Who is Catherine Wu, the woman Sherman Kwek says is at the centre of the CDL boardroom struggle?

SINGAPORE: As the saga within City Developments Limited (CDL) unfolds, a key figure has emerged from behind the scenes - Dr Catherine Wu.

While much attention has been on the leadership tussle between CDL's executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng and his son, group CEO Sherman Kwek, Dr Wu's name has surfaced as a pivotal player in the company's inner workings.

Mr Sherman Kwek said Dr Wu, the 65-year-old adviser to the board of CDL subsidiary Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, has been "interfering in matters going well beyond her scope", adding that "she wields and exercises enormous influence".

Who exactly is Catherine Wu, and how did she rise to become a key figure in one of Singapore's most prominent business empires? Here's what you need to know.

BACKGROUND IN MUSIC

Dr Wu, originally from Taiwan, earned a Master’s degree in piano performance from The Juilliard School in 1982 before going on to obtain a PhD in music education from New York University, according to an interview with Singapore Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao in August 2024.

Her musical inspirations are Taiwanese singer Julia Peng and folk duo Southern Duet, said Dr Wu in a YouTube interview with Taiwanese TV programme Da Win Dining that was posted in November last year. She added that she grew up with brothers, and that her father was originally from Suzhou, China.

After spending 15 years in the US, she returned to Taiwan in the early 1990s, Dr Wu told Zaobao. There, she released her own music albums and hosted a popular music TV show.

FATEFUL MEETING

It was in Taiwan when Dr Wu first met Mr Kwek Leng Beng at a dinner event in 1992.

Mr Kwek had probably found Dr Wu's varied background - from holding a PhD in music education, to being a TV host as well as a recording artiste - interesting, she told Zaobao.

The real estate tycoon also asked her questions that ranged from politics and economics to music.

ENTERING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Dr Wu subsequently moved to Singapore after struggling to readjust to life in Taiwan, she told Zaobao. She then ventured into early childhood education in the early 2000s and set up a kindergarten in Singapore.

Speaking to Zaobao about her kindergarten business, Wu said that she wrote and directed musicals yearly for the children to perform at their graduation ceremony.

Dr Wu said she eventually sold the kindergarten business after 10 years, becoming more active in hotel management.

She would further her standing in the hotel management business, eventually become an adviser to the board of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.

"EYES AND EARS"

Dr Wu was embroiled in an employment tribunal case in London in 2018. In the judgment, she was described as the personal assistant to Mr Kwek Leng Beng, although she was not an employee and was paid by the chairman.

The judgment said she acts as his "eyes and ears" due to his age.

INTEREST IN CYBERSECURITY

Dr Wu told Zaobao that after the COVID-19 pandemic, she developed an interest in cybersecurity and launched GeekCon - a cybersecurity conference that was held in May last year.

She also mentioned that Mr Kwek Leng Beng was the honorary adviser of the conference.

The event attracted thousands of white-hat hackers and security researchers, Wu told Money 89.3FM in a podcast interview.