Claire Chiang

Claire Chiang (Chinese: 张齐娥; pinyin: Zhāng Qi'e; born 4 October 1951)[1] is a Singaporean entrepreneur, activist and former Nominated Member of Parliament. She is the co-founder of hospitality group Banyan Tree and one of the first two women to be admitted to the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) in 1995. Chiang has advocated for issues on education and gender equality. She was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2018.[2]

Claire Chiang See Ngoh
Born (1951-10-04) 4 October 1951
NationalitySingaporean
Spouse(s)Ho Kwon Ping

Early life

Chiang grew up in a two-room flat in the Little India district with her parents and five elder brothers. Her father was an accountant while her mother did various odd jobs. Her primary education consisted of morning sessions at Nan Hua Primary School and afternoon sessions at Raffles Girls' Primary School.[3] She was a sociology major at the University of Singapore (now the National University of Singapore), and did a programme in translation at the Sorbonne University in Paris, before returning to complete her honours degree in Singapore, while working at the French Embassy.[4]

Career

Academia

Chiang and her husband, Ho Kwon Ping, relocated to Hong Kong in 1978, and she obtained a master's degree in sociology from the University of Hong Kong in 1985. Chiang worked as a research sociologist at the National University of Singapore in the early 1990s.[1][2]

Business

In 1994, Chiang and Ho co-founded the first Banyan Tree resort in Phuket.[5] The Banyan Tree Group has since became international hospitality brand with resorts, hotels, spas and residences in Asia, America, Africa and Middle East. Chiang was among the first women elected to the SCCCI's council. Chiang is currently senior vice-president of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts.

Nominated Member of Parliament

Chiang was a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) from 1997 to 2001.[6] As an NMP, she advocated for issues such as compulsory education, parental consent for teenage abortions, changes in the Children's Act and rights for domestic helpers.[6][7][8]

Other organisations

Chiang was the chairperson of Wildlife Reserves Singapore from 2008 to 2015. She is the chairperson of the National Book Development Council of Singapore.[3]

Chiang joined the Association of Women for Action and Research in 1988 and was elected president in 1993. She also served on the Diversity Action Committee which aims to encourage gender diversity in the boardrooms of local organisations. She became president of the Society Against Family Violence in 1995.[2][9]

References
  1. Suryadinata, Leo (2012). Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume I & II. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 126–127. ISBN 9789814345217.
  2. "Claire Chiang |". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  3. Yuen, Sin (23 May 2016). "A 'second childhood' for former NMP Claire Chiang". The Straits Times.
  4. Tulsidas, Karishma (2 April 2018). "Millennials Are Our Force of Change, Says Banyan Tree's Claire Chiang". Singapore Tatler.
  5. Lee, Justina (13 November 2016). "Banyan Tree idealist Ho reforms five-star hotel strategy amid stiff competition". Nikkei Asian Review.
  6. Tan, Kim-Knya (6 July 2001). "A more moderate Claire to move on". Today.
  7. Crowell, Todd (19 June 1998). "Asiaweek". CNN.
  8. Tan, Guan Heng (2008). 100 Inspiring Rafflesians, 1823-2003. World Scientific. pp. 37–39. ISBN 9789812779465.
  9. "1998 Claire Chiang – Her World Woman of The Year". womanoftheyear.herworld.com.
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