52 | theceomagazine.com“As a leader, I believe it’s critical to give design
opportunities to my staff to maximise their potential.
So, even at a very young age, I give them responsibilities
and ownership of their projects,” he continues. “I want
to push them to see how far they can go. I think that’s
the best way to help people grow and learn.”
After spending 32 years working as an architect,
Han can’t imagine himself in any other industry. Yet
he does admit he chose the profession on a whim. “I
decided to become an architect only on the day I had
to apply for my university course,” he recalls. “I chose
it purely on the basis of what would be the most fun
thing to do at university, rather than what I would like
to do for the rest of my life. It was very short-sighted,
but when you’re a teenager, you often think only of
the immediate gratification. The university prospectus
showed students going to studios and making models,
and I thought that looked like something that could
be quite fun to do. Thankfully, it worked out okay.”
“Okay” is a bit of an understatement, given Han’s
success in the industry over the past three decades. After
graduating from university, he worked for Singapore’s
public-housing authority, the Housing & Development
Board. “In Singapore, if you get a scholarship like I did,
there’s a bond. You have to work for the government
for a period of eight years,” Han explains. “So, I started
my life as an architect working for the government, but
I didn’t finish my bond. I bought myself out and joined
a big commercial firm.”
After 12 months, Han realised working in a large
company wasn’t for him. “When I became an architect,
I always knew I wanted to start my own firm. That was
always the end goal,” he says. “So, I decided to set up
my own firm with two other partners, and we formed
HYLA Architects in 1994.” One of his partners later
retired, and the other departed the business to start his
own firm, leaving Han as the sole remaining founder
and principal architect.“I’M VERY LOYAL TO
PEOPLE WHO DO
GOOD WORK FOR ME
AND SERVE ME WELL.
I WILL KEEP GOING
BACK TO THEM.”
Jalan Tempua, V-Tech ConstructionLily Avenue, V-Tech ConstructionSiglap Plain, V-Tech ConstructionPHOTOGRAPHER
DEREK SWALWELL