1. 12 issue 14.6 hRmasia.com 13issue 14.6 hRmasia.com
Cover Story Cover Story
Leaders Talk HR
Renovation worker, electrician and even ramp agent – Khoo Seng Thiam, Managing
Director at FedEx Express, is not your average corporate bigwig. Contrary to the
usually concise paths undertaken by top executives, Khoo’s journey to the higher
echelons is a fascinating story
By Sham Majid
up
ground
From theQTell us about your early days as
a ramp agent at FedEx, where
you barely spoke any English
I’m a Malaysian from Malacca, and in the 1970s, there
was a big wave of change in the education system back
home. Everything was changed to Malay and
therefore, over the period of time, the level of English
was diluted. At the time, as long as you got through
the SPM (GCE “O” Levels), you thought you were
going to get a lot of opportunities – until you stepped
out of the country. You then realised that that level of
English was absolutely inadequate in the business
world. In fact, the only time that I could really survive
in Singapore was when I spoke Malay to the Malay
community and Chinese with the Chinese community.
My first job in Singapore was in Changi International
Airport Services (CIAS). I was working as a cargo
operator.
Over here while I was a cargo handler, I got to hear
about FedEx and got into the FedEx job as a ramp
agent. In 1992, I used the tuition assistance that the
company provided to pursue some educational
qualifications, and this was where I got my advanced
diploma and Masters.
QWhat were you aiming to
achieve in your career and life
back then?
I wish I had a crystal ball back then to see where I
am today! During school days, we started to do a lot
of things, like work in coffee shops, and as a helper
to the electrical and construction sectors. Soon after
the SPM, I was in Kuala Lumpur and tried to learn
the ropes in terms of renovation work, trying to pull
wallpaper and ceiling paper, but very soon I realised
that coming up and trying to do that business is
about seasonal trends. You will be absolutely busy
during the second half of the year, and after the New
Year, you can sit for six months. If you were to
continue doing these kinds of things, how would you
survive? The thought process was to find for jobs
and to start from ground zero.
QWho inspires you?
My wife. We came to know each other
when we worked in CIAS. When I
returned and started doing my night courses, she was
my pillar. As she had done her “A” Levels, her
command of English was much better than mine and
she helped me check for words I did not understand
so that I could finish my work faster. Even during the
night courses where we have to pay upfront fees, she
was the one who supported me with the costs until we
got reimbursement from the company.
Dennice Wilson, my former boss, came to Malaysia
in 1994 and I was the very first manager she hired in
Asia. My English was still not very good then. But one
thing great about Dennice is that her way of looking
through people is that she does not see the potential
of people simply through language skills. I think at
that time, she probably saw the potential in me and
my thought processes and was willing to invest some
time in me.
QWhat were some of the
challenges you faced as a
manager?
At the end of the day, becoming a manager in a
multinational corporation is a great feeling.
Honestly, the truth was that I never saw myself
progressing to the place I am today. That “over the
moon” feeling was quickly diluted in the sense that I
was a rookie manager and I began to understand the
complexities of people management. My first three
months were not easy at all as I had a group of
couriers, and had to regularly meet up with my boss
for lunch and give feedback about myself. The
self-awareness had to be there and I think I have a
very strong self-awareness in terms of recognising
my weaknesses.
FedEx’s head
honcho
Khoo Seng
Thiam shares
his talent
journey

2. 14 issue 14.6 hRmasia.com
Cover Story
Leaders Talk HR
Cover Story
QDo employees who enter the
company receive a career
roadmap?
It’s not exactly a road map per se, but FedEx has a very
strong and fundamental philosophy, called “people
service profit”. Our guiding principle is that we always
look after the welfare of the people so that in return,
they will be able to deliver impeccable service and,
therefore, drive up profits. Those profits will then come
back to the people. We also have a tuition assistance
programme, which we fund for employees who want to
pursue their education, up to about US$2,500 a year,
without bonding. Even when there is a job vacancy, we
advertise the job internally first.
QExamples of key training
programmes for employees?
Obviously for every job, there is technical
training to give people the basic competency skills.
We also have basic training, especially opened up for
those who aspire to greater things such as
management. In the past, we had a training
programme called “Is Management for Me?” Now we
call it “Coach to Grow”. It is essentially about
bringing people in and talking to them about what
management is all about and what inspires them to
want to lead teams. We are also very high on quality
and we are a driven organisation. We have a
programme called “Quality Driven Management” that
contains a lot of e-learning resources. It helps to
expand the thought process in terms of how people
look at issues differently, and how to differentiate
between what is “important” and what is “urgent”.
QWhat is the turnover rate like?
What measures do you have in
place to boost retention?
Every job has its own different level of turnover. But the
FedEx retention rate is rather high. For example, the
average tenure of the manager is 16 years. That is very
QWhat made you return to
Singapore? Why were you
happy to move back to
Singapore after your overseas posting
in New Zealand and Hong Kong?
As an expatriate, we have to recognise that while the
life is good, it is a borrowed life. The last thing you
want to do is to create a false perception to the kids,
especially when you are overseas. Sometimes you have
to think of whether you will be able to afford that if you
were on your own? If the affordability is just not there,
then you have reset the expectations, especially when
you are at a young age. This is why when we first got
back, I intentionally stayed in a heartland HDB flat for
almost three and a half years, so the kids could
assimilate back into the local lifestyle.
QThe biggest turning point?
There is one critical point that transformed
me. I am always fascinated by how I went
through my night courses and sat in the train back and
forth and looked at people with ties and working
during office hours. That triggers you. Secondly, when
you begin to see people dressing up well for work, you
start thinking of being like that one day. At that point, I
had my fiancée and I couldn’t imagine starting a family
where I had to continue doing shift work. That was
really a big turning point and that was where pursuing
my education was part of a way to move on.
QWork-life balance?
My wife used to tell me that I was a much
happier person when I was a ramp agent. I
think she meant it because of the stress and when
things sometimes bother me in my corporate job.
Sometimes, in a call, you can see that I’m stressed or
quiet, so those are the things the she has felt. When I
was a ramp agent and when she was a flight
stewardess, I only had to deal with the day-to-day
aspects of the job. When you go home, you can really
switch off, but when you are in management, you just
cannot switch off. I’m doing a much better job of not
bringing home work, especially over the last six or
seven years. These days, no one in my team will get
emails or phone calls from me during the weekend.
My kids used to snap pictures of me using my
Blackberry each year when we go for holidays.
QWhat are some of your key HR
challenges?
It is quite a challenging period at the
moment. At FedEx, almost 70% of our management
come through the ranks. However, the newer
generation, particularly the Generation Y staff, are
less patient in terms of how they see the growth. They
are more ambitious, particularly because of the
education system in Singapore. We have a whole suite
of e-Learning programmes for people wanting to get
into the professional types of positions. As a company
we do have an open door policy and the opportunity
for people to grow with the Job Change Application
policy (as long as you have served at least 12 months
in the current job), which has been widely popular.
• I love: Spending time with my family doing outdoor
activities such as cycling and in-line skating.
• I dislike: Half-hearted attempts. I believe in putting in
100% and more into everything that I do.
• My inspiration: Our achievement is often the result of the
collective work of a team. My desire to see my team being
successful drives me to do more.
• My biggest weakness is: Being a perfectionist. I am still
hard on myself but I have learnt to be more patient and
understanding towards others.
• In five years’ time, I’d like to be: Looking at my
kids embark on a new chapter in their lives after their
graduation.
• Favourite quote: Good things come to those who believe,
better things come to those who are patient and the best
thing comes to those who never give up! –Anonymous.
high. Personally, I’m celebrating my 20th anniversary
this coming June. Our couriers, handlers and customer
service officers are those who work in the front line
jobs. In the context of Singapore, there are the people
that we usually require to be up to secondary level of
education. As you can imagine, the pool of secondary-
educated people is declining. So when it is declining
and when the job demand in Singapore for that
level of qualification is huge, there’s truly a demand
and supply issue. One of the things that we have to
think about is how creative can we be in resolving
that. It is not just a FedEx issue, it’s a country
problem. For example, according to the White
Paper for 2030, 70% of the local workforce will be in
PMET positions and the other 30% will be in the
frontline. So how is that possible? But that is a
trend, and as a company, how do we move
towards embracing this kind of
change? That is where we will
be concentrating a lot on.
QWhat
is your
top tip
for aspiring
managers?
Do not ask what the
company can do for
you but what can you
do for yourself and
what changes you
can bring to the
company. Focus and
excel in what you
do, be pro-active in
seeking guidance
and support
through the
mentoring
programmes
available.
15issue 14.6 hRmasia.com
Mature employees form 40% of FedEx’s working population. To show their appreciation and
recognition of their skillsets, FedEx launched the Post-Retirement Employment Opportunity
programme in 2010. Eligible workers who hit the retirement age are afforded re-employment
on unchanged terms. In addition, FedEx also contains the Guaranteed Fair Treatment
Procedure that entails a systematic review that deals with employee complains and issues
at work. This further epitomises FedEx’s commitment to fair worker treatment and towards
forging an inclusive work climate.
FedEx: People first ethos