Brace for hardship, failures along the way

Good people spend the first 10-15 years of their career finding their calling, improving on it, perfecting it and working very hard to preserve it.

You gain recognition, success and wealth in the process. The beauty is, you will enjoy the journey so much that you would not allow it to fail.

How has mentorship made a difference in your professional life? I was fortunate to have amazing mentors in my professional life.

Through the mentors, I was given good exposures – good formal training, overseas posting and opportunities that most people can only dream of.

One standout was Mr Lee Shu Poh, a former senior director of Malaysian Airline System.

An awesome mentor whom I have great respect for.

Now, I take every opportunity available to me to mentor a group of “great” people whom I hope will make a difference to the people around them.

I have benefited immensely from mentorship and I sincerely hope I can do the same for others.

What do you want to accomplish in the next five years? We are in the business of representing airlines as their cargo general sales and services agent and as a total cargo management company. We are serving more than 20 airlines in 45 locations worldwide.

We are making good progress in building a “virtual cargo airline” operating a fleet of freighters and managing and selling belly space for a fleet of passenger aircraft not owned by us.

All operate using our own AWBs (airway bills), our global reservations and accounting systems and serving a network of destinations of global scale.

In five years, I believe we can do it.

Best piece of advice you ever received on your career. Don’t burn bridges.

Most-admired business leader? Why? I find Michael O’Leary of Ryan Air admirable.

Down to earth, no nonsense, does not take himself too seriously, a billionaire and extremely practical and realistic in all his approaches.

How do you stay abreast of issues affecting your industry?

Talk to industry leaders, attend relevant conferences and events, “dirty my hands” and getting exposure to new technologies relevant and related to our industry.

If you could have an hour with any thought leader in the world, who would it be and why? Warren Buffett.

I would like to know how he can be so down to earth despite his fortune and success.

A must-read for every business owner/manager is ... I read a book called Money by Noel Whittaker. I see the world differently as a result.

How do you expect policies on climate change to impact businesses in the future? Climate change is real. Global weather has changed dramatically and affecting people from all over the world. If we do not treat Mother Nature with respect, the repercussion on mankind will be dire. Same goes with business.

What are the top three factors you would attribute your success to? Hard work, understanding family and being lucky.