SOH, Benedict
Economic Development of Singapore,
Accession Number 002806
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 14
Total Reels
- Jesley Chua Chee Huan
Interviewer
- 06:38:18
Total Running Time
- English
Language
Copyright Notice
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Reel/Disc 1 of 14
Metadata
- 17 Oct 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:21
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Date and place of his birth. His family background. Communal living conditions at Boat Quay. Recounted what his father and neighbours did for a living. Early childhood memories. Recalled watching movies with his father. Books and magazines he read that influenced him. Patronized both the National and USIS Libraries. His love for soccer. Felt sports was a good outlet for him. Description of life by the Singapore River. Mention of gang fights and rampant gambling. Experienced helping out at father's drinks stall. Inculcation of values by his parents. Quoted from his father and how it impressed him.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 14
Metadata
- 17 Oct 2003
Recording Date
- 00:28:31
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Elaborated on relationship with his parents. Difficulties encountered in entering an English school in those days. Opined that education was a life long process. Description of Winstedt Primary School. Felt too much emphasis given to Science stream education. Reasons why he himself chose Science over Arts although he would have excelled in Arts stream. Represented school in four sporting activities including hockey and rugby. His experiential training at the outward bound school and its impact on him. His love for painting. Recalled visiting various art exhibitions. Description of art and craft lessons at school. His role in championing local artists.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 14
Metadata
- 21 Oct 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:45
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Elaborated on his sporting activities. Recalled being on school editorial board. Differentiated between studying in school and later for his MBA at age 46. Supported his daughter's decision to switch from Science to Arts. His feedback to the system to avoid overemphasis on Science. Felt continued learning was important. Reason why he could not study further. An incident with his boss at Publicity and Display Associate (PDA). Stressed on importance of discipline. What "entrepreneurship" meant to him. Description of PDA premises and staff. Cited usefulness of LCCI Higher English and Accountancy courses. His advice to staff. Problems encountered with contractors. His experience at Carpenter's Day celebrations.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 14
Metadata
- 21 Oct 2003
Recording Date
- 00:28:39
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Description of projects undertaken. Market conditions and competitors. 50% of business was from repeat clients. Cinema advert painting done in canvas then. His emphasis on quality of work. Cited major differences in the nature of business then and now. Pakka paints used for projects. Positive and negative qualities of ex-boss. Lessons learnt from school of "hard knocks". His involvement in various areas of his business. Challenges faced. Annual turnover of company. PDA was pioneer in trade exhibitions. Reasons for not joining PDA as partner. Continued at PDA though he was underpaid to learn skills. . How he subsequently became number two at PDA.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 14
Metadata
- 21 Oct 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:56
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Changes in terms of employment was reason for his decision to setup own company. Establishment of Kingsmen in partnership with colleague and five other employees. Considered his partner to be "best designer" and most disciplined. Description of residential building where Kingsmen first operated. Cited long lasting relationships with business associates as key to success. S$600,000 turnover within first nine months.
Narrated an interesting episode with regard to office telephone line. Recalled first major exhibition with Singapore Manufacturers Association. Company's motto: Quality in design, Quality in production and Quality in after sales service. Shared common traits with partner. Internally generated capital of S$12,000. Frivolous annual dinners organised for his staff.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 14
Metadata
- 21 Oct 2003
Recording Date
- 00:29:33
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Detailed on rapport with suppliers. Distribution of tasks between his partner and him over the years. Listed initial projects undertaken. Recounted working on displays for branded watches, optics and popular electronic brands. Company expanded to include fashion and perfumery displays. Kingsmen's corporate relationship with Robinson Group of Companies for past 20 years. Company's expansion to regional and international realms. Christmas light-up contract and initial problems encountered. Culture of Kingsmen to get job done on time. Cited office design projects undertaken locally and overseas. How company got Kuwaiti departmental store project in eighties. Problems encountered with KL branch office. Regional expansion included Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 14
Metadata
- 31 Oct 2003
Recording Date
- 00:30:19
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian offices setup to service major trade show organizers. Kingsmen's longstanding relationship with Singapore Convention Bureau. Difficulties encountered in setting up Thai office. Hour Glass and Burberry projects in Thailand. Why Canadian designer was hired by client to ensure international standards. Recalled initial struggle with tradesmen for quality finish. Kingsmen's spirit of achieving best quality possible and delivering what they promised. Recounted having to redo parts of project due to poor quality at company's expense to maintain high standard. Recalled losing half million due to depreciation of Rupiah in Indonesia. Major projects in Indonesia. Future plans for Indonesian office and why caution was necessary.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 14
Metadata
- 31 Oct 2003
Recording Date
- 00:28:24
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
How trend changes in Indonesia benefited his business. Effects of economic recession on Kingsmen. Measures taken to align themselves with market reality. Second wave of expansion motivated by money. Traveled intensively to setup office in Hong Kong, Beijing, Korea, Tokyo, Osaka, Shanghai and Taiwan within two years. Detailed on partnerships and share percentages. Pressurized by peers into upgrading IT facilities. Initiation of Kingsmen, Korea. Considerations before setting up an office. Viewed on business "partnerships" in various countries. Felt customer's success was his success. Kingsmen's corporate philosophy. Opined that an individual made the company. How he solved Kingsmen's problems in China. Staff strength in the various branches.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 14
Metadata
- 7 Nov 2003
Recording Date
- 00:29:48
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Division of work between him and his partner; how business later split into 2 broad categories: Interior and Exhibitions. Interior involved offices and retail, while exhibitions encompassed festival decorations, museum interiors and product launches. Explained the structure of the company and how it evolved over the years. Initially named Kingsmen Designers and Producers, company had progressed to become Kingsmen International 20 years later. Criteria for selecting partners and higher management staff. Problems faced in the early years with overseas partners and examples of foreign partners whose expectations were mismatched with company objectives. Working relationship with his partner, in terms of communication, decision-making, and responsibilities. Touched on his personal side.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 14
Metadata
- 7 Nov 2003
Recording Date
- 00:29:56
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
His relationship with his partner and their personalities. Described themselves as honorable people with integrity. Detailed on his management philosophy and cited issues like salary freezes and promotions during bad times. Mentioned an employee who was better at operations than sales and marketing and how he was retained and given a more suited managerial role in operations. Believed that at Kingsmen, the organization and the staff had a synergistic partnership. Circumstances under which they would lay off staff. Company's recruitment process and how they ensured job-fit. Explained how the Humpty-Dumpty statue and the name 'Kingsmen' came about. Described how the company pulled through economic crises.
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