Board of Directors
Phua Tin How is our Non-Executive Chairman and Independent Director. He was appointed to the Board of our Company on 27 September 2013. He chairs the Remuneration Committee and is a member of our Audit Committee and Nominating Committee.
Phua Tin How held several senior appointments in the public service prior to 1994, the last being the Principal Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister.Later, he was Principal Private Secretary to the President of Singapore. From 1994 to 2003, Phua Tin How was concurrently the Group President of DelGro Corporation Ltd and President and CEO of SBS Transit Ltd. Phua Tin How had also served on the boards of several other companies listed on the Mainboard of SGX-ST, and is currently an independent director of YHI International Ltd.
Phua Tin How holds a Master in Business Administration degree from INSEAD, France, and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree from the University of Singapore.
Yeah Hiang Nam (PBM) was appointed as our Managing Director and CEO of our Company on 7 August 2003. He was the founder of the company and is responsible for the overall strategy and business development of our Group.
Mr Yeah has over 50 years of experience dealing with gold and jewellery and over 30 years in the pawnbroking industry. He started as a jewellery salesman in 1969 and in 1979 founded Golden Goldsmith Jewellers, which manufactured and wholesaled gold ornaments. In 1989, he started Ban Soon Pawnshop Pte Ltd with other business partners.
Mr Yeah is a recipient of both the EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Financial Services Category in 2019 as well as Top Entrepreneur in the Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2010 by the Rotary-ASME. He was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2016 for his contributions to society and business. He is a Patron of Clementi Citizens’ Consultative Committee and the Honorary Presidents for Singapore Pawnbrokers Association, Teo Yeonh Huai Kuan, and Yeow Si Gong Huay.
Yeah Lee Ching is our Executive Director. She was appointed to the Board of our Company on 12 April 2013, and is responsible for overseeing merchandising and gold trading as well as corporate communications of our Group.
Yeah Lee Ching has 20 years of combined experience in the diamond jewellery, gemstones and pawnbroking industries, having been the General Manager of Golden Success Jewellery Pte Ltd, and later the Marketing and Communications Manager for the Asia Pacific region with Signity Management Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Swarovski Group. Yeah Lee Ching first joined our Group as Marketing Manager in 2004.
Yeah Lee Ching graduated as a Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America in 1995. She was conferred with a Master of Business Administration degree from the National University of Singapore in 1999. She is currently the 2nd Vice President of the Enterprise 50 Association and the Secretary of the Singapore Pawnbrokers Association.
Yeah Chia Kai is our Executive Director. He was appointed to the Board of our Company on 27 September 2013. He is responsible for overseeing the operations of the pawnbroking and retail businesses.
Yeah Chia Kai joined our Company as an Operations Executive in 2004. He founded Mischief Studios Pte Ltd, a software development company, and served as its Executive Producer in 2006, before reassuming the role of Operations Manager of our Group in 2007.
Yeah Chia Kai graduated from Curtin University of Technology with a Bachelor of Commerce – Marketing degree, and was later conferred with the Master of Business Administration degrees from both Columbia University and London Business School. He also holds a Certified Diamond Grader Diploma from the HR Antwerp, and a Foundation Certificate in Gemology from the Gemological Association of Great Britain.
Lim Tong Lee is an Independent Director. He was appointed to the Board of our Company on 27 September 2013. He chairs the Audit Committee, and is a member of our Nominating Committee and Remuneration Committee.
Lim Tong Lee started his career in Ernst & Young LLP, Kuala Lumpur in 1990, before joining AmInvestment Bank Berhad from 1995 to 2007. From 2007 to 2012 and presently, Lim Tong Lee is the Head of Corporate Finance of KGI Fraser Securities Pte Ltd (formerly known as AmFraser Securities Pte Ltd). In 2013, Lim Tong Lee was the Chief Investment Officer of AmWater Investments Management Pte Ltd. From 2014 to 2015, he was the Senior Vice President of Venstar Capital Management Pte Ltd.
Lim Tong Lee is a Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant of the United Kingdom Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants, a Certified Public Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.
Cynthia, Tan Guan Hiang was appointed as an Independent Director of our Company on 8 August 2020. She chairs the Remuneration Committee and is a member of our Audit Committee and Nominating Committee.
Cynthia retired from OCBC Bank in August 2015 after serving 16 years as the Executive Vice President, Head of Group Human Resources. Prior to her career with OCBC, she headed the Human Resource function for several global companies including the LVMH/Duty Free group in Singapore and the iconic Apple Computer Singapore. She started her career as a lecturer at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore.
Cynthia obtained a Doctorate in Business Administration from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a MSc. in Gerontology from the University of Southampton, UK,anMBA from the University of Hull, UK and a Diploma in Personnel Management from the University of Cardiff, UK. She is a trained Diversity practitioner from Cornell University and a trained Executive Coach from Columbia University.
She is currently an Independent Director of Kingsmen Creatives Ltd. She also leads the Asia Pacific CHRO council for The Conference Board and is an Associate Lecturer in a local university and serve on the boards of several non-profit organisations.