Jennie Chua facts for kids

Jennie Chua Kheng Yeng is a famous businesswoman from Singapore. She helped start a company called Beeworks, Inc. In 2013, Forbes Asia magazine named her one of the "50 Women In the Mix." People often call her "Singapore's Grande Dame," which means she is a very respected and important woman in Singapore. She has received several special awards for her excellent service to the country.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up and School

Jennie Chua was born in Batam, Indonesia. She grew up in the Tanglin area of Singapore. She was the oldest of 12 children! Her father, Chua Kok Kuan, was a businessman who sold spices like cloves and nutmeg. When Jennie was 10, her father lost his business.

Jennie went to Singapore Chinese Girls' School. As a teenager, she started working to help her family. She worked as a typist and also as a tutor, helping other students.

After finishing her A-levels at Anglo-Chinese School, she received a scholarship. This scholarship allowed her to attend Nanyang University. However, she left after one year to work as a teacher at St. Margaret's School.

University Studies

In 1968, Jennie moved to upstate New York with her husband. She studied at Cornell University. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in hotel management. This degree helped her learn how to run hotels.

Her Amazing Career

Starting in Hotels and Tourism

After graduating, Jennie Chua began working at the Mandarin Hotel in Singapore. She was a general manager there. In 1977, she joined the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). She worked there for 11 years as a director. Her job was to help bring more tourists to Singapore.

In 1988, she started working for Westin Hotels. She was a marketing director, helping to promote their hotels.

Leading Big Companies

In 1990, Jennie Chua made history. She became the first female general manager at the famous Raffles Hotel. This was a very important role. In 2003, she became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Raffles Holdings. A CEO is the top boss of a company. She left Raffles Holdings in 2007.

After that, she became the CEO of Ascott Group. This group is part of a bigger company called CapitaLand. Later, she became the chief corporate officer for CapitaLand. She left CapitaLand in July 2012.

Current Work and Other Roles

Today, Jennie Chua is a co-founder of Beeworks. She owns 40% of the company's shares. This means she owns a big part of the business. Her current work focuses on the fast food market in Singapore.

She also used to teach at the Asian Institute of Tourism in the Philippines. Jennie Chua is also Singapore's Ambassador to Mexico. She was also the Ambassador to Slovakia before. An ambassador represents their country in another country.

Personal Life

Jennie Chua met Goh Kian Chee in 1960 when she was 16. They got married on June 1, 1968, at Bethesda (Katong) Church. They have two children together.

Awards and Decorations

Jennie Chua has received many special awards for her contributions. These awards recognize her great work and service to Singapore.

• Distinguished Service Order, in 2024.
• Public Service Star, in 2008.
• Public Service Medal, in 2004.
• Public Administration Medal (Silver), in 1984.