Lanka]. Blink and you would miss it. Everything he learned about business came from my grandmother. Although she never had very much growing up, her kindness was epitomised by the fact that anybody walking past would get little bit of food,” Fernando recalls.

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Panerai elevates its most iconic collection with the introduction of the Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT Platinumtech Ref. PAM01575, a sophisticated timepiece that seamlessly blends the brand’s robust maritime heritage with the complexity of haute horlogerie. Unveiled in April at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025, it maintains the Italian manufacture’s distinctive tool‑watch DNA while boasting a sapphire‑dialled perpetual calendar that is effortless to operate.

At first glance, the architecture of the timepiece is unmistakably Luminor: a 44mm cushion case, broad lugs and, of course, a crown‑protecting bridge whose locking lever is an industrial design icon. What is new here is the metal: Panerai’s proprietary Platinumtech. An alloy composed of 95 per cent platinum and treated to be roughly 40 per cent harder than standard platinum, it transforms heft into a feature, offering greater scratch resistance and a notably dense wrist presence (about 33 per cent heavier than 18-karat gold) that watch connoisseurs expect.

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Forget what you think you know about global television; Asia’s studios are setting a new standard for sophistication and scale, proving that the finest dramas today are those that speak to universal truths, be it on an epic battlefield or across seven decades of quiet devotion. Every December, the Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA) honours the region’s finest television and film, celebrating stories that capture hearts across 16 nations and territories. 

In a landmark year for Asian storytelling, the AACA has revealed its 2025 national winners—a glittering line-up of actors, directors, and creators who will go on to represent their countries at the Grand Awards and Gala Final in Singapore this December. With a record 331 national winners across 16 nations and territories, this year’s edition marks the largest celebration yet of the region’s creative excellence.  

This season has been particularly notable, with the coveted Best Drama Series category featuring a 13-way battle. We’re seeing powerful dramas like South Korea’s much-fancied When Life Gives You Tangerines, The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Australia), Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty: To The West (China Mainland), India’s Suzhal—The Vortex S2, as well as the returning champion territory, Thailand, with its critically lauded Netflix export, Mad Unicorn. Singapore is proudly represented by Emerald Hill—The Little Nyonya Story, which also earned nods for Best Actress (Jessica Liu) and Best Supporting Actress (Ivory Chia)—an impressive showing for the home team.

Elsewhere, Netflix maintains its stronghold in the scripted categories, sweeping six national wins for India and Thailand.

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Along a quiet lane off the main Joo Chiat stretch of buzzy cafes, quaint boutiques, wellness and fitness establishments and edgy restaurants, a short row of conserved shophouses from the 1920s mixes with modern landed houses. One of them belongs to entrepreneur Sean Lim.  

Lim has been making waves in the real estate scene for the upcoming Radisson Blu Hotel and Apartments beachfront project in Penang, of which he is part owner. The one-billion-ringgit, mixed-use project developed by his company NWD Holdings comprises the 243-key hotel as well as a serviced apartment block with 475 units. Designed by Hong Kong’s P&T Group, it is targeting completion in the third quarter of 2028. 

“We bought the last beach-facing plot of land,” says Lim, who is sparing no expense in making the project at Batu Ferringhi a high-quality one. Positioned as a wellness destination, its landscaping will be managed by Landscape Tectonix—the firm behind the luscious greenery in projects such as the Four Seasons Hotel at Chao Praya River.

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The team behind Jigger & Pony—Singapore’s most celebrated bar group—is adding a new name to its roster: Pop City x Pony. Created in collaboration with the House of Suntory, which will open on Cecil Street on November 26, and it’s shaping up to be the group’s most expressive project yet.

Think of it as Jigger & Pony’s love letter to modern Japan; not the postcard version, but the neon-soaked, music-charged undercurrent that pulses through Tokyo’s subcultures. Designed by Peter Sillings & Associates, the venue unfolds like a concept album: a mirrored Byōbu Bar here, a hidden Bar Mixtape inspired by Golden Gai there, and rooms that morph from tasting lounge to late-night salon.

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