A successful business leader faces every challenge with a positive attitude, while coming up with innovative solutions. They think out of the box and always believe in taking the company ahead. Such leaders believe in working together as a team and are dedicated, hard-working, and possess a positive attitude.
One such goal-oriented leader, who has a zeal to achieve excellence is Claire Chiang, the Co-founder and Senior Vice President of Banyan Tree Holdings. Her single-mindedness – the passion and determination to champion and drive sustainability for the organization way ahead of time, has assisted her to realize the importance of personal responsibility, self-resilience, and continuous improvement day-by-day, step-by-step by not giving up.
An Eminent Front Runner
Banyan Tree Holdings, a leading independent and multi-branded lifestyle hospitality company, is a global developer and manager of premium resorts, urban hotels, residences, spas, retail galleries, golf, and destination integrated resorts in 24 countries around the world. Claire has pioneered the group’s retail business, Banyan Tree Gallery of over 70 outlets.
Since 2006, as the Chairperson for China Business Development, Claire has focused on acquisition of new management contracts and in the last two years, has become actively involved in directing the Banyan Tree Management Academy on organizational and human capital strategies.
Furthermore, she chairs Banyan Tree Global Foundation Ltd, overseeing the evolving process of the group’s commitment to sustainability and its mission to ‘Embrace the Environment, Empower the People’.
Recipient of Numerous Accolades
An advocate for gender equality, Claire was engaged with many women’s issues while working with Aware and Society Against Family Violence. She was a nominated member of Parliament from 1997 to 2001, raising issues on nurturing the social capital in building a more robust society.
She has been honoured with several awards, including the 2014 Singapore Public Service Star BBM for implementing work-life integration and the inaugural Women Entrepreneur Award 2017 Supernova. Claire was inducted to Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame established by Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations and received Asia’s Top Sustainability Superwomen Award 2018 for impactful sustainability leadership.
Overcoming Challenges Confidently
Claire states, “on gallery work, it was arduous searching for the artisanal communities in different destinations, and communicating with them mainly through interpreters, then getting them to try many times over with different color schemes and material medium to develop new products.”
The process from village to gallery store was a journey characterised by cross-cultural adjustment, high dose of mutual trust and understanding, enduring stamina in finding solutions on all issues from production to operational efficiency, and from logistics and quality control. She shares that gallery business is about empowering women in these cottages to become more than a daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. In her conversations with them, she has come to know about the sacrifices women are willing to make for their families. By encouraging their entrepreneurship in becoming commercially viable and independent, Banyan Tree Gallery is creating a win-win work-family situation for all and proving how business can be a positive transformational force.
However, she believes that these challenges are not any different in other aspects of Banyan Tree business. The world we are moving into is VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. “I find myself forever changing operational models and adapting mindsets in order to tackle reality with a new VUCA toolkit, by being Versatile, Unwavering, Connective and adopting an Attitude that never say die”, she adds.
Claire opines that the mind, like any muscle of the body, can be trained to think, reason, feel, and direct in a positive way. It is the most precious and accessible capital that an individual owns, which is invaluable and inalienable, as it serves as an anchor of strength, even at the worst of times.
About the Banyan Tree Group
The Banyan Tree Group’s primary business is centered on four brands: the award-winning Banyan Tree and Angsana, as well as newly established Cassia and Dhawa. It also operates the leading integrated resort in Thailand – Laguna Phuket. Two other integrated resorts – Laguna Bintan in Indonesia and Laguna Lăng Cô in Central Vietnam–complete the status of the group as the leading operator of integrated resorts in Asia and a thriving lifestyle ecosystem.
The Achievement Journey
Claire has led Banyan Tree towards achieving many noteworthy landmarks. Since the launch of the first Banyan Tree resort in 1994, the group has received 2,611 global awards and accolades for its strong corporate governance and experiential brands.
Under her leadership, the group has also received recognition for its commitment to sustainability for environmental protection and emphasis on corporate social responsibility. Last year, the company won 8 top sustainability awards. To name a few, they included:
- Sustainable Business Awards 2019 Best Land Use and Biodiversity
- Sustainable Business Awards 2019 Special Recognition Strategy and Sustainability
- Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards 2019 Sustainable Business Category
- 2019 AMCHAM Thailand CSR Excellence Awards – Gold for Laguna Phuket
Advice for the Leaders of Tomorrow
Claire advises the upcoming entrepreneurs to persevere and not to give up. She encourages them to continue to follow their passion and find the meaning and purpose in the work they do, with the people they relate to, and the partners they meet and grow with.
She states that one may not get the extraordinary material outcome they expect from the market. There might be many disappointments and perhaps many business setbacks. However, it is essential to believe and follow the values which drive their passion. This will help the leaders to pursue their journey to success, while experiencing something extraordinary and life changing.
