Catherine Wu, the personal assistant to Kwek Leng Beng who acts as his 'eyes and ears'

The mood in the hotel ballroom turned awkward when Dr Catherine Wu walked in.

- Angela Tan

At a major function organised by property group City Developments Limited (CDL) in 2024 was Mrs Cecilia Kwek, wife of Mr Kwek Leng Beng, the octogenarian executive chairman of CDL with whom Dr Wu is said to have "a long relationship".

Those close to the Kweks watched uncomfortably as Dr Wu, 65, went around greeting and shaking hands with guests and dignitaries, including government officials.

Sources close to the property group tell The Sunday Times that Dr Wu started stepping up her profile in the public arena in recent years, "appearing at events where Cecilia Kwek is present too".

Dr Wu has been thrown into the spotlight this week in a high-profile boardroom tussle at CDL between the father and the elder son.

Mr Sherman Kwek, the son who is CDL's chief executive, said Dr Wu is the reason for the rift between his father and CDL's majority board of directors, including him.

Mr Kwek Leng Beng, 84, does not have full control over the Kwek family's stake in CDL. The family's privately held Hong Leong Group owns about half of CDL, with Mr Kwek Leng Beng at the helm.

The younger man stressed on Feb 27 that there was no attempt by him and the other directors to oust Mr Kwek Leng Beng, once dubbed "Kwek Land Bank" for the land parcels CDL owns across Singapore.

"The primary reason for the dispute relates to a very serious issue of corporate governance within the CDL Group arising from the conduct of one Dr Catherine Wu," he said.