Interview with Evan Cheah
Blaze spoke to alumnus Evan Cheah, General Manager of one of the companies in the Sunway Group and son of Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, Founder and Chairman of the Sunway Group and Founder and Chancellor of Sunway University College.
B: What year were you in Sunway College (then) and what programme did you read?
EC: I did the AUSMAT pre-university course before joining the Monash Sunway twinning programme in 1997. I then got a double degree in Commerce and Business Systems from Monash’s Clayton campus in Australia.
B: What was it like studying in Sunway?
EC: Well, I hope to sound totally unbiased here! I think people make the institution and I felt it was a great experience interacting with the lecturers and students back then. Each lecturer holds his or her own unique style and I think that made things interesting. The on-campus facilities for a privately run institution were probably one of the Malaysia’s best at the time and I think it still is.
I enjoyed my student life a lot because it was back then that I met many of my good friends. All one had to do was study and you could do well, it is different from the real world where there are many more variables to achieve success, and you can’t really be 100% sure of the results of a particular project you’re working on as there is much more complexity involved.
I think someone mentioned that in school, you just need to know all the material, score 100% and get a High Distinction. However, in business, you need to know all the material and more, scoring maybe 130% just to qualify for a Distinction!
B: What was your most memorable moment in Sunway College?
EC: I can’t say there was one particularly memorable moment but there were happy memories throughout. I remember I performed in a band for our Ausmat dinner once as the drummer (which was uncharacteristically cool of me). I set the pace of the performance and I kind of sped up because I was nervous, then the rest of the band had to speed up to catch up with me. It was like we were in chipmunk mode, which was funny. I also remember cramming for my exams (which I wouldn’t suggest to anyone of course), but things always seemed to turn out well for me when I crammed because I think I have a reasonable capacity to remember things short term.
B: What did you pursue after you left Sunway College?
EC: I did a double degree in Monash, as well as the CPA and CFA professional programs. Next year I’ll probably be looking at brushing up on my Mandarin Chinese as that will be an investment that will deliver returns to me for the rest of my life. Maybe much later on I may look at joining an executive education program at a business school to broaden my perspective of the world. In addition to my formal education, I also read business books and magazines to expand my mind. There’s a huge wealth of high quality knowledge out there of other people’s thoughts and experiences and we can all make use of them to improve ourselves, I know I am. Doing anything when you have the right knowledge is just that much easier.
I often tell people that I strive to be a person that accumulates a “collection of best practices” where I persistently pick up practices from the best in a given field. Acquiring best practices also means cutting away any of the bad or dysfunctional habits that I may have unwittingly acquired through my life.
B: Describe your role now in your position as General Manager in the Sunway Group?
EC: It’s really quite a challenging and exciting job where I evaluate and recommend investment proposals to management. This role lets me utilize many of the skills I’ve picked from the courses I’ve done. I find with each proposal, whether we actually end up investing or not, I always learn something new which I can add to my repertoire of knowledge. Each time I meet with management, I consciously try to understand why this works and that doesn’t, analysing their experiences to improve my chances of making a better decision the next time. A way I internalize these snippets of experience is by trying to reflect upon recent events and discussions as much as I can, as soon as I can.
Experience definitely counts and I try to make sure I constantly seek the views and advice of the people who have it (they’re usually older) to improve whatever I’m working on. In my view a person only knows as much as he has personally experienced but if we can have access to and apply the knowledge stored in others, we will have an unlimited amount of expertise at our disposal.
B: What are some of the challenges, if there are any you face in your job?
EC: Personally, when I try something new (be it recommending a new industry, business or structure), uncertainty and its best friend, worry, sometimes crop up but I deal with it by taking steps to make sure decisions or recommendations are based on the best information from most reliable sources I can find. Sufficient information removes some of the uncertainty and makes me more confident of my actions. When I’m uncertain, it just means I haven’t looked hard enough for the decision making information I require.
B:. Has your father’s remarkable achievements been an influence in your life? Could you elaborate on this?
EC: I would say he has had a good amount of influence in a lot of lives, not only mine. There are many things that he does that are not readily apparent and it takes a lot of observation and careful thought to understand it. I have had the privilege of having a closer view of the action and I think that has had a positive long-term impact on me and how I view things, both personally and work-wise.
B: What are your views on leadership? How can one strive towards becoming a leader?
EC: I would encourage people who want to be leaders to look deep into their core to understand what their own motivations are. The key is to find out what all this self-motivation talk is all about. Once that is answered, things become a lot easier. No one’s going to help you to be a leader, you have to help yourself. There is no one-size-fits-all formula. It’s got to be adapted to your own circumstances. Draw on your own strengths and interests. Be good in your field. Find your own way to manage human relationships as all leaders interact with people. In my opinion, the ability to manage human relationships to achieve a desired outcome is really the archetypal definition of being a good leader. Once we know ourselves, we know how what kind of leadership style we need to adopt.
I think in the end, leaders are noticed by delivering results, be it a community or business project. In school it’s easy, just study hard you’ll get the results. At the workplace or in society, it’s more difficult as it’s not just about studying (though it helps), it’s more about getting everything in place, everyone working together, so that things get done. There are many ways of getting results and I would encourage reading about and observing how people have done it to customize a style that fits you.
B: What do you do in your free time?
EC: Globalization means free time is a luxury. We are competing with the other brains from around the whole world. Slacken and you’ll be overtaken. In this type of environment, we really have to focus on our comparative advantage as a Malaysian white-collar workforce. Constantly invest in improving ourselves. Once we are clear on that, we can rest a little. Personally, I do believe in a little work-life balance, in a recent article, the management guru Jim Collins mentioned that 50% of successful executives (I think he was referring to Fortune 500 CEO’s if I remember correctly) have no life, the rest do have a life, and he concludes that it’s really is a matter of choice. You can still deliver results if you work smart, and rest a little. So in my free time I do get in some one on one time with American pop culture. You know, like movies, music and all that kind of stuff, it’s enjoyable and keeps me happy.
B: What is your guiding motto in your life?
EC: Dare but do it wisely. Be circumspect. Contribute your strengths. Deliver high quality results. Understand trade-offs and the law of reciprocity. Think and plan a few steps ahead. Respect my own principles. Remember the past. Work smarter each time.
B:. What is important to you?
EC: I think we are all made up of cells that oxidize and age each day and we should take care of ourselves so that we can live the happiest life that we can. So health would probably be the first thing I would think of. With health, we will have to take care of people we care about and this includes family and friends.
Once that is in equilibrium, or a state that you are happy about, then comes achievements. If there is a lack of achievement, a person cannot be fulfilled or have any sense of belonging. Therefore, I believe I am driven by achievements as it gives me a sense of purpose. Without which, what’s the point really?
Are you a former Sunway student? If you wish to join the Sunway University College Alumni and enjoy privileges such as being able to access the Alumni Portal, please register at http://alumni.sunway.edu.my or call 03-74918622.
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