Beyond entrepreneurship, sessions covered personal profiling, investing, legacy planning, and design thinking.

The second iteration of OCBC’s GENesis programme aims to equip children of select premier private client customers with the mindset, tools and networks to lead family enterprises or build their own ventures. 

Held from July 9 to 11 in Singapore, the programme brought together 21 participants aged 18 to 25, most of whom are students, with a pair of siblings already working in their family business, OCBC shared in a press release on July 14.

The programme has been refined for a sharper entrepreneurial focus and wider regional inclusion, with children of customers from OCBC Indonesia joining for the first time.

“The intergenerational wealth transfer is a megatrend that many of our high-net-worth customers in the region are navigating. One of the ways that we support them is OCBC GENesis, our next-gen programme that is into its second run this year,” said OCBC’s head of global financial services Sunny Quek. 

“We made a concerted effort to invite business owners from different backgrounds and industries, to share their experiences with participants. At the same time, we retained the core of the programme – rigorous wealth management workshops, and ample opportunities for the cohort to network and build lasting relationships,” he added. 

Nearly 40% of OCBC’s premier private client customers consist of business owners, who, in Singapore, must be qualified as accredited investors and have at least S$1.5 million assets under management.

This year’s programme featured three sessions with business leaders, up from two last year, offering participants candid insights into scaling businesses, navigating industry disruption and managing legacy transitions.

Beyond entrepreneurship, sessions covered personal profiling, investing, legacy planning, and design thinking. Participants also visited Samsung’s Business Experience Studio to explore innovation in consumer technology.

Amongst the speakers of the event were second-generation leader of MoneyMax Group Lim Chun Seng, chef-owner of Burnt Ends David Pynt, as well as Winnie Chan and James Quan of leather and stationary brand Bynd Artisan. 

Lim shared his 20-year vision of transforming his family’s traditional pawnshop business into a multi-segmented consumer financial services provider, and Pynt led a taste-and-share session, reflecting on the operational and cultural challenges of scaling a hospitality brand across Singapore, Indonesia, and the Maldives. Finally, Chan and Quan talked about how strategic brand positioning and being in the right place at the right time can elevate a niche craft business into a luxury label.

Due to Singapore’s key status as an international financial hub and a launchpad for businesses’ regional expansion, it is only fitting for the event to be continuously held here, the bank said. 

To deepen participants’ learning, OCBC has also curated a series of ‘alumni’ events over the next year to strengthen peer networks and encourage sharing between OCBC GENesis cohorts, they added. 

“Continuing a business and starting one from scratch require completely different set of skills. One involves evolving something already established, while the other is entirely new and still a learning process. The workshops helped me identify areas I need to improve, and I found the experiences shared by fellow entrepreneurs truly inspiring,” said Indonesian student Cathelia Elisabeth, who attended the event. 

Full stack engineer Tan Yong Long also found the event beneficial, saying: “Whatever my career path, whether I join my father’s company or pursue something on my own, it’s always helpful to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. They can offer insights, help tackle challenges or fill knowledge gaps. I’m glad I made some friends through this”.