When Arthur Kiong, CEO of Far East Hospitality, failed his A Levels, he thought his life was pretty much over.

His dad even told him, "I’m sorry, you had your shot but you missed it" and in Arthur's own words, "I was lost and I was discouraged and I was in a great deal of pain and despair."

Arthur ended up selling slimming products on the streets because it was the only job he could find before applying to Mediocorp to become a stage technician.

Things took a turn when he was asked to take a voice test and he ended up with a celebrity radio DJ because he could pronounce "Thursday the Thirteenth”! 

Overnight, Arthur found himself rubbing shoulders with the who's who and celebrities of the world and you would’ve thought that this was where Arthur’s career was on a rapid trajectory upwards save that he gave it all up to work to become a greeter at Prego. 

People were astonished. 

Why would he take on such a 'demeaning' job?!

But Arthur was adamant.

And Prego signalled the first step that Arthur took into the world of hospitality, where you'll find that he's had more than his share of incredible luck, ingenuity and adventures.

Including:

• Being 'saved' by a war and lauded as a genius
• Landing his dream job (at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong) because his dog, Silky, fell sick!
• Launching a successful marketing campaign straight after 9/11 (despite being in the thick of a fight between the head office & owner!)

To find out more, you’ll just have to listen to this STIMY Ep 147 with Arthur Kiong. 😏

Highlights:

• 2:49 Adrian Tan
• 3:52 You have to be on the right escalator
• 6:18 Being in despair
• 6:53 Selling Japanese slimming starch
• 7:04 Becoming a celebrity radio DJ because he could pronounce ‘Thursday the Thirteenth’
• 9:01 Giving it all up
• 10:36 No future?
• 12:17 Becoming a waiter at Prego
• 12:55 Oh Lord, what have I done?!
• 15:00 Sales wasn’t easy!
• 15:26 First big breakthrough in hospitality
• 16:33 Interesting initiatives
• 19:39 Being saved by a war
• 22:35 I found nothing!
• 23:58 That scares me… I like being in control!
• 25:21 The difference between knowing and knowing
• 26:35 Landing the dream job at The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong because of my sick dog!
• 28:09 It was a spooky experience
• 30:42 Returning to Singapore
• 31:18 The significant career break that allowed him to get into the Ritz
• 33:42 Superman in New York
• 36:21 When the cucumber turns green, it means the time is ripe
• 37:43 If things go south, will the corporate body defend me? 
• 39:37 I wanted to architect my resume
• 41:10 Why Singapore?
• 42:11 Building a Singaporean Hotel Brand
• 45:18 Living by Christian Values
• 49:05 Challenges of a CEO (that most don’t see)
• 50:23 Do you believe in God?
• 51:32 The Second Act in your career?
• 53:00 Biggest career advice
• 54:23 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?
• 55:18 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
• 55:37 What are the most important qualities of a successful person?

Special thanks to Limpeh Studios for making this in-person interview possible!

🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/147

🍿 YouTube: https://youtu.be/lJkY_8igcxQ 

📚 Download 5 Stones & a Sling: https://www.fareasthospitality.com/-/media/StayFarEast/Five-Stones-and-a-Sling

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062

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Official Biography

Arthur Kiong is the Chief Executive Officer of Far East Hospitality, which is part of Far East Orchard Limited, a listed company under Far East Organization. 

Since Arthur joined the organisation in July 2012, he has been instrumental in growing the company’s hospitality management business through joint-ventures and acquisitions. Over the last nine years, Far East Hospitality's portfolio grew from 18 properties in Singapore to 105 hotels and serviced residences in nine countries – Austria, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore, with more in its development pipeline.

In more than 35 years of his career in the hospitality industry, Arthur has worked at prominent international hospitality brands including Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton (Singapore and New York), Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (Hong Kong), Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Westin Hotels & Resort. 

Arthur also plays an active role in championing change in the hospitality industry, and currently serves as First Vice President of the Singapore Hotel Association. In 2020, he was appointed as the hospitality representative in the National Jobs Council – a task force set up to establish jobs and upskilling opportunities during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In Nov 2022, Arthur received the Executive of the Year – Hospitality & Leisure award from the Singapore Business Review Management Excellence Awards for initiating transformative changes to FEH’s operations and steered the group’s expansion in recent years despite the pandemic. 

Arthur was a recipient of the Special Recognition Award from Singapore Tourism Board in 2016 for having played a key role in rallying support for driving productivity and manpower development initiatives in the hotel industry.