Blazing a trail through history
Gan See Khem believes she has contributed to Singapore's development in her own small way.
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AT 18, she sat down with her family to watch a historic moment on television - then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew shedding a tear while talking about Singapore's separation from Malaysia.
It was a "sobering" wake-up call. "Singapore was threatened, we all thought we would not survive," said Gan See Khem, who today is the chairman and managing director of healthcare group Health Management International
While frightening at the time, it was also a moment of inspiration for the teenager. The eldest child born into the wealthy Hong Bee trading family in Kuala Lumpur and settled in Singapore when she was seven felt compelled to contribute to this young country in nation building by helping it create jobs and grow.
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