Spotlight

A 43 year old Energy Efficiency Director, South-East Asia, born in Singapore and started my university education at Washington University, United States, where I took two Bachelor degrees and three Master degrees in different engineering disciplines. I then did my research at Tokyo University in Japan and was awarded a Ph.D. in Research & Development Management from Cambridge University, England. I’m a knowledge hungry person: hopefully, my first child, who is due soon, will leave my just enough time to devote to my hobbies, reading on finance, investment, government policy and singing.

I had been Research & Development Manager of the National Science & Technology Board of Singapore Government, and then Executive Director of K. S. Lee & Associates (Asia) Pte Ltd, a firm specializing in Energy Efficiency (EE) solutions and projects.

It was the natural choice. In 2006, Schneider Electric S. E. Asia was looking for a partner with the necessary expertise to develop performance-based energy efficiency solutions. They approached K. S. Lee & Associates, which had a wide range of solutions, beyond inverters and capacitors, and they formed a JV in 2006. In January 2008, we became a department of Schneider Electric. I had been the Managing Director of the JV company with Schneider Electric, and I became Energy Efficiency Director for S. E. Asia.

The increasing awareness and demand for EE solutions is bound to be a long-term trend, due to ever-increasing oil and energy prices. Schneider Electric has a key part to play in the market, as EE expert, partner & manager, and there are sales to generate by offering power monitoring and other EE solutions, products and services to the customers. Still, it is a relatively new business and it is surrounded by myth, misunderstanding, risk averseness, unrealistic demands or indifference from customers: e.g. they don’t easily believe we can achieve 10 to 20 % energy savings,  they are afraid we will reduce their useful operational energy, and they may fear our solutions can spoil their motors etc. So, it takes significant time to convince them that it’s like taking away their extra fat, not their muscles! It’s a tough battle, which is only suitable for staff that dare to take up new challenges in unknown territories and not for those who are comfortably milking captured cows of standard or mature products.

On top of the knowledge, tools and methodologies of my previous company, our EE staff are also being trained by overseas Schneider Electric EE teams on various new EE knowledge, tools on Energy Action, PMS and solution offers etc. In the Operating Division, I have conducted trainings and have compiled and handed over to EE teams information and methodology, tools, motor-specific knowledge and sector-specific case studies. Moreover, my multi-disciplinary engineering background helps me to broaden my view of EE and to identify and select more comprehensive electrical as well as non-electrical EE solutions and products.

If not us, the specialist in energy management, then who? I think Schneider Electric is an exciting and challenging company, which is very result and growth-orientated and which requires staff to be systematic, innovative and aggressive in driving the business and sales. That is the key success factor in the EE market, but it will require a long-term uphill battle.