Who is Catherine Wu, whose 'enormous influence' purportedly sparked CDL boardroom brawl?

Sherman Kwek, 49, the group chief executive officer of City Developments Limited (CDL), has pointed to Catherine Wu, 65, his father Kwek Leng Beng’s long-time adviser, as the primary cause of the internal dispute.

Wu, 65, is an adviser to the board of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C), a subsidiary of CDL.

However, Sherman Kwek stated that she has been "interfering in matters going well beyond her scope" and "wields and exercises enormous influence".

With Wu singled out as a prominent player in the father-son tussle over the running of its business, which is one of Singapore's largest multinational companies, here's what we know about the woman now in the spotlight.

Met in 1992

Wu and Kwek père reportedly first met in Taiwan in 1992 at her family's dinner party, according to an interview with Lianhe Zaobao in 2024.

She told the Chinese daily that her acquaintance with Kwek "changed her life".

Wu would have been about 32 years old then.

Kwek had also asked her questions during the dinner that ranged from politics to economics to music.

"He seemed to be interviewing me, to see if I had a flexible mind and if my answers were consistent. Fortunately, I answered fluently," she said.

According to The Straits Times, Wu is known to be single and has five older brothers.

Meanwhile, Kwek is married and has two sons, Sherman and Kingston Kwek.

Kwek senior is executive chairman of CDL.

Musical background

Wu reportedly attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to pursue music when she was 15.

She later won a scholarship and went on to further her studies at The Juilliard School in New York and graduated with a master's degree in piano performance in 1982.

She shared with Zaobao about the pressures she faced and the stressful nature of her academic journey.

Likening studying at Juilliard to studying law at Harvard University, she said competition was fierce, and spoke of her talented classmates.

Thereafter, she returned to Taiwan for her music career.

She reportedly had a 10-year performing arts career in Taiwan, worked as a music educator and host, and also released a piano performance album.

Invited to meetings

When Wu relocated to Singapore from Taiwan in 1992, she was still focusing on her music career, but Kwek would sometimes invite her to attend hotel management meetings or events to listen to her opinions.

She also took those opportunities to learn.

"The chairman would raise his ideas or questions, and I would provide suggestions or feedback from an outsider's perspective, usually related to the hotel business," Wu said.

"But I don't make any decisions. Chairman Kwek makes the final decision."

In Singapore, she eventually changed her career path and opened a kindergarten.

After running the kindergarten for 10 years, however, Wu decided to sell the business and began to be more active in various aspects of hotel management.

Named in employment tribunal

In 2018, Wu was named in an employment tribunal document involving Millennium & Copthorne Hotels filed in London, where she was described as the personal assistant to the senior Kwek.

It was written that she was not an employee and was paid directly by the chairman.

The judgment also said she "assisted" the chairman and acted as his "eyes and ears" due to his age.

It was also stated that Wu travelled to the company's properties across the world, "sometimes with the chairman and sometimes alone".

The cost of her travel was paid by the chairman and not the company, according to the tribunal document.

The tribunal involved an employee, named Chee Hwee Tan, who was a senior vice president at global procurement at the Gloucester Millennium Hotel under Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, reported Daily Mail in 2020.

He brought claims of unfair dismissal, race and sexual orientation discrimination, and harassment, amongst others.

The employee was apparently "humiliated" and "offended" by remarks Wu made, including one in which she called him a "diva".

However, all the claims were ultimately dismissed.

The tribunal found that Wu and Tan were generally "close friends and confidants", and that they had even attended a Graham Norton show together.

Worked with Kwek for three decades

According to a filing on Companies House, an executive agency of the British government that maintains the register of companies,​ Wu was appointed as director to M&C's board in July 2022 before she resigned in January 2024.

Her role was listed as "director" and her occupation was listed as "chief of staff".

Just seven months later, she came back as the board's adviser.

A LinkedIn post by Millennium Hotels and Resorts showed Wu making an address at a November 2024 townhall in London.

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Top photos via Lianhe Zaobao