Board of Directors

(From left) Ho KwonPing , Ariel P Vera, Chia Chee Ming Timothy, Fang Ai Lian, & Elizabeth Sam

Our Board of Directors is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Group. The Board meets on a quarterly basis or more frequently as and when required to review and monitor the Group’s financial position and operations.

Each member of our Board possesses extensive experience in his or her chosen profession and as a Director of public listed companies. Our four Independent Directors play a key role, contributing invaluable legal, financial and business expertise, and providing strong, independent oversight. They also chair and/or sit on the Audit & Risk Committee and the Nominating & Remuneration Committee.

Ho KwonPing
Executive Chairman
The founder of our Group, Mr Ho is responsible for its overall management and operations. He has been a Director since 5 July 2000. He was designated Executive Chairman on 1 March 2004 and was last re-elected on 30 April 2009.

Mr Ho is also Chairman of Laguna Resorts & Hotels Public Company Limited, Thai Wah Food Products Public Company Limited, Singapore Management University and MediaCorp Pte. Ltd. He is a member of the Asia-Pacific Council of The Nature Conservancy, Global Advisory Council of London Business School, International Council and East Asia Council of INSEAD, International Council of Asia Society and Management Board of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore.

Mr Ho previously served as a Director of Singapore Airlines Limited and Standard Chartered PLC. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Singapore and an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University, USA.

Ariel P Vera
Group Managing Director
Mr Vera was designated Group Managing Director on 1 March 2004, assuming overall responsibility for the corporate well-being of all the companies in the Group. He became a Director on 11 April 2000 and was last re-elected on 28 April 2008. He is concurrently the Managing Director of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts Pte. Ltd., where he started as Vice President, Finance in 1995. He is also a Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels Public Company Limited.

Prior to joining us, Mr Vera was Director of Finance and Administration of Asian Resorts Pte Ltd from 1992 to 1995 and Vice President, Finance, of Tropical Resorts Limited from 1995 to 1997. He has over 25 years of experience in the hotels and resorts industry, having previously worked with, among others, the Hyatt and Regent hotel chains.

A Certified Public Accountant in the Philippines, Mr Vera holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from University of the East, Philippines, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore.

Chia Chee Ming Timothy
Lead Independent Director
Mr Chia was appointed an Independent Director on 8 June 2001 and became Lead Independent Director on 28 February 2007. Last re-elected on 30 April 2009, he is also Chairman of the Nominating & Remuneration Committee.

Mr Chia is Deputy Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Hup Soon Global Corporation Limited. From 1986 to 2004, he was a Director of PAMA Group where he was responsible for private equity investments and served as President from 1995 to 2004. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of the Investment Department of American International Assurance Company Limited from 1982 to 1986 and as President of Unithai Oxide Company Ltd from 1980 to 1981.

Mr Chia sits on the boards of several other private and public companies, including Fraser and Neave Ltd, SP Power Grid Limited and Singapore Post Limited. In 2009, he was appointed Vice-Chairman - Asia for UBS Investment Bank and then Chairman that same year. Since January 2004, he has also been a Trustee of the Singapore Management University. He was previously a Director of Magnecomp Precision Technology Public Co Ltd (Thailand), Meritz Securities Co, Ltd (Korea), Macquarie Pacific Star Prime REIT Management Limited and F J Benjamin Holdings Ltd. He holds a Bachelor of Science cum laude, majoring in Management, from the Fairleigh Dickinson University, USA.

Fang Ai Lian
Independent Director
Mrs Fang was appointed an Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee on 1 May 2008. She was last re-elected on
30 April 2009.

She is Chairman of Great Eastern Holdings Limited and its insurance subsidiaries in Singapore and Malaysia. A Governing Council Member of the Singapore Institute of Directors, Mrs Fang is also a Director of Singapore Telecommunications Limited, Metro Holdings Ltd, MediaCorp Pte. Ltd. and OCBC Bank. She is also Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Tax Academy of Singapore.

In addition, Mrs Fang is Chairman of the Charity Council, President of the Home Nursing Foundation and the Breast Cancer Foundation. She is also a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Mrs Fang was previously with Ernst & Young for over 30 years until her retirement in March 2008, her last position being Chairman of Ernst & Young Singapore. She also served as a Board Member of the Public Utilities Board and International Enterprise Singapore. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant in England and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Singapore and a Member of the Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants.

Elizabeth Sam
Independent Director
Appointed an Independent Director on 23 March 2004, Mrs Sam was last re-elected on 30 April 2009. She is a member of both the Audit & Risk Committee and Nominating & Remuneration Committee.

Principally engaged in management consultancy, Mrs Sam is also a Director of Boardroom Limited, SC Global Development Ltd, AV Jennings Ltd, Kasikornbank Public Company Limited, ST Asset Management Ltd and The Straits Trading Company Limited. She has over 40 years of experience in the financial sector, having held the positions of Executive Vice President and Deputy President of OCBC Bank from 1988 to 1998, Director of Mercantile House Holdings plc (a company listed on the London Stock Exchange) from 1981 to 1987 and Chief Manager of the Monetary Authority of Singapore from 1976 to 1981. She was a Director of the Singapore International Monetary Exchange and served two three-year terms from 1987 to 1990 and 1993 to 1996 as its Chairman until its merger with the Stock Exchange of Singapore. She was also previously a Director of Nippecraft Limited. She has been a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors since April 1999.

Mrs Sam holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Economics from the University of Singapore.