Who are the three directors who quit CDL’s hotel arm after Singapore’s 2nd richest billionaire Kwek family feud?

The directors stepped down on April 22, about a year after being appointed during a 2025 feud that saw executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng file a lawsuit against his son, group CEO Sherman Kwek, according to The Straits Times.

The three were among six directors, alongside Sherman Kwek, accused by the elder Kwek of attempting to consolidate control of the board.

Sherman blamed the dispute on Catherine Wu, a long-time adviser to his father and an unpaid independent adviser to the M&C board, whom he alleged had interfered in matters beyond her role. The lawsuit was later dropped and the two Kweks reconciled after Wu stepped down from her role at the hotel unit.

The company said the directors had been appointed to strengthen governance at the subsidiary and that their departures would not affect operations or oversight, according to The Business Times.

Kwek and his family ranked second on Forbes’ list of Singapore’s richest individuals last September, with a combined net worth of $14.3 billion.

Who are the three directors who have left the hotel unit?

Jennifer Duong Young

Young, one of two new directors central to the dispute, spent 21 years at Credit Suisse and holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and administration in accountancy from Victoria University of Wellington.

She was also a former chartered accountant with the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Daniel Desbaillets

Daniel Desbaillets, former director of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels. Photo courtesy of CDL

Desbaillets has 46 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has held senior roles at InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton, Shangri-La, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels and Fullerton Hotels and Resorts since 197.

He also serves as executive chairman of family-owned food and beverage businesses, including SaladStop. He holds a diploma in commercial studies from Ecole Benedict Geneva.

Wong Ai Ai

Wong Ai Ai, Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow, former director of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels. Photo courtesy of CDL

Wong holds a Master of Law from Harvard Law School and spent three decades at Baker McKenzie. She was a principal at Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow until 2023 and serves as a Justice of the Peace.

She is also a member of the Public Service Commission’s Disciplinary Panel of Persons and sits on boards appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Who remains on the board of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels?

The remaining board members include Kwek, Kwek Eik Sheng, Jonathon Mackenzie Grech, Alexander Richard Jason Wade, Caroline Besson Frankel and Niccolo Barattieri of San Pietro.

Sheng is a nephew of Kwek and serves as group chief operating officer of CDL.

Grech has served as a director at hotel companies in the U.K., while Wade is a founding partner of London-based investment firm Knightsbridge Wealth.

Frankel is a French director based in Britain, and Barattieri di San Pietro is a business leader with experience in real estate and finance.