Lunch with Sumiko

Lunch with Sumiko: Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on politics, career and family

In a world of politics where remarks are often filtered, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo remains refreshingly frank.
  • Mr Richard Magnus started as a legal officer during Singapore's early days of independence, then moved to the judiciary and rose to become the Subordinate - now known as State - Courts' senior district judge. After retiring from the bench in 2008, he

Lunch With Sumiko: When an e-scooter crashed into Public Transport Council chairman Richard Magnus

  • Their great-grandfather started Nyee Phoe and Eng siblings Kenny (seated), Andy and Shannon are now in the business, which has gone from retailing plants to landscaping services to what they call "hortitainment".

Lunch With Sumiko: Keeping a 108-year-old family business alive

  • He's always loved dogs, says Mr Shanmugam, and he had them before he became a minister. He currently has four rescue dogs including Eligh (on his lap) and Samson (next to him). Mr K. Shanmugam took a big pay cut when he moved from the private sector

Lunch with Sumiko: Shanmugam on the law against fake news and the vocal minority

  • In 2012, three friends (from left) Marcus Tan, Quek Siu Rui and Lucas Ngoo launched the Carousell app, which allows users to buy and sell on their smartphone things they no longer want. Carousell has a presence in seven markets across Asia, and gets

Lunch With Sumiko: For the first 18 months, Carousell co-founders had no salaries

  • In March, Sheng Siong Group chief executive Lim Hock Chee was named Businessman of the Year 2018 at the Singapore Business Award. From one stall selling chilled pork in Ang Mo Kio, the company now has 54 supermarkets across the island. Mr Lim is know

Lunch With Sumiko: Sheng Siong boss walks the talk

  • At 80, Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie keeps a full schedule with projects around the world. Jewel Changi Airport is his latest work, and with the new mega-mall, the airport can now boast not just comfort and service but also architecture, he say

Lunch With Sumiko: I feel like a semi-citizen of Singapore, says Jewel architect Moshe Safdie

  • Before enrolling at the University of Manchester to study physics, Prof Cox (right) was part of the band Dare. He later joined another band, D:Ream.

Lunch With Sumiko: It is possible there are Martians, says physicist Brian Cox

  • Ms Nurul Izzah Anwar has been under the media spotlight since she was 18, when her father Anwar Ibrahim was arrested and later jailed. She has seen more than most when it comes to politics.

Lunch With Sumiko: It's been so turbulent... my heart's been broken, says Nurul Izzah Anwar

  • Vice-presidential candidate Sandiaga Uno waving to the crowd in Kemang on Feb 17 (left). He had attended the launch of an "I'm SandiUno" app and met youth volunteers and supporters at a cafe there. Later at an interview in his camp's media centre (be

'It's an economic referendum', says Indonesia's V-P candidate Sandiaga Uno

Lunch With Sumiko: My fame may have peaked, but not my music, says Nathan Hartono

  • Mr Iswaran, who is also an MP for West Coast GRC, at a grassroots event last year. He takes pride in the constituency and has picked up conversational Mandarin to connect better with grassroots leaders and residents. Making deals for Singapore is all

Lunch With Sumiko: S. Iswaran on making Singapore matter to the world

Lunch with Sumiko: Creative Technology’s Sim Wong Hoo is back, with Super X-Fi getting rave reviews

  • Mr Lee Tzu Yang became chairman of the Public Service Commission in August last year. To better gauge what scholarship applicants are like, the PSC will be introducing game-based assessments which will help uncover qualities like risk tolerance, the

Lunch With Sumiko: Not effective to go against instincts, says PSC chairman Lee Tzu Yang

  • Mr Taha Bouqdib grew up in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, and worked in France for many years before co-founding TWG Tea in Singapore. The brand is now distributed in 42 countries and has 70 tea salons and boutiques in 19 countries. Besides more than

Lunch With Sumiko: TWG Tea's Taha Bouqdib on how he fell in love with tea

  • In recent years, American singer Jason Mraz has been taking it easier, touring at his own pace and spending much of his time at his avocado farm in California. But, he says, he will never give up creating music.

Lunch With Sumiko: Jason Mraz keeps his feet on the ground

Lunch With Sumiko: 'My mantra was to keep Singapore going', says ESM Goh Chok Tong

  • Ho Kun Xian, widely known as Xian, is one among a very small number of professional gamers in Singapore. His game of choice is Street Fighter and he has made at least US$88,000 (S$121,500) so far, according to esportsearnings.com estimates. He also g

Lunch With Sumiko: I'm not a gangster or a nerd, says pro gamer Ho Kun Xian

  • Ms Chia Yong Yong, who finished her second term as Nominated Member of Parliament last month, had made her presence felt in the House, raising issues not just to do with the disabled, but also on topics like education and CPF savings. She was also on

Lunch With Sumiko: Lawyer Chia Yong Yong on moving beyond disability

  • Mr Masagos' father Masagos Mohamad Masagos Omar died of cancer when the minister, then a university student, was 21. Mr Masagos Zulkifli says his working style is not to micro-manage. Instead, he sets the broad picture and states what needs to be don

Lunch With Sumiko: How a gift of Khong Guan assorted biscuits changed Minister Masagos Zulkifli's life

  • Tan's dishes are known for their quality ingredients, use of vegetables and artistic garnishing. From top: A lamb dish, lobster salad, asparagus and four ways of cooking onions.

Lunch With Sumiko: Jason Tan's journey from pizza place to Michelin star chef at Corner House

  • Palestinian-Israeli Nuseir Yassin grew up in the north of Israel, got a scholarship to Harvard and became a software engineer in New York City before leaving the corporate life to travel. He has set a target of posting one video a day for 1,000 days

Lunch With Sumiko: Viral vlogger behind Nas Daily is uniting the world, one minute at a time

  • Mr Mashruddin Saharuddin and his youngest son Nizaruddin, who started following the older man on his busking rounds when he was 13. On Aug 9, at the National Day Parade show, their story was featured as part of a filmlet on inspirational Singaporeans

Lunch With Sumiko: Father-son ‘NDP buskers’ hit the right notes

  • From Primary 4 to Secondary 4, Rebecca Lim was overweight, and she was in the Trim and Fit weight-loss programme at school. Rebecca Lim's early years on TV were tough because her command of Mandarin was poor. The actress saw this as a glaring problem

Lunch With Sumiko: Actress Rebecca Lim is too blessed to be stressed

  • Dr Tan Min-Han, a medical oncologist and clinical geneticist, started Lucence Diagnostics in 2016 to develop liquid biopsy technology - the next big thing in cancer detection. "Cancer can be frightening but at the same time, because it is curable if

Lunch With Sumiko: Tan Min-Han fights cancer with a single draw of blood

  • Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng served 10 years as chief minister of Penang and is credited for rebuilding the state's finances and making it one of the largest contributors to the country's economy. He is also only the third ethnic Chinese to helm Mal

Lunch with Sumiko: Lim Guan Eng never expected in 'his wildest dreams' to be Malaysia's Finance Minister

  • Mr George Quek says F&B is a tough business. Yet, he loves it. He loves the thrill of coming up with a location and getting the restaurant and food concept right. At 62, he feels young and retirement is not on the cards.

Lunch With Sumiko: BreadTalk's George Quek on conquering the world, one loaf at a time

  • Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in a cafe at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore's first integrated community and lifestyle destination. The Hub tapped residents' views to re-imagine how space can be used, with facilities grouped together to make them more c

Lunch With Sumiko: Heng Swee Keat's steely resolve behind genial manner

Lunch With Sumiko: Wolfgang Puck's recipe for success

  • Ms Lee Bee Wah when she got married at 27. The only time she has ever worn full-blown make-up was on her wedding day. Ms Lee Bee Wah is into her 12th year as a Member of Parliament. It is a role that she relishes and she says she spends an average of

Lunch With Sumiko: With Lee Bee Wah, what you see is what you get

  • Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at The Loaf bakery-cafe in Cyberjaya last Wednesday. He now leads Malaysia's opposition alliance and his schedule in the run-up to the general election has been punishing.

Lunch with Sumiko: Mahathir Mohamad's unfinished business as Malaysia gears up for election

  • Mr Chan Hon Meng in his Hawker Chan outlet in 18 Tai Seng, after the peak-hour lunch period. Soon after his Chinatown hawker stall got a Michelin star, he partnered Hersing Culinary to expand his business.

Lunch With Sumiko: Hawker Chan and his lucky star

Lunch With Sumiko: New Sports Hub CEO Oon Jin Teik is Mr Nice Guy

  • Mr Mark Shaw (left), who has headed the Orchard Road Business Association since 2015, is optimistic that an ongoing study on the shopping precinct will lead to changes that will enliven it. He sees Sydney's George Street (below) as an example of an e

Lunch With Sumiko: Political will needed to make Orchard Road great, says Orba chairman Mark Shaw

Lunch With Sumiko: Why can't Singapore produce a Tash Aw?

  • Ms Chew Gek Khim grew up in the Cairnhill Road house owned by her banker grandfather Tan Chin Tuan. The conserved building is now used for business and family gatherings and activities of the philanthropic Tan Chin Tuan Foundation. Ms Chew now lives

Lunch With Sumiko: Straits Trading Company's Chew Gek Khim is making her own mark

  • Mr Yeo with his wife Jane and children Eugene and Elaine. On the need to nurture talent, he said: "There's no such thing as smart nation, it's smart people. People make a nation, whether a scientist, a journalist, it's all people."

Lunch With Sumiko: Want a Smart Nation? Then make sure you get talent, says Philip Yeo

Lunch With Sumiko: Kindness is the greatest virtue, says Tommy Koh

  • As chairman of the Public Service Commission since 2008, Mr Eddie Teo interviews about 350 students seeking government scholarships every year, among other responsibilities. His long career in public service has also seen him at one point serving as

Lunch With Sumiko: Eddie Teo, a very civil servant

  • Giuseppe Zanotti's "picard" range (left, top) features an eye-catching sculpted heel. His "charleston" design is adorned with jewels and billowy feathers.

Never underestimate the power of a shoe, says Giuseppe Zanotti

Lunch With Sumiko: Designer Priscilla Shunmugam is in the mood for fashion

Lunch With Sumiko: Against the odds, Jason Chee triumphs