Janney Hujic finally broke her silence on 24 May evening after a viral LinkedIn post falsely claimed she met former DBS CEO Piyush Gupta.

She told 8World News that her freelance social media manager from the Philippines posted the content without permission.

The now-deleted LinkedIn post was titled “A chance encounter with the ex-CEO of DBS – in the last place I expected”. It featured a photo of Hujic with Kumar H Subramaniam, who was wearing a floral shirt. The post described their conversation about Hujic’s upcoming all-women expedition in Mongolia supporting the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund.

Piyush Gupta himself debunked the post by commenting “Sorry to disillusion you. That isn’t me!” Kumar also confirmed on Facebook that he told Hujic and her companion upfront about the mistaken identity. He said they approached him, mentioned working at DBS, and asked for a photo to prank friends.

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So, what happened, and why was the post not removed immediately?

It turns out that social media manager later demanded S$5,000 to remove the viral post. Screenshots shown to 8World News revealed the manager’s message: “Post has over 6k engagement. Pay me 5k SGD and I take down.”

Hujic hired the Philippines-based freelancer in March 2025 to manage her LinkedIn account and some Instagram posts. The manager received S$1 for every like a post generated. The freelancer also changed login passwords to prevent Hujic from accessing her accounts.

According to messages between Hujic’s partner and the social media manager, the manager wrote “When I get paid I give you back access”. Hujic’s partner paid the manager but she still cannot access her social media accounts.

Cave Exploration Trip Leaves Hujic Offline During Viral Post

Hujic was on a cave exploration trip in Vietnam when the LinkedIn post went viral. She departed on 19 May and had no internet access during the expedition. She only discovered the situation on 24 May evening when she regained internet connectivity.

Kumar H Subramaniam’s account matched Hujic’s version of events. He confirmed that Hujic approached him in early May and was told he was not Piyush Gupta. She asked for a photo to share with friends as a joke.

Hujic later sent the photo to a group chat with friends and posted it on Instagram with the caption “Oh my, it’s him.” She showed 8World News her Instagram stories as evidence of the original context.

The social media manager allegedly chose the timing of Hujic’s offline cave exploration trip to post the LinkedIn content for maximum engagement. Kumar also said he never agreed for his photo to be used to promote business or social ventures.

The post attracted widespread criticism and was labeled “peak LinkedIn” in reference to performative content associated with the professional networking platform. Kumar told 8World News that Hujic’s partner contacted him on 22 May to explain their side. He expressed hope that negative comments about Hujic would stop.

SG Enable Fundraising Authorization Dispute

Lest you’re not aware, there’s another “saga” about Hujic.

Hujic’s company used the GCTEF logo on its promotional material on Instagram.

SG Enable issued a statement on Friday clarifying that Hujic and her company Elysian Expeditions are not authorized fundraising partners. The organization said it reached out to Hujic on 21 May 2025 seeking clarifications about her fundraising campaign but received no response.

The statement read: “We would like to inform the public that Ms Hujic and Elysian Expeditions are not authorized fundraising partners of SG Enable, and we have not endorsed their fundraising campaign. The GCTEF logo and fundraising messages on their website are used without our knowledge and permission.”

Hujic told 8World News she had applied for authorization to raise funds for the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund in her company’s name. She acknowledged not yet clarifying the relationship between her expedition plan and her company to SG Enable.

After reading SG Enable’s email on Saturday, Hujic said she would provide further clarification to the organization.

The Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund is a community fund that provides people with disabilities opportunities to contribute to society.