Who is She?
Michelle Yong, 40, hails from the family behind the construction of some of Singapore’s most iconic developments, such as Gardens by the Bay and UOB Plaza. Construction conglomerate Woh Hup was founded by her late great-grandfather.
Ms Yong wasn’t interested in the construction side of the family business, but agreed to head Aurum, a subsidiary of Woh Hup in 2007. She had previously worked in academia, consulted for a private sector think tank for the UK government, and later did a stint in management consulting. Aurum comprises Aurum Land, Aurum Investments, Collision 8 and Core Collective.
As the only female director at Woh Hup, she has grown Aurum Land into more than just a boutique property developer. In 2016, she co-founded Collision 8, a co-working space, and earlier this year, started Core Collective, another co-working space but for the health and wellness community.
Under her leadership, corporate venture fund Aurum Investments has recently pivoted to focus on proptech startups that are creating human-centric innovations within the real estate industry, the first being Singapore’s first tech-powered co-living service provider, Hmlet.