Hardwired for change

KOH Hock Seng, the founder and managing director of Exceltec, has transformed the business from a small subsidiary of the International Merchandising Mart (IMM) Mall, into an established integrated property and facilities management company in Singapore today.

Back in 1991, Yaohan International formed Exceltec to manage the facilities in IMM Mall. Unfortunately in 1997, the Asian Financial Crisis caused Yaohan to run into financial difficulties and thus had to exit Singapore. Mr Koh, who was the head of Exceltec back then, took the courage to buy out the subsidiary and founded Exceltec as an independent entity.

Under Mr Koh's stewardship, Exceltec has grown exponentially and now employs more than 300 staff, serving a sizable group of clients that includes an international postal service company, a prominent convenience store chain, public transport players, tertiary education institutions and some of the largest real estate companies in Singapore. Mr Koh was also the driving force behind Exceltec during trying times such as the SARS period and Global Financial Crisis, through the diversification into new services such as environmental engineering services and green technology.