The Gift Of Giving

This month, Lee Jim Leng and Nicole Tham allow us a peek into their mother-daughter relationship, based on the principles of giving and generosity—a legacy passed down from the generations before

- Lily Ong And Aina Izzah

“I ’ve been replaced as the favourite daughter,” announced Nicole Tham with a grin as she placed the Tham family’s teacup poodle, Nugget, on her mother Lee Jim Leng’s lap. Scooping the pup up for a kiss, Jim Leng retorts, “No, she’s your responsibility now. She’s your baby, not mine. Now you know what it’s like to be a mum who’s always fussing and worrying all the time!”

Such is the dynamics between Jim Leng and Nicole—they behave as if they are the best of friends instead of parent-and-child. “I have never felt like we had a huge gap between us, despite our age difference. There’s always space for us to communicate and share our thoughts with each other. I was so happy when she accompanied me to Dior’s show in Paris recently; it’s been fun having her as a plus one to my parties,” says Jim Leng, the managing director and CEO of Hong Leong Investment Bank, about their relationship.

Despite her success as a top figure in investment banking, Jim Leng is known for being young at heart, especially when she’s off-duty—plus has a huge love for fashion and dressing up. At the same time, Nicole, who works as a management consultant at AT Kearney, possesses a maturity that goes beyond her age of 25, thus allowing her to truly connect with her mother.

To accurately capture their relationship for our cover story, we persuaded them to interview one another, using the two sets of questions that we had prepared for them. Over slices of butter cake and coffee, we erupted into ‘awws’ and laughter as they reflected on their respective childhoods, giving back and the importance of family.

NICOLE INTERVIEWS MUMMY

What was my first word?