Only in SATURDAY: shattering the retirement living glass ceiling

The first female retirement village operator to strike out on her own, Chiou See Anderson, has been paving the way for women in retirement living for 20 years – now, she is advocating for gender equality on a bigger stage. 

After arriving in Australia from Singapore aged 20, Chiou See managed a diverse range of businesses from a coal mining firm to a flying school while gaining her qualification as a Certified Practising Accountant and raising three children. 

Studying for her MBA and working as a consultant in 2002, Chiou spent two weeks looking at the aggregate purchasing power of the global ageing population and decided that she wanted to go into business providing a service for older people. 

A block of land came up for sale at John Paul College at Springwood, 20km south east of the Brisbane CBD, and Chiou See bit the bullet. 

She sold her house to pay for the deposit – with the equity only covering 5% of the cost, she negotiated a 153-day contract and “ran like hell” to seek finance. 

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