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Esther Ng

Esther Ng

For an inside look at Hong Kong's beauty scene, stay tuned to The Beauty Blog for the latest trends, products and treatments to pamper yourself with. Commissioning Editor Esther Ng has been covering beauty, fashion and lifestyle topics in the region for over a decade.

Sometimes life leads you to do things that you've never dreamed of. Take Ariane Zagury, an investment banker who ended up in the fashion business as the founder of retailer Rue Madame. 

Undoubtedly, the greatest challenge in the auction business is making split-second decisions quickly and in time. When the hammer comes down, you've either got it or you've lost it, and the stakes can be as high as hundreds of millions of dollars. 

For Alberto Galassi, the CEO and director of the Ferretti Group, time is one of the most valuable commodities when it comes to business. It means the difference between incredible success, total failure and everything in between. 

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In naturopathic medicine, the aim is to address the underlying cause of illness, to treat the whole person and to focus on disease prevention, rather than simply treat or suppress symptoms. Dr Ardyce Yik, a licensed naturopathic physician from Canada, uses evidence-based natural medicines to help her patients to achieve optimal health.

Dr Ralf Altmeyer likes to understand how things work. He found it intriguing from a young age - how a virus worked, how it caused disease in one person and not another. It prompted him to go into science, "with a focus on finding solutions - newmedicines, new treatments, new vaccines". 

As brand director of The Macallan, The Edrington Group, Ken Grier is well aware of how crucial timing is when making Scotch whisky. Founded in 1824 in the heart of Speyside, The Macallan was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to be legally licensed, and it has since built a reputation for creating one of the world's finest single-malt whiskies.

With no money apart from a small loan from his parents and a strong dose of entrepreneurial spirit, Nick Mowbray moved to mainland China with his brother and sister to start a toy company when he was only 18 and straight out of high school. 

Expanding an exciting restaurant-lounge-nightclub concept across different countries in Asia really doesn't leave Kirk Martin, CEO of CE LA VI, with much time to spare.

JW Café takes over the old Marriott Café space and is back as a favourite for buffet aficionados. The interior, created by MOK Design and Associates, seats 216 patrons and contains a private dining room for 12, and a semi-private dining space for 10 with views of Victoria Harbour.

Situated among the quaint European-style alleyways of old Taipa Village, António is a charming award-winning restaurant by chef António Coelho. Occupying a three-storey village house, there is a small terrace area and the dining rooms are divided between the ground and first floor. The main area sits no more than 30 people, so large groups need to call in advance to book.

Enjoy fantastic, panoramic views of Victoria Harbour from the fourth floor of the Sheraton Hotel. The restaurant has minimalistic, contemporary New York-inspired décor.

Located at Central's Star Ferry Pier 7, the glass-enclosed restaurant has contemporary décor and boasts unobscured panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and waterfront dining.

Rustic but refined, the country-style décor of the restaurant includes arched doorways, yellow mural walls and hand-painted ceilings that create a cosy, romantic atmosphere, with live music nightly.