1. The Thakrals
It would be easy to mistake Kartar Singh Thakral for just another conservative businessman in a city-state full of them. Except for his blue turban, the shy, slightly stooped executive is at first glance about as distinctive-looking as a bowl of rice. A thin, soft-spoken 63-year-old, he exudes caution and deference.
But Kartar Singh Thakral is no corporate wallflower; he is one of Singapore's most daring entrepreneurs. And the Thakral group he leads is no ordinary family business; it is a dynamic, multibillion-dollar empire-one of the Sikh world's biggest--- spanning two dozen countries and employing 8,000 people.