Mr Liak Teng Lit, Group Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Perennial Real Estate Holdings will share about his values and insights at the next “In Search of Purpose” talk series on Thursday, 01 June 2017, organised by Central Singapore Community Development Council.

The former Chairman of the Public Hygiene Council, Mr Liak’s personal mantra is “Learn from everyone, follow no one, look for patterns, work like hell”. He drives the Keep Singapore Clean Movement and leads by example, picking up every piece of rubbish in sight and clearing tables of cups left behind. In an interview with The Straits Times, he shared that his obsession with cleanliness began with the fear of communicable diseases spreading.

Now, he worries that the disease is in Singapore’s societal values. He believes that Singapore is clean only because of its 70,000 cleaners (a staggering number he calls “ridiculous”). The majority of Singaporeans who do not litter, Mr Liak says, are equally guilty if they choose not to correct litterbugs in the act.

He adds that his hero is the dung beetle, which feeds on faeces. “They walk the ground, burrow underground, clean up the environment, recycle nutrients and improve soil aeration. Most of all, they solve problems others leave behind.” He has served on the board of several organisations, including NTUC Health, the National Environment Agency and Pathlight School. He led the following hospitals as CEOs previously: Toa Payoh Hospital, Changi General Hospital, Alexandra Hospital and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Admission to the talk is free.

Registration and more information about the talk can be found here.