COVERSTORY
When Jazz Meets
Jazz crooner. Former
Singapore national team
water skier. CEO of TCM
powerhouse Eu Yan Sang.
Father. Philanthropist.
Meet Richard Eu, a
human dynamo.
You have to
consciously think
about how your
actions are going
to positively
influence the
people around
you. The way my
children and
in the future,
their children,
live their lives is
a reflection of
the way I lived
my life and how I
brought them up.
Chinese Herbs
Richard Eu calls himself “ancient,
a dinosaur” and although his age is
creeping northward into the 70s, the
man still boasts a healthy head of
black hair, just slightly flecked with
grey, and a clarity of mind capable
of leading a major international
business.
Richard is the fourth-generation
leader of Eu Yan Sang International,
one of the giants in traditional
Chinese medicine, and the first name
that leaps to the minds of many
young Singaporeans when they think
about TCM. This achievement has
undoubtedly been made possible by
Richard’s bold decisions – adopting
modern and scientific methods in
production and rejuvenating the very
image of TCM to keep up with an
English-speaking younger generation
brought up on a diet of Western
culture and influences. Richard
dispensed with the traditional
methods – the pink paper, the
balance scales, the abacuses – and
introduced a splash of glamour
while still retaining the strict quality
controls that Eu Yan Sang had come
to be associated with.
His moves paid off handsomely.
From one outlet in Singapore, five
in Malaysia and two in Hong Kong
when Richard took over, the brand
rapidly expanded around the region
and today, Eu Yan Sang has a total
of 298 outlets and 32 clinics in six
countries – Australia, China, Hong
Kong, Macau, Malaysia and of course,
Singapore.
But, instead of resting on his laurels
and enjoying the fruits of his labour
(especially since he is at an age when
most people would kick back and
relax), Richard is still keeping himself
on top of all the developments in the
industry. Just in May last year, Eu Yan
Sang’s Hong Kong subsidiary inked a
landmark deal with Sichuan Neautus,
a TCM company based in Chengdu,
China, to set up a TCM decoction
pieces plant there.
Yet, despite all that Richard has
achieved in his storied career, what
the jazz lover wants to be most
remembered for in life is not how he
has propelled Eu Yan Sang to the top
of the pile. It is far simpler than that.
“I want to be remembered as being
a good father,” says Richard simply.
“After all, the amount of money you
have made won’t matter because you
cannot take what you’ve made to the
grave. Money is not the measurement
of your worth.”
It is an ethos he adopted from his
parents, who were both incredibly
active philanthropists. His father,
also named Richard, was a former
chairman of the Community Chest
while his mother devoted a large
portion of her free time volunteering
at St Andrew’s Mission Hospital and
numerous other children’s charities
in the country.
Richard, who has four relatively
grown-up children (Richard “the
Third”, Anthony, Christopher and
Rebecca), hopes to leave a legacy
of enriching the lives of the people
he has interacted with. More
importantly, he wants to pass on this
selfless attitude to his children.
“You have to consciously think
about how your actions are going to
positively influence the people around
you. The way my children and in the
future, their children, live their lives
6
Family & Life • Feb 2014
By Farhan Shah
is a reflection of the way I lived my
life and how I brought them up,” says
Richard.
If there is one slight regret Richard
has about his children’s upbringing,
it is that perhaps he has not taught
them enough about the value of
money. At this point in the interview,
he turns contemplative, collecting his
thoughts.
“I think my children are quite spoiled
but, at the same time, I believe
they appreciate what they have. I
suppose there is a fine line when
it comes to spoiling or depriving
your children. There are the more
traditional parents who hold the view
that children should be deprived
completely while on the other end of
the spectrum, you have kids getting
the keys to a Lamborghini when they
turn 17.” There is a twinkle in his eye
when he says the last few words, as
though alluding to a real-life scenario
that he knows of.
“But, you never know what the right
and wrong methods are. There are
kids who grow up with all these good
qualities even though they have been
spoiled while there are those who
were deprived during their childhood
and became a bit, shall we say, crazy
when they come into money,” says
Richard.
So, he chooses the path of
moderation, giving them money “but
not too much” while still educating
them about the world around
them through volunteering and
philanthropy.
The self-professed rebel has
certainly done his part, contributing
significant amounts of both his time
and money to various charitable
organisations. He even cut a jazz
album last year titled 66, a nod to
both his age and “one of the best
periods of his life, the Swinging
Sixties”. The proceeds from
the sales are channelled to the
Rainbow Centre, a voluntary welfare
organisation that operates two
schools for children with special
needs, and the Dover Park Hospice.
His reasons for producing a
charitable album instead of just
heading down the traditional
philanthropic route and hosting a