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 recognized her as one of the "50 Women In the Mix." This means she was one of the most influential women in business in Asia. People sometimes call her "Singapore's Grande Dame," which means she's a very respected and important woman in Singapore.

Early Life and School

Jennie Chua was born in Batam, Indonesia, and grew up in the Tanglin area of Singapore. She was the oldest of 12 children! Her father was a businessman, but his business faced difficulties when she was 10 years old.

Jennie went to Singapore Chinese Girls' School. She started working when she was a teenager to help her family. She worked as a typist and a tutor. After finishing her A-levels at Anglo-Chinese School, she received a scholarship to attend Nanyang University. However, she left after a year to become a teacher at St. Margaret's School.

In 1968, Jennie moved to upstate New York with her husband. She studied at Cornell University and earned a degree in hotel management.

Her Career Journey

After graduating from college, Jennie Chua started working as a general manager at the Mandarin Hotel in Singapore. In 1977, she joined the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as a director and worked there for 11 years. In 1988, she started working for Westin Hotels as a marketing director.

Jennie Chua made history in 1990 when she became the first female general manager at the famous Raffles Hotel. In 2003, she became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Raffles Holdings. She left Raffles Holdings in 2007. After that, she became the CEO of Ascott Group, which is part of CapitaLand. Later, she became the chief corporate officer for CapitaLand. She left CapitaLand in July 2012.

Today, Jennie Chua is a co-founder of Beeworks. She owns 40% of the company's shares. Her work now 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 former Ambassador to Slovakia.

Personal Life

In 1960, when she was 16, Jennie Chua met Goh Kian Chee. They got married on June 1, 1968, at Bethesda (Katong) Church. They later divorced in 1977. Jennie and Goh Kian Chee have two children together.

Awards and Recognition

Jennie Chua has received several important awards for her contributions:

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  Distinguished Service Order
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  Public Service Star
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  Public Service Medal
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  Public Administration Medal (Silver)