In 1973 Mr. Henry Tay, Dr Jannie Tay’s husband left his family-owned watch business Lee Chay Watch Company to return to his profession, medicine. It is then that Dr Jannie Tay made a decision, which was to eventually rank her as ‘the new heroes of the business world’*, following Steve Jobs and Richard Branson.

Dr. Jannie Tay joined the business - beginning from ground level as a sales girl. It was not long before she grasped the intricacies of the retail business and recognized the market niche which she successfully occupied. In 1979, Jannie and Henry formed a joint venture with Metro Holdings to form The Hour Glass, a luxury watch boutique. At present, there are 17 such boutiques spread across the Asia Pacific region. It is also listed on the Singapore stock exchange.

Dr Jannie Tay, the first woman President of the Asean Business Forum and the Singapore Retailers Association continues to preside as the Vice Chairman of The Hour Glass. However, her bountiful optimism and determination to reenergise the depleting planet instigated her to establish Save Our Planet Foundation. It is a not-for-profit foundation that is committed to spreading EnergyGreen  – a movement that believes in solving the climate crisis through planting of trees and reforestation. She believes EnergyGreen  is an ingenuous pathway to ‘Planet Wellness’, a mission she embarked upon twelve years ago.