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BH Achiever overcame family setbacks
WHILE Mr Suhaimi Rafdi rose to land the CEO job in Cathay Organisation, he also suffered setbacks in his family life.
His wife Maureen died in 2003 from cancer, leaving him to raise their two children - George Michael, now 24, and Vanessa Anne, 19 - on his own.
To fulfil his wife's dream of having four children, Mr Suhaimi, 45, recently adopted a three-year-old girl, Nul Nabilah, and a two-year-old boy, Mohd Nabil.
Mr Suhaimi - who received the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year award yesterday - acknowledged that it is a challenge to play both mother and father while coping with work.
But he said he wanted to be an inspiration to his children and remind them that the death of a family member should spur them to work harder to achieve life goals.
Mr Suhaimi's position at the top of Cathay - since January 2008 - is noteworthy, said Mr Guntor Sadali, editor of Malay newspaper Berita Harian.
Cathay was founded in 1935 by cinema magnate Loke Wan Tho and ownership has stayed within the family.
'It is significant that a Chinese-owned company has placed its confidence in a Malay to help it to grow,' Mr Guntor said. 'This... sends the signal that anyone can succeed as long as he has the ability.' :o
At the award presentation, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing said Singapore's progress as a society should not simply be judged by the number of successful people it has - but also by how those who have done well have reached out to those who have not.
'It is this process of reaching out and touching the lives of others less fortunate which binds us as a nation and gives meaning to our achievements,' he said, adding that the Malay community here is distinguished by a strong sense of self-help.
Mr Suhaimi plans to play mentor to young graduates unsure of how to become entrepreneurs.
'One tends to be... unsure of how to start up the business, study cash flow and understand the needs and wants of consumers. I think my experience with Cathay would be able to help with that.'
WHILE Mr Suhaimi Rafdi rose to land the CEO job in Cathay Organisation, he also suffered setbacks in his family life.
His wife Maureen died in 2003 from cancer, leaving him to raise their two children - George Michael, now 24, and Vanessa Anne, 19 - on his own.
To fulfil his wife's dream of having four children, Mr Suhaimi, 45, recently adopted a three-year-old girl, Nul Nabilah, and a two-year-old boy, Mohd Nabil.
Mr Suhaimi - who received the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year award yesterday - acknowledged that it is a challenge to play both mother and father while coping with work.
But he said he wanted to be an inspiration to his children and remind them that the death of a family member should spur them to work harder to achieve life goals.
Mr Suhaimi's position at the top of Cathay - since January 2008 - is noteworthy, said Mr Guntor Sadali, editor of Malay newspaper Berita Harian.
Cathay was founded in 1935 by cinema magnate Loke Wan Tho and ownership has stayed within the family.
'It is significant that a Chinese-owned company has placed its confidence in a Malay to help it to grow,' Mr Guntor said. 'This... sends the signal that anyone can succeed as long as he has the ability.' :o
At the award presentation, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Chan Chun Sing said Singapore's progress as a society should not simply be judged by the number of successful people it has - but also by how those who have done well have reached out to those who have not.
'It is this process of reaching out and touching the lives of others less fortunate which binds us as a nation and gives meaning to our achievements,' he said, adding that the Malay community here is distinguished by a strong sense of self-help.
Mr Suhaimi plans to play mentor to young graduates unsure of how to become entrepreneurs.
'One tends to be... unsure of how to start up the business, study cash flow and understand the needs and wants of consumers. I think my experience with Cathay would be able to help with that.'
