EcoWorld Chairman: Work hard and write your own story

As the chairman of Eco World Development Group Berhad (EcoWorld), Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin has collected a treasure chest of anecdotes from his over 20 years of experience in the property development sector. At a TalentCorp’s Corporate Leader Session, Liew was happy to meet with students and aspiring entrepreneurs to share nuggets of advice about transitions into the working world and the risks one has to take in order to succeed. Here are some takeaways from the session:

Growing up with humble beginnings, Liew whose father was a lorry driver and mother a rubber tapper, emphasised that it was not where you came from that matters.

"You write your own story," he said, emphasising that one’s decisions in life are made by oneself, not others.

You are dependent on yourself. If you are wealthy, what’s your path? If you are poor, what’s your path? It is all up to you.”

“When you enter the world of entrepreneurship, it’s part and parcel of your life; you win and you lose,” he said.

Liew’s advice for students is to set big goals, not to settle, work hard and be focused in order to succeed in life. 

He encouraged students to draw inspiration from professionals who have successfully climbed their way to the top in global companies like Apple, Toyota, PepsiCo and local organisations like Maybank, Astro and EPF, and to strive for the impossible.

As a winner of the AON's ‘Best of the Best Employer in Malaysia 2016 Award’, EcoWorld puts a strong emphasis on diversity in the workplace with half of the company’s senior management positions held by women. Liew spoke on the importance of having a dynamic team with a mixture of young and old in order to progress and remain relevant in a competitive marketplace.

Start thinking of your team. Think of what team members you need to help build your business. We cannot just talk about diversity, we must actually do it.”