The lifeless office
I arrived in Singapore in 1996 with a suitcase to join Daimler-Benz’s prestigious management training program. Being chosen from thousands of candidates and passing several interviews, including a 4-day assessment, it remains my proudest career achievement. At that time, success in Singapore was measured by the five Cs: Cash, Car, Condo, Credit Card, and Country Club Membership. Job hopping was seen as the best way to increase salary. Following this advice, I saved enough for a condo within four years. After five years at Mercedes, I moved to ExxonMobil, the world's largest oil company at the time. I advanced quickly, changing positions every 18 months and travelling extensively in Business Class.
I married in 2000 and welcomed my first child in 2003. We had our condo, cash, credit cards, and a car. The only remaining goal was a country club membership. Life was going well until, just 11 days after our second child was born, a doctor told my wife that our son was dying and nothing could be done to save him. My life changed forever. By God's grace, our son was healed (he is now 18 as of the writing of this story), a miracle that deserves its own story. My perspective shifted, and I questioned, "What have I been working for? Is success just about the 5Cs?". When I returned to work, I saw a lifeless office. Were we all destined to be hamsters in a hamster wheel, going through the mundane routine of life?
The failed entrepreneur
I know what it’s like to fail as an entrepreneur. After the life-changing experience of my son’s near-death, I became disillusioned with corporate life and left ExxonMobil in search of my purpose. I enrolled in Bible college but realised ministry wasn’t for me; I wanted to be the boss of me, but I lacked the wisdom and experience necessary for success. I deceived myself by what I thought entrepreneurship was—freedom, accountability to no one and quick riches. The life of an entrepreneur is hard.
My naivety drove me to dive headfirst into entrepreneurship without a solid plan. In hindsight, I realised I had put my family at enormous risk. After five years of pouring my savings into my venture, I was on the brink of bankruptcy. Thankfully, by the grace of God, a door opened for me to return to ExxonMobil. Although my initial entrepreneurial dream seemed extinguished, it never truly faded.
On a mission
Armed with the valuable lessons I learned from that painful experience, I made a second attempt. I quit ExxonMobil again, this time for good, to redesign my life. I want to share my experiences with those disillusioned by our modern work culture and spread the message that caring for people is the best thing organisations can do for their businesses. Research shows that people who thrive at work produce the best results for their companies.
I aim to help people who choose to stay in the corporate world find meaning in their work. For those considering entrepreneurship, I want to guide them in reflecting on whether it is the right path and whether there are better, less risky ways to get unstuck. If entrepreneurship is the chosen path, I want to help them avoid the pitfalls I encountered, allowing them to learn from my experiences and accelerate their success.
My guiding principles
Man is the created image of God.
I believe in God the Father, Jesus the Son and His Holy Spirit. You might think, “Is Huios Transformation a ministry or a business?” It is both. My business is my ministry.
My life-changing experience opened my eyes to see that there was something wrong with work and that so many people are unhappy in the workplace; something needed to be done. It wasn’t just my imagination; there was research to back up what I saw. Gallup’s research reveals a troubling reality: only 23% of employees worldwide are engaged in their work, while 41% report experiencing significant daily stress. Regions like East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa report the lowest engagement and the highest levels of workplace stress. In Singapore, where I live, only about 1 in 10 employees are engaged at work, and it ranks 30th in terms of happiness despite having one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world. Money and material wealth do not equate to happiness. The average person will spend 90,000 hours working—nearly one-third of their waking life. I believe work should enrich life, not drain it.
Low engagement and chronic stress don’t just stay at work. They erode personal happiness, damage health, and strain family relationships. When people feel unfulfilled and burned out, it impacts their communities, creating a ripple effect of disconnection and dissatisfaction. Gallup estimates that workplace disengagement costs the global economy $8.9 trillion annually. Still, the true cost is even deeper—lost potential, broken families, and a society where work becomes a burden rather than a source of purpose. This isn’t just a business problem—it’s a human one.
Avodah & Tikkun Olam: Work with Purpose. Lead with Impact.
At Huios Transformation, we believe that work is more than a means to an end—it is an expression of purpose and service. Avodah reminds us that work, worship, and service are interconnected, shaping how we lead, collaborate, and grow. Tikkun Olam, the principle of repairing the world, calls us to make a lasting impact—not just in business but in the lives of the people we serve.
I want to help leaders and teams transform the way they communicate, collaborate, and lead—creating workplaces where people thrive. Many voices are calling for people-centred organisations; I am joining that call. My mission is to do my part to transform the workplace into a space where individuals can thrive personally and professionally, strengthening not just businesses but families and communities as well.
Let’s work with purpose. Let’s lead with impact. Let’s build a better world together.