Three directors linked to Kweks’ father-son feud quit Millennium & Copthorne board

[SINGAPORE] Three independent non-executive directors of City Developments Limited (CDL) – who were also involved in last year’s high-profile boardroom tussle between executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng and his son, group chief executive Sherman Kwek – have resigned from the board of the group’s hotel arm, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C).

In a bourse filing on Wednesday (Apr 22), CDL said that Jennifer Duong Young, Daniel Marie Ghislain Desbaillets and Wong Ai Ai will step down from the M&C board.

In a separate statement, the company said the directors had been appointed to strengthen governance at the key subsidiary.

“With this now largely addressed, they have stepped down to focus on their responsibilities on the CDL board and its committees,” CDL said, adding that the changes will not affect M&C’s operations or oversight.

The resignations follow a turbulent period for the property group, marked by a public dispute between Kwek Leng Beng and Sherman Kwek over board appointments and control.

Young was among the independent directors appointed in February last year, a move that had been questioned by the elder Kwek. She, along with Wong and Desbaillets, were also named in court papers filed by him, which alleged an “attempted coup” by Sherman Kwek to consolidate control of the board.

The younger Kwek had identified Dr Catherine Wu, an unpaid independent adviser to the M&C board, as a key source of the dispute; he alleged that she exercised influence beyond her advisory role.

She eventually resigned from the board following mediation efforts involving family friends and senior establishment figures.

The dispute was resolved on Mar 12, 2025 after Kwek Leng Beng withdrew his lawsuit against his son.

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CDL shares ended Wednesday 0.6 per cent or S$0.05 lower at S$8.77, before the news.