About me

I grew up in the harsh winters of Toronto, with parents from South Africa and family spread across the globe, so I was probably destined for a life abroad. After a computer engineering degree at Queen’s University in Canada, I spent a couple of years in Shanghai studying Mandarin and working in import and export.

While backpacking across China (before there was high-speed rail and smartphones), my tour bus left the Three Pagodas temple in Dali without me, taking my passport with it. I collected others who had been left behind and we hopped on a nearby horse and carriage to catch up to the tour bus parked at a jade shop. Before I began my cross-country trip, I knew I might face all kinds of problems, so I internalised the idea that the way through them would be to stay calm, take in the moment and act decisively. It’s how I’ve tackled every business problem since.

Years later, on Christmas break from INSEAD, during a visit back to Shanghai, I decided to stay and work in Asia. After graduation, I made Singapore my home, became a proud father and built my career in operations planning and transformation at Apple, Cisco and McDonald’s.

Away from work, I’m often ferrying my son to soccer, basketball and playdates, at the range practising with my driver and 7‑iron, or studying to become a Certified Scotch Professional.