1. Before becoming a GM, you spent years in marketing and sales across IHG, Jakarta and Myanmar. Does that commercial foundation still show up in the way you run a hotel today?
Very much so. Starting out in sales and marketing across markets like Indonesia and Myanmar taught me how to read a room, understand what drives a guest's decision, and position our product with clarity. Those instincts do not leave you. Even today, when I am looking at operational decisions or shaping the guests’ journey, I amalways thinking about the commercial angle alongside the experiential one. The twocannot be separated if you want to run a successful hotel.
2. Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore: your career has moved through some of the most culturally distinct markets in Asia. Which one surprised you the most?
Myanmar, without question. I was based there in the late nineties, and what struckme most was the sincerity of the people. There was a genuine warmth and curiosityabout hospitality that was completely unforced. They had not yet been shaped by the conventions of the industry, and in many ways that made them extraordinary hosts. It reminded me that the heart of hospitality cannot be taught from a manual, somepeople simply carry it.
3. Across all these properties and postings, is there a single moment that made you think differently about what hospitality actually is?
There have been many moments over 30 years, but the ones that stay with me are always the quiet ones. A team member who noticed a returning guest's preference without being asked. A small gesture that made someone feel genuinely seen. Those unscripted moments of attentiveness are what hospitality is truly about. Not the grand gestures, not the facilities, but the human connection that happens in between.
4. PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay is defined by its biophilic design and sustainability vision. What is it like to lead a property where the concept is as loud as the service?
At PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore, the biophilic design was not decoration. It was a statement of intent, and everything the team did had to live up to that promise. It is a privilege to have led a property with such a clear and purposefulidentity, but it also raises the bar.
Guests arrive with a very specific expectation, and your service has to be as considered and as intentional as the architecture around it. You cannot let the building do all the talking.
When we embarked on our sustainability journey in 2020, it was one of the mostmeaningful chapters of my career. The sense of achievement was real. We looked at every single aspect of how the hotel operated, from energy and water consumption to waste and food waste management, and asked ourselves honestly where we coulddo better.
We eliminated single-use plastics across our property. Our culinary team embraced a farm-to-table philosophy, and our urban farm was developed to supply the kitchenswith what they needed, grown right there on the property. In-room filtered water tapsreplaced thousands of single-use plastic bottles every day. Refillable amenitydispensers took the place of single-use miniatures throughout the hotel. We installedsolar panels to harness renewable energy, and changed our shower fittings to low-flow fixtures to reduce water waste. No detail was too small, because we understoodthat sustainability is not a single gesture. It is the sum of countless considereddecisions made every day.
Today, as General Manager of Pan Pacific Singapore, the flagship property of Pan Pacific Hotels Group, the conversation around sustainability takes a different form, but the conviction behind it remains the same. Pan Pacific Singapore does not wear sustainability as a badge. It is simply how we operate, consistently, and with genuineintent. The practices, the culture, and the sense of responsibility towards ourenvironment and community are woven into the way we run our hotel every day.
In 2023, Pan Pacific Hotels Group achieved GSTC certification, the global standard for sustainable travel and tourism, contributing to Singapore's national milestone of certifying 60% of the city's hotel room stock, a target set collectively by the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Hotel Association. That achievement was not the destination. It was a reflection of the work already being done across our properties, because it is simply the right thing to do.
What I feel most strongly about is the culture behind all of this. Initiatives and certifications matter, but they only go as far as the people carrying them out everyday. I make it a point to ensure that every member of our team, regardless of theirrole or department, understands that operating responsibly is not an add-on to theirjob. It is part of it.
We are in the business of people, and we operate within a shared environment. That comes with accountability, and I believe it is my responsibility as a leader to makesure that sense of accountability is felt at every level of the organisation. When the whole team understands why it matters, and not just what to do, that is when a culture truly takes root.
5. Seven hundred associates, 790 rooms. At that scale, what changes about leadership, and what can you no longer afford to hold on to?
You stop managing tasks and start managing culture. With 700 associates, yousimply cannot be everywhere, so what you instil in your people, the values, the behaviours, the standards, has to travel further than you can.
What I had to let go of was the need to be across every detail. What I held on to wasbeing visible, consistent, and genuinely present for my team. My management style has always been horizontal. An open door, leading by example, and trusting my team to own their roles. The success of the hotel is their success, and I am only as good as the people around me.
6. Singapore's guests have seen everything and expect everything. What still genuinely impresses them, in your experience?
Sincerity. Singapore's guests are amongst the most well-travelled and discerning in the world, and they can sense immediately when service is scripted. What stops them in their tracks is a team member who is truly present, who listens withoutwaiting for their turn to speak, and who responds as a human being rather than a procedure.
That quality of genuine attentiveness is rarer than it should be, and when guestsencounter it, they remember it.
7. Thirty years in. What does this industry still get beautifully right, and what would you change tomorrow if you could?
At its best, this industry still gets human connection right. The ability to make a stranger feel completely at home, in a city that is not theirs, is somethingextraordinary, and no amount of technology will ever fully replace it.
What I would change is how we invest in our own people. We ask so much of ourteams, and I believe the industry needs to do more to motivate and groom youngtalent, to equip them properly, and to show them that hospitality is a career worthbuilding a life around. That is something I feel deeply about.
8. Rapid Fire:
- If you were a scent - Sandalwood, warm, grounding, and quietly familiar.
- If you were a texture - Crisp linen, understated but always considered.
- If you were a colour - Deep navy, calm, dependable, and steady.
- If you were a sound - The low hum of a hotel lobby in the early morning, full of quiet anticipation.
- If you were a flavour - A well-aged single malt, complex, unhurried, and worthevery moment.
