Designer Tony Chi has had a transformational role on hospitality design in Hong Kong and beyond. His work on top-tier hotels around the world—including Rosewood Hong Kong and London; Grand Hyatt Chengdu and Bangkok; Park Hyatt in Shanghai, Kyoto and Washington; the Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou; The Carlyle in New York, and the east wing of the Ritz-Carlon Millennia Singapore—have earned him a reputation for balancing understated luxury with the ultimate in comfort, and for reflecting a powerful sense of the place in which they’re located.

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Robert Wun became the first designer from Hong Kong to show at Haute Couture Week in Paris in 2023 as a guest member of Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. The year prior, the Hong Kong-born, London-based Wun won the Grand Prix at the Andam Fashion Awards and had his first solo museum exhibition, Robert Wun: Between Reality and Fantasy, in the US. Wun’s designs are a firm favourite of celebrities such as Beyonce, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Adele, Cardi B, Florence Pugh, Billy Porter, Awkwafina, Bjork and Doja Cat.

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Gynaecological oncologist Dr Woo Yin Ling life’s work is dedicated to the treatment of cervical cancer. Through the Rose Foundation, of which she is a founding trustee, she introduced Programme Rose, the cervical screening programme that uses a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling method instead of the pap smear. Because of the new test, more than 20,000 women in Malaysia have been screened for cervical cancer. The programme has won the Rachel Pearline Humanitarian Award and the UNIVANTS Global Health Excellence Award.

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“I am 60 and I feel like I’ve done so much and yet there’s still so much I want to do, can do and quite possibly will do!” said Tan Kheng Hua. Indeed, the actress continues to shine in the global and local entertainment scenes. Best known for her supporting role as Kerry Chu in Crazy Rich Asians, she has starred in several international productions, including HBO Asia’s Serangoon Road, Netflix’s Marco Polo and CW’s Kung Fu. In Singapore, she played Margaret in the sitcom Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, a role that won her an Asian Television Award for Best Actress (Comedy) in 2002.

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Basketball superstar Jeremy Lin is behind the 2012 NBA phenomenon, Linsanity, where the athlete came out of nowhere to score double-digit points, leading to several wins for the New York Knicks. In 2023, the NBA champ returned to Taiwan to play for the New Taipei Kings of the P.League+, causing excitement among fans. Beyond basketball, he seeks to create impact as the founder of JLIN LLC and the Jeremy Lin Foundation. Through charity, impact investing, personal branding and storytelling, JLIN LLC serves as a bridge between Asia and the US, providing a sense of home for Asian Americans.

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“The thought that our output contributes to national development and that we provide jobs is always inspiring,” said Alice Eduardo to Tatler about what keeps her going. Eduardo is the CEO of Sta Elena Construction and Development Corporation, whose projects include casinos and malls such as Okada Manila and SM Mall of Asia, as well as ports, harbours, bridges and highways in the Philippines. Under her leadership, the company is also involved in power generation, building three power plants for the Lopez Group’s First Gas Holdings.

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“The current food scene is incredibly dynamic. I love that we are seeing an increase in chef-driven restaurants that are delving deep into the heart of Filipino food and then challenging it from every angle,” said Erwan Heussaff to Tatler. The content creator champions local food through his digital video media company FEATR, which produces shows and documentaries on, for example, the state of saltmaking in the Philippines or cultural cooking in the Cordilleras. To support FEATR, the creative director established a full-service production company, The Fat Kid Inside Studios, which creates content for clients such as Discovery Networks and Grabfood, as well. For his work, Heussaff won a James Beard Award under the Social Media Account category in 2023.

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Dr Vickie Belo, CEO and medical director of Belo Medical Group, helms one of the leading beauty centres in the Philippines, and through her decades-long work, has introduced countless innovations and treatments in the field. Also a leader in the global beauty industry, she was among ten aesthetic physicians to publish guidelines on reopening clinics post-pandemic. Belo Medical co-authored two papers, which were presented during the International Master Course on Aging Science World Congress in France, as well. “People are understanding the connection of the brain and body, and how looking and feeling good actually go together,” she said to Tatler.

Read Dr Victoria G Belo’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

“Wildflour has grown like wildfire in so many unimaginable ways in its first 10 years, so the coming 10 will be about staying the course...and I intend to remain as involved and hands-on with the business’ growth as I can be to see it through,” said Ana Lorenzana de Ocampo to Tatler. Under the leadership of the CEO, the dining group now includes—apart from its original concept Wildflour Restuarant—Wildflour Italian, George and Onnie’s, Little Flour Café + Bakery, Pink’s, Pizza Sisters, Hotel Bar and Farmacy Ice Cream. And it continues to grow: Wildflour Restuarant opened two new spots (now its largest outlets) in 2023, and is looking to expand in more locations in the country.

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Beyond Jewelmer’s champagne-coloured pearls, CEO Jacques Christophe Branellec places value on sustainability and the environment. His company established the Save Palawan Seas Foundation (SPSF), which focuses on protecting the marine environment of Palawan. SPSF is involved in repopulating corals to maintain the balance of the ocean’s ecosystem, cleaning up coasts and beaches to prevent plastic from entering waterways and planting trees to rehabilitate forests. In 2024, Jewelmer will celebrate its 45th anniversary with a gala in Hong Kong.

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Sonia Cheng leads the Rosewood Hotel Group, which manages more than 50 properties across four continents, including iconic properties such as New York’s The Carlyle and Paris’s Hôtel de Crillon, joined in 2019 by the Rosewood brand’s first Hong Kong property. A member of the family behind the New World Development empire, Cheng promotes environmentally friendly and sustainable policies across the company.

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Nicolas Aguzin, who became the first non-Chinese CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) in May 2021, emphasised from the beginning the importance of connection: namely connecting China and the world, capital with opportunities, and the present with the future. “As the most international city in China, and the most Chinese city outside of Mainland China, connectivity is at the heart of Hong Kong. It has a unique ability to bring together culture, communities, capital and commerce,” Aguzin said. “This gives Hong Kong an important role to play in a world that needs more connectivity. I am as excited about what lies ahead, as I was when I first came to work in this fantastic city nearly a decade ago.” 

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Acclaimed chef Vicky Lau’s accolades are piling up: as the founder, owner and head chef of Tate Dining Room and Bar, Lau received her first Michelin star in 2013, just a year after the restaurant opened; and then a second in 2021, making Lau the first female chef in Asia to do so. In 2020, she also opened lifestyle store and bakery Date By Tate, followed by French-Chinese restaurant Mora in 2022. Known for her sophisticated East-meets-West cuisine and for her thought-provoking approach to the business of menu construction, conceiving dishes as odes to specific ingredients. For her work, Lau was ranked #49 by the Best Chef Awards in 2021, making her the top-ranked chef in Hong Kong; she was ranked #74 in 2022, and #53 in 2023. She was also named Chef of the Year at the Tatler Dining Awards in 2023.

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Jay Khan’s bar COA became the first to take the No 1 spot on Asia's Best Bars list three years in a row. Launched in 2017, COA has shone the light on 100 per cent agave tequila and traditional mezcal—making Coa a place for community and education and Khan an influential figure in the industry throughout the region. Khan has also established Mezcal Mission, a program that organises mezcal and tequila workshops, with all proceeds going to support the work of Habitat for Humanity. Khan's newest venture is The Savory Project, which he opened with co-founder Ajit Gurung in May 2023.

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Half-Thai, half-Belgian superstar Davik Hoorne is an actress, model and singer. She entered the entertainment industry at 13 modelling for advertisements before becoming a lead actress on Thailand’s Channel 7. Her most notable work is playing the character Nak in the film Pee Mak (2013), the highest-grossing Thai film of all time. In October 2023, she also made history as the first Thai person to be chosen as an ambassador for Gucci and Gucci Beauty.

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As a creative, Putthipong Assaratanakul embeds his identity into his work, which spans movies, films and music. The artist’s performances in television and movies and consistent music releases have propelled him to success in the entertainment scene. Most recently, he achieved his dream of selling out a solo concert within five minutes—a feat that underscores his massive popularity in Thailand.

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Kanawut Traipipattanapong is following his dreams. The young actor entered the entertainment scene with performances in dramas and gained the highest popularity from his role in TharnType: The Series. His character portrayals have caught the attention of various fashion brands, including Gucci, which has expressed interest in collaborating with him.

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Fala Chen made her first Hollywood appearance first in the HBO miniseries The Undoing in 2020, followed by Irma Vep and the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021. Prior to that, she had already made a name for herself in Hong Kong, through roles in drama series Steps, No Regrets and Lives of Omission, as well as in films that include Turning Point, Tales from the Dark 2 and Passinger, the latter of which was a finalist for the Sundance Film Festival: Hong Kong short film competition that she wrote, directed and starred in.

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Eric Fok was elected as a director on the board of the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) in 2015; then just 32 years old, he was the youngest member of the board. In 2019 he began a second term as director, and was additionally elected to serve as a vice chairman of the board alongside Matthew Wong. In the same year, Fok was also named a member of the Asian Football Confederation executive committee.

Service in the HKFA is almost family tradition: Eric’s grandfather, legendary businessman and political figure Henry Fok, was president of the HKFA from 1970 to 1997, and was succeeded in the position by Eric’s father, Timothy Fok.

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As vice president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, Kenneth Fok is one of the leading figures in Hong Kong sports administration. As of December 2021, he was also elected as a member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council. His other sporting roles include vice chairman of the Hong Kong government’s Elite Sports Committee and member of its Sports Commission, director of the Hong Kong Sports Institute and president of the Gymnastics Association of Hong Kong.

Kenneth Fok is also vice president of family company the Fok Ying Tung Group, overseeing the Hong Kong and mainland China investments of the company, which has interests ranging from real estate to finance to hospitality.

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Olympic athlete Edgar Cheung Ka-long rocketed to fame after his historic gold medal in fencing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games—only the second gold ever and the first in fencing for Hong Kong. After trailing 1–4 at the start of the final match, he fought back against Italian Daniele Garozzo to win with a score of 15–11. Characteristically humble, Cheung described the Olympics as “one of the many tournaments”, and took care to emphasise that he is still the same person. “Perhaps the only difference is more people recognise me when I walk on the streets and they ask to take photos with me. Other than that, everything remains the same,” he said.

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Wesley Ng established Casetify in 2011 with Ronald Yeung around a simple concept: stylish phone cases. The company now has more than 1,000 employees and has sold more than 25 million phone cases worldwide. Casetify shot to fame by allowing people to customise their cases with their own Instagram photos, before the company started manufacturing its own distinctive designs. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker and K-pop megastars BTS have collaborated with the company on their own collections. Brands such as Moncler, Saint Laurent, Vetements, Yohji Yamamoto, Sacai and Thom Browne have also done collaborations with Casetify.

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Tatler Asia's Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia's Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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