The IPS-Nathan Lectures series was launched by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in 2014. It is part of the S R Nathan Fellowship for the Study of Singapore. The Fellowship was set up to fund further research into public policy, with the S R Nathan Fellow, who is appointed annually, delivering between four and six lectures each year. These lectures aim to advance public understanding and discussion of issues of critical national interest.Ho Kwon Ping was the 2014/15 S R Nathan Fellow f...

While searching for a new holiday home at the age of 32, Ho Kwon Ping chanced upon an unexpected find during his walk along a beach at Bang Tao Bay on the island of Phuket. He fortuitously stumbled on a piece of land that was pockmarked with craters, desecrated by decades of tin mining.Unlike most who would only see despair, he saw business potential. And so began the remarkable story of the Banyan Tree Holdings, one of the most iconic hospitality groups in the world.In Beh...