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Associate Estate Planner
Inheritance & Legacy Advisory
Vanessa has always been drawn to one central question: “What legacy are we leaving behind?”
Her journey began in the charity and social sector, where she spent close to a decade in fundraising, partnerships, and governance. Working alongside individuals, families, businesses, and foundations, she helped organisations build sustainable impact, strengthen donor trust, and steward meaningful relationships. Through this work, she saw that true legacy extends far beyond financial giving—it is about values, purpose, and creating lasting impact for future generations.
At the same time, Vanessa is part of the family behind British Hainan Heritage Restaurant, a heritage business dedicated to preserving Singapore’s vanishing Hainanese-Western recipes and stories through food. Being in a family business gave her a deep appreciation for succession, continuity, and the responsibility of passing on not just assets, but also heritage, relationships, and purpose.
Today, Vanessa brings these experiences into her work at Highlife Advisory. She believes that estate planning is making today’s intentional decisions to avoid tomorrow’s forced decisions. Many difficult family situations are not caused by a lack of love, but by a lack of planning. By helping clients navigate important conversations and decisions early, she believes families can gain greater clarity, confidence, and peace of mind for the future.
Through Highlife’s collaborative PlanSmart360® approach, Vanessa partners with individuals, families, and business owners to organise their financials, legal ownerships, and legacy plans. She takes time to understand each client’s hopes, family dynamics, and long-term aspirations before translating what matters most into practical solutions, including Wills, Trusts, Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs), financial planning, and Highlife’s signature Box of Wishes®.
Her areas of interest include estate and inheritance planning, intergenerational wealth transfer, charitable giving, family business succession that preserve not only wealth, but also the values and relationships that matter most.
Vanessa is naturally curious and believes that everyone has a story worth preserving. Outside of work, she enjoys journalling, meaningful conversations, spending time with family, and finding joy in the everyday journey. She is passionate about holistic wellbeing and helping individuals and families flourish financially, emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.
