The New C-Suite Playbook: Singapore's Elite Join Secret Peer Circles

SINGAPORE – August 04, 2026 – In the rarefied air of the C-suite, the old adage 'it's lonely at the top' has never been more acute. As global disruptions accelerate, Singapore's top business leaders are quietly turning to a new, highly exclusive form of professional development: the confidential peer mastermind. At the forefront of this shift is Mentor List, a corporate mentoring platform whose recent expansion into the city-state is being supercharged by one of the nation's most respected financial figures, Bahren Shaari.

The launch of the invitation-only Singapore Mastermind program signifies a pivotal moment in executive leadership. It suggests that for today's CEOs and senior executives, the most valuable currency isn't found in a lecture hall or a generic coaching session, but in the trusted, candid counsel of their equals. This is not just networking; it's the formation of high-trust think tanks for the leaders shaping the future of commerce.

A Banking Titan's Second Act

The immediate credibility and gravitational pull of the Singapore Mastermind can be attributed almost entirely to its chair, Bahren Shaari. His name is synonymous with strategic growth and unimpeachable integrity in Singapore's demanding financial sector. As the Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Singapore from 2015 to 2022, Shaari didn't just manage the institution; he transformed it. Under his leadership, the bank's assets under management more than doubled, growing from US$55 billion to US$114 billion, and he masterminded the strategic acquisition of Barclays Asia. His tenure capped a remarkable three-decade career that saw him in senior roles at UBS Wealth Management and ING Asia Private Bank.

However, Shaari's influence extends far beyond a single institution. His commitment to public service is evidenced by a Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) and his current role as a member of Singapore's esteemed Council of Presidential Advisers. He also sits on the Board of Trustees for the National University of Singapore (NUS). His decision to step into this new role as Group Chair for Mentor List is not a retirement project, but a deliberate second act focused on cultivating the next generation of leadership.

"Great leadership is rarely built in isolation," Shaari stated, articulating the core philosophy behind the new venture. "Throughout my career, the most valuable insights have come from candid conversations with peers who understand the weight of the decisions we make. What we are building in Singapore is a community founded on that same trust, and the calibre of the leaders around the table has been outstanding. I look forward to seeing it grow."

His involvement sends a clear signal to the market: this is not a theoretical exercise. It's a forum grounded in the lived experience of navigating immense pressure and complex decision-making at the highest levels of global business.

The Anatomy of an Elite Mastermind

Mentor List, founded by Australian entrepreneur David Lewis, has deliberately steered away from the open marketplace model of mentorship. Instead, it has perfected a formula centered on curated, confidential peer groups. The Singapore Mastermind, which launched in April, is the epitome of this model. Membership is strictly by invitation and application, ensuring that every participant is a CEO or senior C-suite executive of a significant enterprise.

These are not informal coffee chats. The program consists of regular, structured sessions personally chaired by Shaari. Here, under a strict veil of confidentiality, leaders can dissect their most pressing business challenges, from navigating geopolitical headwinds to implementing disruptive AI technologies, without fear of judgment or competitive leakage. The value is amplified by the inclusion of high-profile guest mentors who have already walked the path, including titans like Ho Kwon Ping, Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree, and Mike Smith, former Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Asia.

"Bahren represents exactly what Mentor List stands for: proven leadership, generosity of spirit, and a genuine commitment to lifting others," said David Lewis, the platform's founder. He notes that the response has been overwhelming. "The response from the market has already exceeded our expectations, and that tells us there is a real appetite here for the kind of honest, experience-led peer mentoring we provide. We could not be more excited about the community we are building alongside Bahren and the leaders who join him."

This 'appetite' points to a crucial gap in the market. While Singapore boasts a world-class ecosystem of executive development, from the prestigious programs at NUS and SMU to a plethora of high-end coaching firms, the Mentor List model offers something distinct: a sanctuary of peers.

The New Frontier in Executive Development

The rise of platforms like Mentor List signals a broader evolution in how senior leaders approach growth and resilience. Traditional executive education, while valuable for learning new frameworks and theories, often lacks the bespoke, real-time relevance required to tackle the unique, high-stakes problems that land on a CEO's desk. One-on-one executive coaching can provide personalized guidance, but it cannot replicate the dynamic, multi-faceted insights generated by a room of experienced peers.

Mentor List's proposition is that the collective intelligence of a curated group of leaders is an unparalleled strategic asset. For a C-suite executive, the ability to confidentially test an idea with a dozen other CEOs from diverse industries, or to hear how a fellow leader navigated a similar crisis, is invaluable. This is a level of support that goes beyond what a board of directors or an internal team can provide.

The competitive landscape for leadership development in Singapore is fierce, with top-tier university programs costing tens of thousands of dollars. While Mentor List does not publicize its fees, its exclusivity and the seniority of its participants and chair place it firmly in the premium category. The investment, however, is not just in knowledge but in the construction of a powerful, trust-based personal advisory board.

As businesses face unprecedented complexity, the paradigm of the solitary, all-knowing leader is becoming obsolete. The success of Mentor List's Singapore launch demonstrates that the future of effective leadership may lie in curated collaboration, where the willingness to share challenges and insights within a trusted circle becomes the ultimate competitive advantage.