The spreadsheet closes at some point. Then the amp goes on.

Music has been the constant thread through everything. I play guitar in The Ninth Order, a six-piece originals band — we've released an album and are working on the next one with a Grammy-nominated producer. Before that came two decades of cover bands: The Project, The Rogue Traders, and Jade and Confused — pub stages, festivals, and corporate ballrooms across Singapore.

I'm also an unapologetic gear enthusiast: hand-wired tube amps, well-worn Telecasters, and a pilgrimage or two to Nashville, including the Ryman and the CMA Awards.

The stage taught me things no MBA could: how to listen while performing, how six people become one sound, and how the best moments happen when you trust the band and let someone else take the solo. Every high-performing team I've built at work runs on the same principles.

Ask anyone who's worked with me and they'll tell you the same thing: I love building highly efficient teams — small, senior, trusted groups where problems surface early and wins are shared. Some of my closest friendships started as working relationships, from Specialized ride crews to market visits across Asia.

My origin story explains it. I started as an IT entrepreneur in Singapore, and when you've run your own business — closed the sales, installed the hardware, run the cables yourself — you never lose respect for the people who do the work. Titles don't build things. Teams do.