Perched on a couch in the Cityspace bar at Swissotel The Stamford, Ms Puspa Portier, 41, looks a far cry from the girl who grew up in the rustic Ubi area with six siblings.
'I'm from a modest Malay family. My father died when I was 14, so my mother had to support us all,' says the chief executive officer and founder of House of Portier, a lifestyle consultancy that brings together elements of luxury living for VIP clients in Dubai.
At 22, she married Dutch oil trader Glenn Portier, now 51. The couple and their son, Julian, 15, moved to Dubai two years ago. They now live in a 12,000sqft penthouse in Dubai Marina with a 360-degree view.
On how her US$2 million (S$2.75million) consultancy, which was launched in March, got started, she says: 'I noticed a void there regarding the expression of luxury, so I brought together style leaders to help clients.' Her network includes Malaysian couturier Bernard Chandran and florist for Sir Elton John's wedding, Rob Van Helden.
Ms Portier may be meeting VIPs ever so often, but she remains a simple girl at heart.
Says the bookworm who grew up reading Enid Blyton and who introduced her son and husband to Islam: 'I'm very comfortable being glamorous and enjoying style, but I'm also still a Malay girl at heart and I embrace my heritage.'
This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Jun 15, 2008
