30-01-2024, 11:31 PM
How this billionaire's son bought Singapore's Swee Lee at age 23, and carved a niche in the music business
Kuok Meng Ru, the founder of Caldecott Music Group which owns brands like Swee Lee and BandLab, discusses his entrepreneurial journey in the music business.
Timothy Kang
Tue, 30 January 2024 at 2:17 pm SGT·9-min read
Kuok Meng Ru, founder and CEO of Caldecott Music Group, shares how he bought Singapore's Swee Lee at age 23, and carved a niche in the music business. (PHOTO: Caldecott Music Group) (Caldecott Music Group)More
SINGAPORE — Being born into one of Asia's richest families certainly put one in an advantageous position. But it could also mean a challenging time if you'd like to carve out a career on your own terms.
That was definitely a consideration for Kuok Meng Ru, founder and chief executive officer of Caldecott Music Group. Kuok, 35, is the son of Kuok Khoon Hong, the co-founder and chief executive officer of palm oil and agribusiness giant Wilmar International. In 2012, when he was 23 years old and a fresh university graduate, Kuok bought over local music retailer Swee Lee.
As a student studying mathematics in the UK, Kuok noticed the shift from traditional to online retailing that was already underway in more established markets at the time. He saw that the trend was not yet apparent in Singapore and believed he could do something about it.
Fundamentally, Kuok is a passionate music fan who writes his own songs and sings the blues with his guitar. It was during his student days in the UK that he was first exposed to bands like Radiohead and Muse and taught himself to play the instrument
Kuok Meng Ru, the founder of Caldecott Music Group which owns brands like Swee Lee and BandLab, discusses his entrepreneurial journey in the music business.
Timothy Kang
Tue, 30 January 2024 at 2:17 pm SGT·9-min read
Kuok Meng Ru, founder and CEO of Caldecott Music Group, shares how he bought Singapore's Swee Lee at age 23, and carved a niche in the music business. (PHOTO: Caldecott Music Group) (Caldecott Music Group)More
SINGAPORE — Being born into one of Asia's richest families certainly put one in an advantageous position. But it could also mean a challenging time if you'd like to carve out a career on your own terms.
That was definitely a consideration for Kuok Meng Ru, founder and chief executive officer of Caldecott Music Group. Kuok, 35, is the son of Kuok Khoon Hong, the co-founder and chief executive officer of palm oil and agribusiness giant Wilmar International. In 2012, when he was 23 years old and a fresh university graduate, Kuok bought over local music retailer Swee Lee.
As a student studying mathematics in the UK, Kuok noticed the shift from traditional to online retailing that was already underway in more established markets at the time. He saw that the trend was not yet apparent in Singapore and believed he could do something about it.
Fundamentally, Kuok is a passionate music fan who writes his own songs and sings the blues with his guitar. It was during his student days in the UK that he was first exposed to bands like Radiohead and Muse and taught himself to play the instrument