YANUA International understands that the transitive time we are currently living in where the rising influences of the East must be merged cohesively with those of the West in order to bring about a positive change to the world.
With the democratization of information, economic and environmental challenges, globalization of markets as well as the emergence of Asia and China, corporations and individuals need to have strong foundations in order to maintain an identity and yet, at the same time, remain current in order to stay relevant.
YANUA achieves this by building our philosophy upon the principles of Confucianism, Zen Buddhism, and Taoism which are deemed by the world to be the highest evolution of Asian thoughts while also recognizing and incorporating the ideals of Western thoughts.
LEADERSHIP
Dr Richard C Helfer
Chairman of YANUA International
Dr Helfer’s experience in the hotel, hospitality and tourism industry spans more than 35 years, and includes all aspects of the business, from hands-on management to the successful building of a global luxury brand and an international hotel / resort management company.
As Chairman of the strategic tourism / hospitality organizations RCH International Pte Ltd and CREO Lifestyle International Pte Ltd, Dr Helfer provides strategic oversight and direction for:
• Owner Representation / Advisory Services / Asset Management
• Acquisitions / Divestiture / Public Listings
• Conceptualization / Master Planning
• Adaptive Reuse / Restoration
• Hotel Pre-Opening / Operations / Marketing / Revenue Management
• Brand Development
• Sustainable Social Enterprises / Community
Through RCH International, Dr Helfer has advised corporations, government organizations, and family offices which include: Kingdom Hotel Investments, Fairmont Raffles Hotels and Resorts, Credit Suisse, CCM Holdings, Incofood, Falcon & Associates (Dubai), Galle Face Hotel Group, Nuri Holdings, Mori Building, The Farrer Park Company, YANUA International, YCS Estate, Katara Hospitality, Royal Government of Cambodia, the National Arts Council, Singapore Tourism Board, Hindu Endowment Board, Singapore General Hospital, Preservation of Monuments Board, SATS and Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore. Dr Helfer has served as the Chairman / Board Member of a number of companies throughout Asia, USA and Europe, including public listings in Singapore and London.
As the founding Chairman / CEO of Raffles International (1989 – 2003) and President and CEO of Raffles Holdings (1995 – 2003), Dr Helfer grew Raffles International and public listed Raffles Holdings on the Singapore Stock Exchange.
From a single 103-all suite hotel in Singapore, Raffles expanded to thirty-six hotels / resorts (including the acquisition of Swissotels), with over 12,000 rooms, in 31 destinations across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion. During his time at Raffles, Dr Helfer conceptualized and built the Raffles Brand internationally.
Dr Helfer led the re-conceptualization / master planning and re-debut of a number of historic / new hotels and mixed-use developments, including Raffles Hotel & Arcade, and Raffles City (Singapore), Raffles Le Royal and Grand Hotel (Cambodia), Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Hamburg), Montreux Palace (Montreux), Swissotel The Bosphorus (Istanbul), Raffles L’Ermitage (Beverly Hills) and Brown’s Hotel (London). 10 Raffles properties were recognized as being among the top 100 hotels in the world.
During this period, Dr Helfer was also a member of the Senior Management Committee of DBS Land Limited and later its successor CapitaLand Limited in regards to property development in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
Dr Helfer has been instrumental in the conceptualization, master planning, design and development of a number of mixed-use developments (involving hospitality, conference, lifestyle, office, wellness, healthcare and residential components) and over 160 signature F&B concepts. Including; the Raffles City, Raffles Hotel & Arcade, Clarke Quay Festival Marketplace and Connexion complexes (Singapore), THREE on the Bund (Shanghai), Galle Face Hotel & Arcade (Sri Lanka), as well as currently serving as the Chairman of the Campus Development Committee for Singapore’s newest university (SIT).
Dr Helfer was the motivation behind international Lifestyle events such as ‘An Evening at Angkor with Jose Carreras’. As Chairman of Spotlight Singapore, he guided the team that brought this collaboration between art / culture / business / education and government to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Moscow and Cape Town.
From 2008 – 2017 Dr. Helfer served as the founding Chairperson of Republic Polytechnic’s School of Hospitality Advisory Committee. Dr Helfer is Chairman of Sculpture Square Limited; Singapore’s pioneer 3-D Art Organization, as well as Chairman of Living Art International (encompassing Cambodian Living Arts and Mekong Cultural Hub), integrating arts and culture into the life experiences of young people.
Dr Helfer is currently a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). Since 1993, Dr Helfer has been a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), CEO and subsequently the World Presidents’ Organization (WPO). Dr Helfer serves in a personal capacity, as Advisor to the King and Prime Minister of Cambodia.
Dr Helfer from 2007 through 2017 represented the largest shareholder of The Farrer Park Company, serving on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, The Farrer Park Hospital Board and as Chairman of One Farrer Hotel & Spa. CREO Lifestyle provided pre-opening, marketing and management services for One Farrer Hotel & Spa (2010 – 2017) bringing this five-star hotel & spa many accolades and awards, including being listed among the ‘top 25 hotels in Singapore’ by Trip Advisor for 2017 and 2018.
Dr Helfer as part of his role of working with and advising family offices is Chairman of YANUA International, an Asian lighthouse brand, for tourism, lifestyle, hospitality, retail and sustainable social enterprise projects, including the lifetime adoption of 5 Giant Pandas and support of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
QUALIFICATIONS
BA (Hons) Hotel and Restaurant Management, Michigan State University, USA
DBA Hospitality Management, Johnson & Wales University, USA
HONOURS AND AWARDS
2016 HAPA Icon Of The Year – Hospitality Entrepreneur – presented at the HAPA Regional 2016 – 2018 Awards
2008 Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (The Public Service Medal) – conferred and presented by His Excellency S.R. Nathan, President of Singapore
2004 Citizen of the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia – nominated by the Prime Minister, conferred by the King, presented by the National Assembly of Cambodia
2002 Commander’s Medal of Sahametrei – conferred and presented by His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia
2002 Travel Personality of the Year 2002 – presented at the TTG Travel Awards
2002 Inducted into the International Food and Beverage Hall of Fame, Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island, USA
2001 Corporate Citizen of the Year – presented at the CNBC Asian Business Leader Awards
2001 Outstanding Contribution to Tourism, conferred by the Singapore Tourism Board, presented by the President of Singapore
1999 The Royal Order of Sahametrei, by order of and presented by His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk
1998 Michigan State University Distinguished Alumni Award, conferred by the Board of Trustees and presented by the President of the University
1997 Michigan State University School of Hospitality Business Alumni Association Wall of Fame ‘Class of Internationals’ Honoree, conferred by the School of Hospitality Business and presented by its Director
1995 Michigan State University Joon S. Moon Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding contribution to International Activities, conferred by the Board of Trustees and presented by the Dean of the College of Business, Michigan State University