The Long Journey from Fan Yoong Road

At just 17 years old, Chui Tau Siong crossed the Singapore Causeway with little more than determination and the hope of earning more than the three dollars a day he made as a boiler worker in Johor, Malaysia. One signboard changed his life forever at 14 Fan Yoong Road, the address of Insulpack Industries: “workers wanted”.

Young Chui joined Insulpack as a machine operator in 1973. Three years later, when the company was acquired by Jebsen & Jessen, the foundations of what would become a remarkable five-decade career were quietly set in place.

1973 would prove to be particularly significant in more ways than one. “Chui joined Insulpack in June and I was born in July that year,” his eventual successor at Jebsen & Jessen Packaging Chang Chee Keong said, amused by the timing that would one day link their careers.

There were early signs of the leader Chui would become. In 1972, Mr Gan Boon Tai, his former secondary school principal, had described him as “a conscientious and hardworking pupil” who had “shown initiative and industry”. Years later, F O Yong, a manager at Jebsen & Jessen, would call him “a diligent and hard-working man” and “a tremendous asset”.

Chui rose steadily through the ranks. From machine operator he moved on to become Production Supervisor and Quality Control Supervisor, then Technical Service Executive and on to Customer Service Executive, and then Sales Executive. Subsequently he was promoted to Factory Manager, later General Manager, then Managing Director.

The late Frank Schulz-Utermoehl, then Executive Director of Jebsen & Jessen’s manufacturing division, which included the Packaging business, later described the promotion as recognition of Chui’s “excellent and dedicated work” for the “continuous good performance and high profitability of the business”.

In 1997, with the formation of Jebsen & Jessen’s Regional Business Unit structure, Chui became Regional Managing Director, the role now known as CEO, of Packaging. Under his leadership, the business expanded beyond Singapore into Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia while acquisitions broadened the business offering to rigid packaging and new technologies.

Today, Chui is also a board member at Jebsen & Jessen Group. Through all the changes and progress in his life, some things have remained constant. Colleagues still describe him as humble, down-to-earth, no-nonsense, caring, collegial, thoughtful and exceptionally street-smart, among other flattering phrases.

For someone as remarkable as Chui, a celebration honouring his lifelong dedication to his work felt long overdue. On 3 June 2026, around 30 close colleagues gathered at Conrad Singapore Orchard to honour his 50 years with the Group.

Yet the milestone felt less like a corporate anniversary and more like the celebration of a lifetime of trust and friendship.