April 2010 - Keppel Corporation

Empowering Lives 39Keppelites AbroadEmbracing a new cultureWith experience in bothproperty management andworking in China, Tan LayGuan was an ideal candidateto take on the role as GM(Customer Focus) for KeppelLand International inShanghai. He has since beenre-designated to PropertyManagement Director.The avid traveller began hisoverseas posting in April2008 and has settled incomfortably into his newhome in Shanghai. AlthoughLay Guan had priorexperience working in China,he found the extra supportfrom his new colleagues amuch welcomed help whenhe first arrived.His work scope includesproperty management ofKeppel Land’s residentialdevelopments Villa Riviera,One Park Avenue, Eight ParkAvenue and Springdale, aswell as attending to homeowners’ queries and feedback.Managing customerrelationships is often achallenge and even more soin a foreign country. LayGuan shared that during hisinitial few months, heapplied caution in the way hedealt with any situation.Unlike in Singapore, handlingissues in China is not asstraightforward as thereSoaking in the local culture, Lay Guan enjoys exploring sights of China including Huangshan (Yellow Mountain in Mandarin), a mountain rangein southern Anhui provinceare various stakeholdersinvolved, including localemployees, external serviceproviders and the authorities.Even so, the 46-year-old tookall these in his stride andmaintained a professionaland sincere demeanour inhis undertakings. Hehighlighted that relationshipmanagement with all partiesis a necessary skill to havein China.On top of gaining experienceand sharpening his peopleskills at work, Lay Guanenriches himself throughweekend trips to other citiesin China and soaking in thelocal festivities. Traditionalholidays such as the DragonBoat Festival and Mid AutumnFestival prove to be verycolourful affairs celebratedcountry-wide, as they havebeen declared public holidaysin recent years.Encouraging Keppelites toventure abroad, Lay Guanshared that having workingexperience overseas is notonly beneficial to one’s careerdevelopment, but also leadsto personal enrichment.Exposure to a new cultureand social norms andlearning how to adapt andembrace change are pricelessskills to be had in an age ofglobalisation.Deriving great satisfactionwhen he is able to resolveissues and challenges,without compromising thecompany’s position, LayGuan looks forward tomanaging projects in othercities after localisation. keppeliteKeppelite I April 2010