Tom Cartledge, CEO of Handley House, recently embarked on a dynamic visit to Benoy’s Asia studios in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Tom held engaging client meetings, insightful townhalls with staff, a celebratory client cocktail evening, and the momentous groundbreaking of the Resorts World Sentosa Waterfront Lifestyle Development in Singapore.
Groundbreaking at Resorts World Sentosa
A highlight of the visit was the groundbreaking ceremony for the highly anticipated Resorts World Sentosa Waterfront Lifestyle Development, set to redefine luxury and lifestyle in Singapore and across the region. Officiated by Guest of Honour Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and Culture, Community and Youth, the event also welcomed government officials and executives from Resorts World Sentosa and MCC Group.
With Benoy leading the masterplanning, architecture and landscape architecture design for the development, representatives from Benoy including Tom Cartledge, Asep Ajabar, Azaria Lee, Bartosz Majchrzycki, Crystal Cheng, Rayvees Goh, and Terence Seah, were invited to celebrate this significant milestone. Grounded in biophilia, sustainability and human-centric design, the development will deliver unforgettable premium experiences and establish itself as a world-class leisure destination.
Townhalls showcasing achievements, insights and inspiration
The Townhalls held in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore featured key projects from our global portfolio presented by Tom, with local teams then sharing the design thinking behind their latest projects, showcasing the various teams’ innovation, creativity and dedication to design excellence.
In Singapore, Tom hosted a vibrant client cocktail reception, bringing together clients, collaborators, and friends of Benoy. With the evening view of the city skyline as a backdrop, the studio transformed into an intimate setting for meaningful conversations with friends old and new, deepening connections and reflecting Benoy’s appreciation for its valued partners.
Reflections from Tom Cartledge
Reflecting on his week in Asia, Tom expressed his admiration for the dedication and creativity of the teams and new opportunities in the current environment:
“Last week, I was delighted to visit all three of our Asia studios, alongside seeing 26 clients and attending the groundbreaking of the new Resorts World Sentosa’s Waterfront Lifestyle Development in Singapore — what a week!
As ever, I was blown away by the passion and creativity of the Benoy and Pragma teams, above all they collectively care for the wellbeing of their teams and the world in which we design. Inspirational.
Of course, the reality is that much of Asia is adjusting to a new normal. The real estate market in China has slowed and whilst clients are still looking to invest, finding genuine new opportunities is more challenging than in recent years. This is impacting across Asia.
It again reinforces the need for us all to be agile, to work closely with clients to find and create value through creative and data led design solutions. Sometimes the hardest markets create the best solutions!
Perhaps our biggest opportunity remains with the combination of the data and strategic thinking of Pragma combined with the creative minds of Benoy which now cover Masterplanning, architecture, interiors, landscape and wayfinding. Our skills are as appropriate to new developments as they are to the reuse and reimagining of existing spaces and places.
From client karaōke, staff town halls, groundbreaking to client meetings and workshops, Thank you again for the hospitality and fun in Asia.”
