My Life & Career Story

-

 

As featured on Biography Singapore (April 7, 2025)


Video


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vision of Change Towards Being 'Mandiri'

-
Image
Hold the vision,   Trust the process With Every Difficulty Comes Relief FROM 1994 TO 1996, I made bimonthly 12-hour road trips from Medan city to the rural mountain town of Blangkejeren in Aceh, Indonesia. Due to  its cool, alpine-like 1200 metres high elevation, it earned  the name  "Mont Blang" as a pun on Mont Blanc ,   the highest mountain in the Alps. The two who usually travelled with me were Hamzah Mutalib, Managing Director of Global Impact Singapore,  then in his early forties; and Idris Darga, Chairman of a rural development NGO in his mid-thirties, whose hometown  was our destination.  We would pass through the jungles of Gunung Leuser National Park where  we often encountered checkpoints manned by government soldiers looking out for GAM insurgents.  Gerakan Aceh Merdeka  (GAM)  or the  Free Aceh Movement  was a separatist movement that fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency...
Read more

Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.

-
Image
Is my job safe in this Covid-19 pandemic crisis? Will I still have a job until my retirement?  Will I have enough savings when I retire? Are these the right questions to ask in these difficult times? The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the most severe disruption of the global economy since World War II. With many jobs, businesses and livelihoods affected, it's not surprising that many are anxious about their future. As experts have warned that life will not revert to normal like before, the above questions naturally become more pertinent. However, the above questions only scratch the surface. We need to peel off the layers and dig deeper to get to the bottom of those questions. It is akin to the moment in  Alice in Wonderland when Alice was asked by the Caterpillar a seemingly simple but fundamental question:   “When the Caterpillar asks Alice, 'Who are you,'  and Alice can barely stammer out a reply, `I—hardly know,'  Alice seemed unsure when s...
Read more

Changemaker Development Journey: From Personal Growth to Collective Impact

-
Image
In a world filled with challenges—inequality, burnout, leadership gaps—how do we build lasting impact? The answer lies in developing changemakers throughout their journey. Through the Changemaker Development Journey , we’re not just addressing problems, we’re planting seeds for a future powered by purpose, people, and progress. The Real Struggles in Our Sector If you’re part of a nonprofit or grassroots initiative, these probably sound familiar: Low volunteer retention and burnout No clear leadership succession or knowledge transfer Lack of training and personal development Beneficiaries are growing dependent on external help Organisations are heavily reliant on donations and grants These are not isolated issues—they’re systemic. And systemic issues need systemic solutions that address root causes, build resilience, and create lasting change across people, processes, and purpose-driven organisations. A Program Built for Real Change   Our Changemaker Development Journey tackles th...
Read more