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

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.