How Banyan Tree's 36-year-old scion is making her mark on the family business
Information technology'due south a rainy afternoon, and nosotros're in the dwelling of Ho Renyung, the second daughter of Ho Kwon Ping and Claire Chiang, founders of hospitality group, Banyan Tree. Information technology's a beautiful conservation shophouse that's more a hundred years old. Art and vintage knick-knacks prevarication in various corners.
In that location's a particular painting that captures my heart. It's a Mandarin calligraphy of the give-and-take "grinning", placed by the sofa set.
"It was written by my uncle, then gifted to my grandmother," Ho explained. "The discussion resembles a smiling face, and reminds me of my grandmother who was ever quick to laugh at life, particularly in her older years. It's a reminder for me to never take myself too seriously, and that humour is foundational to a life of joy. This flows into my view of wellbeing and my work."
Wellbeing. It's a give-and-take that nosotros hear very oft now, ever since the pandemic brought to the forefront important problems such as self-care and mental wellness. For Ho, it's an important pillar to Banyan Tree's business that she now oversees, and ane that's crucial for the future of the group.
A Journeying OF SELF-DISCOVERY
Captivated by the beauty of her dwelling, we get a piffling carried away with taking Ho's profile shots for this story. Once we're finally done, she invites me over to the sofa for our chat, preferring to go along things free-flowing and casual.
I beginning off by asking Ho what she was like as a child, and what she dreamed of becoming. "The offset time I ever thought of condign something, it was a vet. I was in love with animals. I had so many dog books, horse books and so on," she mused.
As a teenager, Ho spent some fourth dimension working at the marine lab of Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, the grouping's holding in the Maldives. "I was convinced then that I wanted to work in marine biology," she said. "I was absorbed by the whole idea of conservation work surrounding coral reefs, the ocean and its ecosystems."
However, Ho eventually went off to academy and ended up studying economic development and folklore instead. After writing her thesis on social entrepreneurship, Ho was convinced that business was the "right vehicle to create impact".
Ask whatever scion and they'll ordinarily tell you they never expected, nor fifty-fifty desired, to bring together the family fold. Yet somehow, many of them end up doing and so. Merely Ho's path to joining the family business is a fiddling dissimilar in the sense that she beginning joined the company, and then left, then rejoined over again.
Later on graduation from university, Ho worked as a management trainee at Banyan Tree Mayakoba, the group's property in Mexico. She was promoted to Pre-Opening Managing director, before taking on the part of Associate Managing director. Three years later, she left.
"My family has e'er positioned it every bit privilege to work in the family business," shared Ho, who has two other siblings. "Meaning, it's a choice. Information technology's non an obligation, and it's non a birthright. Leaving was very important in order for me to empathize what I wanted to practice and why. To know myself exterior of the small world of Banyan Tree, to know where my strengths and weaknesses lie."
"My family has ever positioned information technology as privilege to piece of work in the family unit business. Pregnant, it'southward a choice. Information technology'south not an obligation, and it'south not a birthright."
Ho and then embarked on several entrepreneurial pursuits, including founding Kennel, a co-working space for creatives. In that location was too a "digital business organisation most crowdfunding in Asia", which according to Ho, "didn't brand it past incubator stage". She also founded Matter, a socially-conscious clothing company.
"What connects all the work that I've done is that I really bask doing what I call frontier work. Meaning work that creates value, or changes the conversation," Ho said.
Earlier it roughshod victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, Matter had been bought over by Banyan Tree in 2016, and Ho returned to pb Banyan Tree Gallery, the group's retail business. She's now the Vice President of Brand HQ, where she leads make evolution and strategy alongside the grouping's wellbeing and retail pillars.
At present at 36 years onetime, Ho is sure of her mission, sure of herself. On why she decided to return, the mother of one said, "I was old plenty to know what I wanted and what I could contribute. My parents were also at the phase where they could encounter where I could contribute to the business, and invited that modify."
MARRYING WELLBEING WITH SUSTAINABILITY
In the past few months, Ho has had her hands total with redefining the Banyan Tree brand and its offerings. The COVID-19 pandemic has been undoubtedly disastrous for the travel and hospitality industry as a whole. But pandemic or not, Banyan Tree has been pushing on.
For one, in Baronial 2020, it appear a collaboration with KrisShop, the flagship retailer of Singapore Airlines. Banyan Tree'southward retail offerings, including its signature Essentials aromatherapy and body care products are now available for purchase on KrisShop, with the two brands looking at future synergies.
The collaboration is i of the means Banyan Tree is exploring different customer touchpoints in the digital infinite, a critical venture for a hospitality company at a point when travel is uncertain. Ho admitted that prior to the pandemic, "our digital channels were not our most revenue-contributing channels".
READ> Singapore pride: Homegrown brands Banyan Tree and KrisShop join forces
"As a client, yous'll probably remember of Banyan Tree maybe one time every twelvemonth when you're going on holiday. We're not nowadays in your daily life, especially now," she said. "Venturing into eastward-commerce and retail gives u.s.a. an opportunity to add value to our customers' lives on a regular ground. With our products, they can create their own cocky-intendance rituals at dwelling house. These are ways for us be present in our customers' lives on a daily footing."
Sustainability has always been at the cadre of Banyan Tree since its founding. But what's changed since Ho came on board is that "nosotros have married the idea of the concept of wellbeing and sustainability together", she shared.
"A lot of our foundation work was external as opposed to directly apropos the client. For case, nosotros did a lot of resource waste conservation initiatives, we did a lot of tree-planting, a lot of community evolution, which are important. But now, we are weaving sustainability into the notion of wellbeing. We're basically saying that sustainability is not something that doesn't concern yous. For all our guests, information technology's important to your wellbeing," Ho continued.
One of Banyan Tree'south most popular activities, available on its backdrop, is a session chosen Conscious Grounding. Guests are blindfolded, and are guided to walk on a patch of grass barefoot. Ho describes it as a unproblematic activity that lets guests connect with nature.
"We run across a meg guests through our doors every twelvemonth. That'due south not a large number, merely information technology'south also not small. If we tin can bear on their mindset or modify their lifestyle preferences in whatever manner for the amend, that's powerful," she enthused.
For Banyan Tree, promoting wellbeing includes prioritising mental health. This begins at an internal level with its staff and assembly. In May 2020, Banyan Tree rolled out several group-wide initiatives that sought to promote mental wellbeing among its employees. One of these initiatives was an Organisational Wellbeing Index, a ready of 64 lifestyle questions that helps the company appraise its employees' state of wellbeing.
"From there, we can place vulnerable associates who might need help, and we can see what practices we need to change at an organisational level," shared Ho.
"We meet a million guests through our doors every year. That's non a large number, but it's too not minor. If we can affect their mindset or alter their lifestyle preferences in whatsoever way for the improve, that's powerful."
CHARTING HER Own PATH
Sustainability, wellbeing, mental health. These are buzzwords that have emerged in the business globe ever since second-generation leaders began taking the helm. I asked Ho if she believes being a millennial leader has made her prioritise these issues.
She takes a moment to call back before saying, "I think it comes from me being a leader in this time. The fact that I have maybe 20 to twoscore years to go in my working life probably does play into the fact that my considerations when information technology comes to business does look at that horizon.
"The level of degradation that nosotros're seeing as a planet, every bit a human race, coupled with consumer pressure, these hateful that sustainability is not an selection. From a business bespeak of view, if in five- to 10 years' time you don't do anything, you'll be hit with carbon taxes, consumer activism, all kinds of expectations that yous haven't been preparing for."
Through the course of our conversation, it's evident that Ho is putting her ain postage on the family business organization. I asked her if being the girl of two prominent entrepreneurs has come up with pressure.
"What do you lot think?" she answered with a smile. "Practice I experience pressure level? I retrieve I give myself the about pressure. I do feel that sometimes people are judging me because I am the daughter of so-and-so. Merely I recognise that I am being judged because I don't represent myself. I represent more than that."
So how then does she try to forge her ain identity?
"I don't make a conscious effort to distinguish that anymore. When I was working at Matter, I felt that that identified me. Now, that I'm in Banyan Tree, this identifies me. In a way, labels always exist. I call up less around how to distinguish that, and think effectually how I can brand the best use of my fourth dimension, and the best use of my resources, towards what I'm passionate about," she said.
"I do experience that sometimes people are judging me because I am the daughter of so-and-so. Merely I recognise that I am being judged considering I don't represent myself. I represent more than that."
"I've besides come to a place where I enjoy working with my parents," Ho continued. "The first job that I took at the company was in United mexican states. It takes 35 hours to become to United mexican states. But now, I meet my parents every twenty-four hour period. I feel happy and privileged to exist able to spend fourth dimension with them and larn from them. And I feel that that gratitude is a fresh perspective."
As the outlook for tourism recovery remains uncertain, the next few years are sure to be one of the virtually crucial for Banyan Tree. But Ho is confident of the group'south direction. "We're making big moves into wellbeing that I call back will really strengthen and redefine our brand experience for both our customers and associates. I'grand looking forward to eventually welcoming international guests back onto our properties to feel what we have developed."
In the meantime, I'm certain that Ho will be sailing through the tough times, all while keeping a smile on her face up.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/people/ho-renyung-banyan-tree-235706
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