Apart from running her business ventures, Chryseis Tan also holds several positions at The Berjaya Group, where she is on the board.— YAP CHEE HONG/The Star.
Our shoot with Chryseis Tan took place shortly after the entrepreneur announced that she was expecting her second child. Had she not told us that her first trimester was pretty tough, marked by morning sickness that lasted the whole day, we would be none the wiser. What was evident instead was her radiant complexion which obviously makes her the best ambassador for her own beauty brand – Lumi.
“All of our customers are ambassadors,” she says, responding to the compliment. “Our customers are at the centre of what we do. There is an unequivocal sense of satisfaction that comes from customers sharing that our products have helped improve their complexion, boosting their confidence.”
Tan launched the skincare range in 2020 in a bid to create an affordable skin care range that utilises high quality ingredients inspired by her travels. Like her other ventures, Lumi is the result of something that she feels strong about.
“I tend to gravitate towards things that I am personally passionate about – dining, travel, beauty,” she says, describing her entrepreneurial decisions. There is definitely an element of risk, she adds, but that is a given when it comes to entrepreneurship.
“Risk is something you need to embrace as a business owner,” she explains. “Having said that, it comes down to intuition for me.”
That Tan has a natural instinct for business should come as no surprise. She has, after all, learnt from one of the best, observing her father Tan Sri Vincent Tan, founder of The Berjaya Group, from an early age.
“Being exposed to entrepreneurship from a young age, I have been able to hone my business acumen over the years with the guidance of my father.”
The fact that Tan has a diverse portfolio when it comes to business has led some to describe her as a “serial investor”. It is, however, a label that she disagrees with as it does not fully reflect her level of involvement in the various businesses she is in.
“I think I am more of an entrepreneur,” she states. “I like the conceptualisation phase of a new business opportunity and I think what I bring to the table most is strategic thinking. With all the businesses that I’m involved in whether as founder or investor, the question I ask is – how will this make an impact in the sphere it’s in? How will it add value to a customer’s quality of life?”
Case in point, The Curate Group, of which Tan is the founder. The company was borne out of the owner’s passion and enthusiasm for Japanese culinary culture. The dining establishments created under the group include Bar Shake, Hide, Park Grill and Sushi Den.
The “Japanese-centric” Curate Group, she tells us, is committed to creating more “exhilarating Japanese dining concepts” here in Malaysia, based on the fact that the response thus far has been overwhelming.
“Japanese cuisine is incredibly multifaceted,” she explains. “There are countless cooking techniques and ingredients from various prefectures to introduce to the Malaysian audience.”
She observes that customers have developed a more discerning palette which has resulted in a greater focus on ingredients and techniques. Furthermore, it seems like an opportune time for F&B ventures as the desire for fine dining experiences has grown exponentially over the years.
Having been exposed to entrepreneurship from a young age, Chryseis has been able to hone her business acumen over the years. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star.
“I think that we have all rediscovered our sense of joie de vivre post-lockdown, and that included dining experiences to satisfy our taste for wander and discovery,” she says. “The dining scene in Malaysia will continue to grow, evolve and elevate. We are seeing more young, talented Malaysian chefs returning back home from stints abroad. They are bringing with them new perspectives and approaches which has been exciting to experience from the diner’s point of view.”
But aside from the desire to elevate a certain sector, Tan also focuses on the fundamentals when assessing the viability of a business, regardless whether it is something she thought of or whether it is an investment opportunity – these are “product or brand evolution, scalability and market gaps”.
Apart from running her business ventures, Tan also holds several positions at The Berjaya Group, where she is on the board. She is a director and the chairman of Natural Avenue Sdn Bhd, an executive director of Berjaya Land Bhd while heading the marketing for Four Seasons Hotel and Hotel Residences Kyoto, Japan.
That means having to balance a tight work schedule while tending to her two-year-old daughter Arianna Kyla Faliq. Now that she and husband SM Faliq SM Nasimuddin are expecting their second child, Tan is mindful of not taking on too much.
“Build and invest in a good, reliable support system,” she advises. “Spending time with my family is a great stress reliever. My husband and I have very fast-paced work lives, so taking time to pause and unwind with each other and our daughter does wonders for us. Arianna has her own cheeky sense of humour and those funny moments especially take away any stress I may be feeling.”
Having the right team was also essential when she was adjusting to the early months of her pregnancy. Experiencing low and high-energy days is normal but it is amplified when one is expecting.
“From a business owner perspective, there are moments when I am bursting with ideas and zeal, and there are times when I need to be offline and just rest,” she explains. “Surrounding myself with reliable teams across all my ventures means that I have the opportunity to listen to my body and briefly switch off when needed.”
She acknowledges that motherhood has changed her and while she remains an entrepreneurial risk-taker, dedicated and committed to seeing her businesses thrive, becoming a parent has also instilled in her a new way of looking at things and has fostered a different way of life.
“There’s definitely more work-life balance since Arianna has come into our lives,” she says. “If work trips are child-friendly destinations, then I’ll always factor in a family holiday, even if it is just for a weekend.”
This has allowed the family to develop a new-found appreciation for things that may have been missed before.
“Seeing the world through her lens has been so grounding,” says Tan. “We appreciate things that as adults we may just gloss over.”
