The CEO of Poh Tiong Choon Logistics tells us how his lifelong passion for the arts has shaped his approach to work and life.

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Poh Choon Ann believes in maintaining a low profile. “I don’t wear gold and diamond watches, because there’s no need to be ostentatious,” he quips. Choon Ann wears a Midnight Skeleton watch by Harry Winston.

Once upon a time, there lived seven brothers, whose names all included “choon”, the Chinese character for spring. (They also had a sister, who stood out among the boys in more ways than one, since her name meant autumn chrysanthemum). Their childhood did seem to evoke the promise of spring—their parents ran a provision shop and owned a small Ford car, which made them relatively well-off members of their Thomson Road kampong community. 

But soon came a season of struggle. Their father passed away, and the older siblings had to drop out of school and find work. Thanks to the family car, the two eldest brothers had discovered their affinity for vehicles at a young age, and they decided to start a logistics company in 1950 with little more than a few lorries. It was a modest beginning, but the auspicious name for their new venture spoke of bigger ambitions—Poh Tiong Choon, which translates as an everlasting spring.

Today, Poh Tiong Choon Logistics is one of the largest land transport providers in Asia. It’s headed by chairman and CEO Poh Choon Ann, the youngest of eight siblings. He’s now 80 years old, but there’s still a lot of that impish youngest-child energy about him. He’s quick-witted and friendly, bantering easily with the crew during the shoot, adept at putting everyone at ease.

(Related: Singapore Tatler Diamond Award 2016—Poh Choon Ann)

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The music lover decided to enter the business world to repay his family for their support of his education. Choon Ann wears Annual Calendar Ref 5146J-001 watch by Patek Philippe.

Perhaps his name also foretold (or shaped) his personality—Choon Ann denotes a peaceful spring, a season of contentment. He was the only child in the family who was able to continue with his education even when they were finding it tough to make ends meet, and he has never forgotten that it was the sacrifices of his elder siblings that made it possible.

As a child, his affinity was for music. “Even though we were poor, I really wanted to learn how to play the piano, because it’s the king of musical instruments and lays the foundation for learning music,” he recalls. “I asked my elder brothers to buy me a piano, and it took a long time to convince them because our finances back then made a piano a real extravagance. Eventually, they bought me a second-hand one.”

He even studied music for a short time in England, but eventually decided to plunge into the business world. “I was very grateful for my family’s support. I resolved to make a lot of money so I could make our lives better.” But music has remained a lifelong passion, and perhaps it has also made him an exceptionally creative businessman. “My training in music has made me more attuned to things like how to treat people and make decisions,” he enthuses. “Music is an emotive discipline, so in business I am more sensitive to relationships. You cannot just think about profit and loss, you have to treasure the people you do business with.”

“In life, we mustn’t be too stubborn about bearing grudges. It’s important to think long-term, see the big picture, and not take things too hard. ”

Cherishing Relationships
Before he decided to join his brothers at Poh Tiong Choon in 1964, he had worked briefly in another logistics company, only to quit when he was given a $500 year-end bonus. “That made me very angry. I had worked very hard and the company had made a lot of money that year,” he remembers with a chuckle. “I felt my reward was not proportionate to my contribution, and that sense of dissatisfaction propelled me to strike out on my own.”

But true to his name, the even-tempered Choon Ann didn’t play angry young man for very long. The boss who gave him that bonus later became a close working partner, and Choon Ann still regards him as a benefactor. “Without him, I wouldn’t have been provoked into working so hard. In life, we mustn’t be too stubborn about bearing grudges. It’s important to think long-term, see the big picture, and not take things too hard. We must learn how to make more friends.”

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Indeed, his ability to form enduring relationships with his business partners has been instrumental to Poh Tiong Choon’s success. The late Teo Soo Chuan, former chairman of See Hoy Chan Holdings Group and Ow Chio Kiat, now executive chairman of Stamford Land Corporation are just two such partners whose trust proved instrumental at different phases of Poh Tiong Choon’s expansion. Says Choon Ann: “Society was much simpler then, and relationships were more sincere. But to get people to trust you, you must also be able to earn that trust by doing your work well.”

“Music is about harmony, and a family is the same. If a family is not harmonious, then there’s no future.”

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Choon Ann has not just demonstrated his business acumen in logistics, he has also invested in the entertainment industry and even sushi outlets. He wears Big Date Moonphase watch by Harry Winston.

His views on cherishing relationships also extend to his own staff. As a young man, he joined several choirs and learned how to conduct. These days, he compares leading a company to conducting an orchestra. “Music is about harmony, and a family is the same. If a family is not harmonious, then there’s no future. It’s just like how an orchestra with 85 people can’t make music if each person insists on going his own way.”

He believes this company culture of valuing harmony is deeply ingrained and will endure. For instance, Poh Tiong Choon famously does not impose a fixed retirement age for its staff, and Choon Ann points to his own secretary as an example. She’s been working with him for 49 years, “from a young girl to a grandmother”, he says proudly. “A company’s employees are its greatest assets. With their rich experience, they can continue to contribute, and enjoy the healthcare benefits of employment.  This enables them to live with dignity.” As the conductor-CEO, he took pains to persuade everyone to get on-board with this policy. “More senior staff have higher wages, so this will increase the company’s burden. But I don’t see it that way, and over time, everyone came to understand this point of view.”

(Related: #SGTatlerBall2016: The Arrivals)

Seize The Day
Poh Tiong Choon marked its 66th anniversary earlier this year, and the second-and third-generation leaders are already in place. “As a first-generation leader, I have to keep an open mind,” says Choon Ann. “The younger generation have different life experiences, so the way they handle things are also different. I pay attention to these differences so I can harmonise the opinions and suggestions across different generations.”

Pioneer generation businessmen like him and his brothers learned how to endure hardship, and he hopes that the next generation will be able to stay true to this industrious spirit.

He is also brimming with confidence when it comes to Singapore’s future as a logistics hub, highlighting the impending shift of Singapore’s container terminals from Tanjong Pagar to Tuas and Changi Airport’s upcoming fourth and fifth terminals as signs that Singapore will continue to maintain its competitive edge. By 2025, for instance, the airport will be able to service 135 million passengers a year, about 25 times the population of Singapore, he points out. These facts and figures roll off his tongue easily, thanks to his extensive experience of leading Singapore business delegations to China. “I am always prepared to sell Singapore’s most outstanding aspects, like a one-man foreign affairs ministry,” he jokes.

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As for the future of Poh Tiong Choon, he believes that new opportunities remain to be seized. “In the 1960s, Singapore was very backward, but there were many opportunities. Our company was able to grow in tandem with Singapore’s development,” he says. “Now, it’s an era for innovation.” The blueprint for the company’s development is multifaceted—in addition to its long-standing expertise in container trucking, bulk cargo handling, chemicals cargo handling, and home delivery and assembly services, it also intends to focus on e-commerce warehousing as a growth area. “We are in a very stable position right now because we have a combination of the experienced older generation and the dynamic younger generation,” he says. “And we have the knowledge of having conquered many challenges, not just surviving two major global financial crises in 1997 and 2008 but actually emerging stronger.”

Perhaps one of the most striking examples of his knack for turning crisis into opportunity lies in the realm of show business. In 1969, Choon Ann had invited some of the reigning Chinese superstars of the time to perform at a charity gala event in Singapore. He had also invited up-and-coming talent Teresa Teng, who was just 16 years old then and relatively unknown. “I thought she was a very special singer; no matter what song she was performing, she sounded full of feeling and very natural. Not every singer can do that.” Worried that she would not stand out in a line-up full of glamorous divas, he came up with an idea. To complement her rendition of Taiwanese folk song Sio Bak Chang (Hot Rice Dumpling), he got her to carry a basket of rice dumplings onto the stage, and instructed her to walk into the audience and pass out the dumplings to them as she sang.

“In those days, there were no wireless microphones. I still remember that long cable attached to her mic as she walked down the aisle of the National Theatre,” he reminiscences. The following day, all the Chinese and even English newspapers in Singapore carried photos of Teng’s performance. “That was the first time Singaporeans got to know about her. One small idea made her famous, because Singapore was so conservative then that no performer had ever done anything like it.” Teng even scored her first record deal off the back of this performance, so Choon Ann certainly played a pivotal role in the career of one of the most iconic singers in Chinese popular music.

It’s an entertaining story and one he recounts with glee and affection, but the arts are no mere diversion for this long-time patron of groups such as the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Rather, he views his role as a bridge between the worlds of commerce and culture. “The meaning of life lies in the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty, and that is something that the arts can give you. Making money is just the means to an end, not a goal in itself,” he says. “I hope more business leaders will embrace the arts and shoulder the responsibility of giving back to society and helping it to become more gracious, accepting and harmonious.”

Poh Tiong Choon Logistics Milestones

1950 The two eldest Poh brothers found Poh Tiong Choon Logistics as an owner-operator transport company
1964 Poh Choon Ann joins the company
1966 Pioneers bulk cargo handling with the unloading of the first bulk raw sugar shipment at Jurong Port
1967 Starts heavy haulage service
1995 Reviews business to consolidate and restructure business divisions
1996 Obtains ISO 9002 Quality Management Award for logistics systems
1999 Listed on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange. The public offer portion of the initial public offering was 163 times over-subscribed
2002 Began warehouse operations at the new PTC Chemical Logistics Complex in Jurong Island
2009 Sets up PTC Marine
2016 Celebrates 66th anniversary


Photography Munster + Long Fei
Fashion Direction Desmond Lim 
Grooming: Cheryl Ow/Indigo artisans, using L’Oréal Professionnel and Make Up For Ever
Stylist’s assistant: Joey Tan
Location: Shisen Hanten