On what started her on her philanthropy journey... I started when I was in university and I volunteered at old folks homes and hospices in particular. While it was quite sporadic, it was very good for me because I got a sense of the landscape and it allowed me to be much more targeted in the ways I help people in the future. Working at places such as the UN Women Singapore and the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations helped me see the needs of the world. Now, I’m moving on to sustainability, which I feel is a very current and pressing concern.

On kick‐starting a food sustainability movement... In 2017, I had a health scare and that got me reading up about how I could better my diet and help myself heal. Food is very healing and I wanted to share what I learned with others, so I started Halo Health Asia, to bring food nutrition to the front of people’s minds, particularly those from lower‐income backgrounds.

We started holding panels with experts to educate people about healthy eating and make the complex jargon understandable, so as to encourage them to be more conscious about how they’re eating. We even went to the supermarkets and found healthy produce that could feed a family of four, for $15 a day, to prove that eating healthy does not have to be expensive. I think people are slowly realising that the kind of food we eat can make a difference environmentally, but many don’t know where to start.

On her new sustainable initiative... Wise came about more recently. We wanted to increase the green participation of Singapore residents as well as the visibility of women in the sustainability space. Women are key when it comes to consumer spending. In fact, their influence makes up about 85 per cent of global consumer spending and it has moved from just household decisions to bigger products such as financial investments, property and infrastructure over the years.

So at Wise, we’re simply hoping to target women so we can equip them with the knowledge needed to make more sustainable choices, so we can encourage responsible consumption and even better production when it comes to businesses.

On sustainability in fashion... I like to limit my fast fashion intake by focusing on good design, craftsmanship and, of course, where and how it was made. I make sure I look at the labels and that I can trust in what the brand is telling me. Sustainable fashion should basically not be a trend.

I believe that the brands that are the most transparent and honest with their consumers will come up tops in the sustainability race.

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