Claire Chiang (; born 4 October 1950) is a Singaporean entrepreneur, activist and former

Nominated Member of Parliament A Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) is a member of the Parliament of Singapore who is appointed by the president. They are not affiliated to any political party and do not represent any constituency. There are currently nine NMPs in the P ...

. She is the co-founder of hospitality group Banyan Tree and one of the first two women to be admitted to the

Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI; ) is a business chamber in Singapore. The chamber was originally created to protect and promote the commercial interest of the Chinese community in Singapore but it also played a r ...

(SCCCI) in 1995. Chiang has advocated for issues on education and gender equality. She was inducted into the

Singapore Women's Hall of Fame The Singapore Women's Hall of Fame is a virtual hall of fame that honors and documents the lives of historically significant women in Singapore. The hall is the creation of the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO), and grew out of an ...

in 2018.

Early life

Chiang grew up in a two-room flat in the

Little India Little India or India Town (less commonly known as Indian Street or India Bazaar) is an Indian or Desi (South Asian) sociocultural environment outside India or the subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with Indian residences and a dive ...

district with her parents and five elder brothers. Her father was an accountant while her mother did various odd jobs. Her primary education consisted of morning sessions at Nan Hua Primary School and afternoon sessions at

Raffles Girls' Primary School This is a list of primary schools in Singapore. Children typically start their primary education in the year they turn seven. Primary education lasts six years, and is compulsory for all Singapore citizens. Primary schools in Singapore are clas ...

. She attended

Raffles Girls' School Raffles Girls' School (RGS) is an independent girls' secondary school located in Braddell, Singapore. Established in 1879, it is one of the oldest schools in Singapore. RGS, together with its affiliated school Raffles Institution, offers a six- ...

. She was a sociology major at the University of Singapore (now the National University of Singapore), and did a programme in translation at the

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sor ...

in Paris, before returning to complete her honours degree in Singapore, while working at the French Embassy.

Career

Academia

Chiang and her husband,

Ho Kwon Ping Ho Kwon Ping ( Chinese: 何光平; born 24 August 1952) is a Singaporean businessman. He is the executive chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, a Singapore-based leisure business group, which owns both listed and private companies engaged in the de ...

, relocated to Hong Kong in 1978, and she obtained a master's degree in sociology from the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the f ...

in 1985. Chiang worked as a research sociologist at the National University of Singapore in the early 1990s.

Business

In 1994, Chiang and Ho co-founded the first Banyan Tree resort in Phuket. The Banyan Tree Group has since become an international hospitality brand with resorts, hotels, spas and residences in Asia, America, Africa and Middle East. Chiang was among the first women elected to the SCCCI's council. Chiang is currently senior vice-president of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts. In June 2022, Chiang was featured on the Global 100 in Hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute and was recognized as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.

Nominated Member of Parliament

Chiang was a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) from 1997 to 2001. As an NMP, she advocated for issues such as compulsory education, parental consent for teenage abortions, changes in the Children's Act and rights for domestic helpers.

Other organisations

Chiang was the chairperson of Wildlife Reserves Singapore from 2008 to 2015. She is the chairperson of the National Book Development Council of Singapore. Chiang joined the

Association of Women for Action and Research The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) is a not-for-profit organisation that advocates for gender equality and provides critical support services for women in Singapore. It is a registered charity with Institute of Public Charac ...

in 1988 and was elected president in 1993. She also served on the Diversity Action Committee which aims to encourage gender diversity in the boardrooms of local organisations. She became president of the Society Against Family Violence in 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiang, Claire 1950 births Living people Singaporean people of Chinese descent Singaporean women in business University of Singapore alumni Raffles Girls' Secondary School alumni