How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
Being the youngest in my family, I had many opportunities to tag along and learn from my family, who started as a property developer in 1989. I learnt the ropes from my dad, and also learnt character and business ethics in terms of what is right and wrong. Until today, these principles stay dear to me as I strive to lead the company to greater heights.
I had worked in the corporate world prior to joining the family business, with stints in ADT and Canon. Having worked for corporates also helped me shape the company’s principles and gear it from what one might call a hometown hero to where Lagenda Properties is today as a listed affordable property player.
What traits do you look for in your talent or how do you decide who is right for a job?
I believe that everyone is talented in their own capacity. However, putting the right person in the right position takes time and investment. What I look for is individuals who are willing to learn, adapt and are able to take feedback to change for the better. In Lagenda, our core values all tie back to the betterment of one’s character: integrity, ownership, teamwork, appreciation and recognition.
How do you think the industry you are in will evolve?
Lately, the affordable segment has gotten much attention. With the pandemic, housing has become unaffordable as people struggle to survive. In fact, many M40s are also slipping into B40.
I predict the industry has and will continue to be more competitive, with more attention given to affordable homes by developers. With that said, we are selling homes at prices below what the B40 can afford, which is below the RM200,000 threshold, complete with a quality lifestyle. Our townships differentiate themselves from other developers in the affordable segment through our dedication to the ecosystems within our flagship townships. In building homes, we provide amenities such as clubhouses, swimming pools, tropical gardens, cycling and jogging tracks, badminton courts and more, typically not found at our price range.
What advice can you offer those looking to start their career/own business?
For business owners, being responsible and competent are important criteria. For entrepreneurs, patience is important, as one needs to go when opportunity is a-calling or when the time is right.
A certain amount of patience, trial and error as well as calculated risk is important. It took us up to two decades to learn that the real affordable housing rate is below RM200,000. Thus, by delivering the right product at the right price point, we have certainly found a sweet spot.
We all know about the industrial revolution, are we in for a technological revolution?
It has certainly been expedited by the pandemic. Everyone is forced to accept a new norm and we are adapting to it. In relating to the construction business, much of the current process is labour-intensive.
As the revolution makes more technologies viable, we will implement even more efficient processes – industrial building systems (IBS), 3D-printing and others. That is not to say we are stuck in the past, as our new project phases already make use of IBS. I expect our shift to be greater in the future as it becomes the logical choice. Eventually, we cannot be too dependent on foreign workers and will integrate IBS more.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional life?
Certainly. It has improved my communication skills and also taught me to self reflect.
On the aspect of communication – it is the act of making sure people understand the message I convey to them, without room for misinterpretation. Instead of being adamant, I prefer to have a dialogue when convincing my team about taking on a task and staying open to feedback, because communication is not a one-way street.
I also believe self-reflection is important – as we think back on what worked and what could have been done better, we can adapt and grow.
What do you want to accomplish in the next five years?
At present and historically, the housing affordability mismatch is severe nationwide. We need to ask ourselves – what is really affordable to all Malaysians? And how do we balance between affordable housing and affordability?
To back this up, it’s clear to me that affordable housing is in short supply. There are a million people who need housing, according to Bank Negara Malaysia. If I build 10,000 houses, I am only solving 1% of the problem and the problem is growing every year.
With this, I want to focus on what I am doing today and continue in the next five years focusing on the affordable housing market in Malaysia. In this short run, we hope to be able to acquire more land banks nationwide in our pursuit of developing across various states where B40 needs are most apparent.
Best piece of advice you ever received on your career.
We can only choose to talk or listen, so choose wisely.
Most-admired business leader? Why?
This would be my father, Datuk Doh Neng Chiong. He found opportunities for every problem he faced. Back in the late 80s, he saw the plight of homeowners in Sitiawan such as the civil servants, police officers, teachers, nurses and those serving in the naval base in Lumut.
My father saw that many could not afford their own homes well into their 40s and 50s, and decided to reverse engineer his product (houses), pricing them according to the market’s affordability. He then set out to build houses starting at RM32,000, a low price even in those years.
Even though the scale was small, at 400 houses, I saw that his mission was an important one.
How do you stay abreast of issues affecting your industry?
Open communication is important to have others trust you enough to share openly. I often keep in touch with regulators, civil servants, suppliers and my team members, allowing me to get first hand info on what is happening on ground.
For example, with regulators, if there are new policies and issues, we are able to react quickly and accordingly to address them. For my team members who deal directly with purchasers, we understand the B40 psyche, preferences of the young generation and also what they are looking for.
If you could have an hour with any thought leader in the world, who would it be and why?
James Dyson, the founder of Dyson. In his time, he was an admired inventor, and now he is a billionaire who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. His story is interesting – he was frustrated with his vacuum cleaner’s worsening performance. Having recently built a cyclone tower to separate paint particles from the air, he applied the same principles to the vacuum.
After 5,000 prototypes, he invented the world’s first bagless vacuum cleaner as it is known today. To have made that connection between two separate things is ingenious to me.
What was the most outlandish business proposal you have ever heard of?
I have heard a lot of outlandish business proposals. But I would always keep an open mind because, who knows? It might lead to the next best invention.
What man-made innovation confounds you? Why?
Dyson is so creative and innovative in their designs. Who would have thought of using inspirations from a cyclone to absolutely transform the way traditional vacuums and other household appliances are made.
Malaysia’s greatest brand.
While Grab is now known as a Singaporean multinational company, both founders were Malaysians and had their first break in Malaysia when they launched MyTeksi. It is inspirational and amazing what Grab has achieved and essentially disrupted how transportation would be perceived in the future with their brand name synonymous with e-haling in Southeast Asia.
What are the top three factors you would attribute your success to?
Right time: First of all, it is the right time when there is a pressing need in the nation. Malaysia needs one million units of affordable housing now, for example.
Right team: It also takes the right team, and I have an extremely supportive team. We help each other in achieving our vision and mission, which is to provide affordable housing for Malaysians.
Right support: I also attribute our success to my family, who understand my hectic schedule as well as business affiliates and partners who have now become friends and have supported me through both opportunities and challenges.
