Profile Anne Trads Juel Sauerberg

Anne has an impressive entrepreneurial history in Singapore. We ask her how it all started and what she's doing today.

You have a Scandinavian-sounding name; where are your roots and how did you end up living here?

I'm from a small city in Denmark named Silkeborg. It's a beautiful place known for its lakes and forests, where we spent summers walking in nature and swimming. I'm the daughter of a self-employed brick mason and I always dreamt of living overseas and experiencing different cultures. At 16, I took a holiday job in Switzerland; then, when I was 18, I spent a year in the US.

I returned to Silkeborg but soon moved to Copenhagen where I joined nursing school, aiming to become a child physiotherapist. But I stopped after a year to go back to my creative passion and study jewellery design and craftsmanship.

When I had the opportunity to visit my boyfriend (now husband) in Singapore, I went to all the art and design schools here to find the right one to apply for. I got accepted to Lasalle then I packed up my things in Copenhagen and told my family I'd decided to study in Singapore!

Today, I'm married to my Danish husband and business partner, and I'm a mother to Mille Marie (10) and Carl August (12).

Tell us about your business background.

After I graduated from Lasalle in Design Communication, Singapore was suffering from a SARS outbreak, and it was a challenge for many businesses. Batey Ads, the design agency where I was interning, wasn't able to take me on full-time. I was on a student pass and couldn't stay without a job so I had to think fast and innovate!