Dealmaker in blue

Odd Boehly has a hard, penetrating stare and doesn't smile much. It's not that the American billionaire is unfriendly. In fact, when I replay the audio recording of the interview, I'm struck by how warm, pleasant and candid he sounds. Face to face, though, there's a distinct reserve. Over a 75-minute lunch, he's polite but there's a sternness that borders on unnerving. He comes across as the kind of boss you'd ride an elevator with in awkward silence.

- Sumiko Tan

Then again, perhaps this seriousness is only natural for someone running a business empire as vast and varied as his.

Mr Boehly, 51, is the co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Eldridge Industries, which has investments in more than 100 businesses across insurance, fintech, real estate, entertainment and sports.

In December 2024, Eldridge Industries grouped its asset management and insurance ventures under one roof, called Eldridge. As chairman and majority owner, Mr Boehly oversees assets worth US$72 billion (S$92.5 billion).

His portfolio boasts powerhouse global brands.

He is co-owner and chairman of English Premier League football club Chelsea, and owns stakes in baseball team Los Angeles Dodgers and basketball's Los Angeles Lakers.

In entertainment, his holdings include the assets, rights and properties of the Golden Globe Awards, the music catalogue of Bruce Springsteen, and iconic publications like Variety, Rolling Stone, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter.

His investments extend to A24, the global entertainment distribution and production company behind the multiple Oscar-winning movie Everything Everywhere All At Once.

And that's just the glamorous part. Behind the headlines, his interests stretch beyond what can be easily summed up on this page.

I'm meeting Mr Boehly for lunch in March at the Singapore office of Kerry Hill Architects, which is in a Tanjong Pagar shophouse. He arrives looking polished in a well-tailored blue suit paired with a blue shirt and blue tie.

He's fresh off a stop in Tokyo where the Dodgers opened the 2025 Major League Baseball season with a two-game win over the Chicago Cubs. The games, headlined by the Dodgers' Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani, played to sold-out crowds at the Tokyo Dome.