GB Helios CONNECT: F&B

This April, join us to hear from F&B entreprenuers, business owners and professionals for insights and tips on surviving the Singapore F&B scene, and connect with industry peers over drinks.

Panel Sharing Topic

The F&B Squid Game: Will you be the next winner?

Is serving good food equivalent to a profitable F&B business? Just in February itself, 237 new F&B are set up but 250 ceased operations. How do you increase your chances of surviving the game, or even better – to emerge as the winner? Join us to be challenged by the experienced panellists to propel yourself towards the next level.

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About the Panellists

Alex Chua, Co-Founder of AC Concepts & Founder of GB Helios

Alex co-founded AC Concepts with a mission to elevate the gastronomy concept in Spanish, Latin and recently Italian-Australian inspired cuisines. Besides being a black belt Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competitor, foodie and traveller, Alex is also the founder of GB Helios.

Seah Ern Xu, Head of Operations and Planning, Baker & Cook

Ern Xu is Head, Operations and Planning at Baker and Cook. He is also concurrently a Senior Assistant Director (Group Managing Director's Office) at the Commonwealth Capital Group. He focuses on corporate transactions, M&A and strategic growth initiatives along the food vertical.

Rishi Naleendra, Chef-Owner of Cloudstreet, Kotuwa & FOOL

Born into a family of food professionals, Michelin-starred Chef Rishi Naleendra has been creating what he humbly calls very logical combinations of flavours, textures and aesthetics that strike a fine balance in much-vaunted dishes which have received numerous accolades in Singapore.

He currently runs three successful restaurants - Cloudstreet (2 Michelin stars), a modern-Australian concept that adopts a progressive yet sophisticated approach to gastronomy; Kotuwa (Michelin Bib Gourmand), a Sri Lankan restaurant that pays homage to Chef Rishi's heritage; and FOOL (Michelin Bib Gourmand), a modern wine bar that champions unpretentious and explorative drinking. Being Sri Lanka’s first Michelin-starred chef is an accolade he does not take lightly and intends to keep true to his unique flair as his concepts expand out of Singapore.

Jonathan Lim, Chief Executive of Oddle

Jonathan Lim founded Oddle to help restaurants grow and find their best customers. The solutions have significantly impacted the F&B sector by helping many outlets survive and thrive through the pandemic and beyond. Oddle's success is built on the belief that the foundation of a profitable F&B business is not just serving excellent food, but also best-in-class business management and customer engagement.

Joanne Ho, Director of Brand Cellar

Joanne Ho has more than two decades of experience in the communications industry and now works as Director at PR and marketing communications firm, Brand Cellar in Singapore. 20 years ago, she established Brand Cellar with a vision to cellar great brands and partner its clients to grow from strength to strength.

Today, Brand Cellar has helped grow more than 200 brands to-date and is known for creating long queues for many of its clients such as Tim Ho Wan and Paradise Group. The biggest feather on her hat is Michelin Guide Singapore, for which the firm has been the sole appointed PR firm for, ever since the guide’s first edition eight years ago in 2016. Notably, as an avid lover of wines, she has also led the firm to win accounts such as Robert Parker The Wine Advocate.

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About GB Helios CONNECT

The GB Helios CONNECT series is a new platform set to facilitate sharing and networking among industry peers. The series will be held quarterly, inviting key players of the various industries as well as business owners. This new initiative stems from our commitment to grow together with our partners. Besides the CONNECT series, we will also be starting another new initiative – Business Financial Health Clinics in the latter half of the year. Through these clinics, we will be providing complimentary consultation services for business owners.