Brands
Naturals Now and Singapore Tourism Board partner for pandan-flavoured sundae
Mumbai: Singapore is home to a famously diverse dining culture and nightlife reflective of the city’s multicultural heritage and ceaseless innovation. Over the past year, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has been introducing Indian audiences to the island city’s food culture as part of a gastronomical series called ‘Taste Obsession.’ Adding another chapter to the series, STB has partnered with artisanal ice cream parlour, Naturals Now, to launch a limited-edition pandan-infused ice cream sundae from the soul of Singapore to the heart of Mumbai.
The inspiration for the sundae came about as a result of a culinary journey to Singapore undertaken earlier this year by Siddhant Kamath, director, Naturals Ice Cream. Multiple visits to the city’s many fresh produce markets and Singapore’s most prominent ice cream institutions, like Apiary and Birds of Paradise, inspired Siddhant to bring the taste of Singapore’s unique flavours and food-obsessed spirit to India.
Singapore’s culinary scene reflects the city’s culturally diverse roots. From Michelin-star restaurants to street eats, Singapore’s dining landscape offers something for every palate. Pandan is one of the unique and authentic Singaporean ingredients used in local cuisine. Known for its aromatic leaves, the iconic herb has a distinctively sweet fragrance that complements the dish it is infused with. The newly introduced sundae combines pandan with jaggery, a layer of coconut, and a sprinkling of thyme waffle crumbs. Additionally, a topping sauce infused with gula melaka, a particularly nutty, smoky Southeast Asian coconut palm jaggery, creates an iconic Singaporean taste experience for Mumbai foodies. This limited-edition ice cream sundae is available only at Naturals Now in Juhu from 7 November to 31 December 2023.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
