THE TAO OF TSAO

To Chavalit Frederick Tsao, chairman of IMC Pan Asia Alliance Group and founder of Sangha Retreat by Octave Institute, wellness is not just about the individual – it is the way to tackle the challenges of the new economy.

- KOH YUEN LIN

“Shall we do this lying down?” proposes Chavalit Frederick Tsao. The towering figure with a crown of wavy, carelessly tousled hair and a piercing gaze isn’t getting fresh. He is simply being his candid and non-conformist self. Tsao has swept into the interview room just after delivering the keynote speech at the Global Wellness Summit that drew a standing ovation. Earlier on, the 62-year-old had also spoken at the Forbes Global CEO Conference, alongside the likes of Jack Ma and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Naturally, he is exhausted. Doing this interview horizontally sprawled – like you’d imagine at a psychiatric counselling session – seems perfectly reasonable, albeit a little unorthodox. Clearly, Tsao has a different approach to things – be it global economic issues or interpersonal relationships. He is a fourth-generation business owner who grew his family’s Singapore-based multi-industrial conglomerate IMG Group beyond the imagination of his father, the late, formidable Frank Tsao. He is a wellness retreat founder – one who relishes meditation as much as he loves his cigars and wine. And now, he is proposing a radical theory to world leaders – that a holistic understanding of wellness is key to addressing the problems of the new economy.

This realisation came from running the family business. “The third generation is often the deadline for family businesses – ours is now running on overtime. Yet if I fail, my whole family is going to blame me and I will grow old and lonely,” he says matter-of-factly. So, he researched sustainability, and discovered that the continuation of a business is intertwined with the sustainability of its greater environment, but also boils right down to the sustainability of the individual. And when it comes to the personal level, passion and purpose are what keep people going. This is where wellness comes in.