What has been the biggest obstacle for veteran property consultant Soon Su Lin?
A swarm of mosquitoes. And that was probably the only thing that ever brought her down during her high-flying 16 years spearheading real estate transactions in Singapore, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
“When I was a property valuer, I had to value this large piece of swampland, was bitten by mosquitoes and later came down with dengue fever,” recalled a laughing Ms Soon, chief executive of Orchard Turn Developments, the company responsible for one of the largest building projects the shopping belt has ever seen.
With the example, Ms Soon brushed aside notions about politics of gender. Instead, success at any level comes to the brave, she said in her first profile interview since she left top international commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) last May.
There, she was involved in landmark transactions such as the sale of Scotts Shopping Mall and The Ascott Serviced Apartments.
At every stage of her employment with CBRE, Ms Soon said she always dived head-first into different kinds of projects, some of which led her in unexpected but ultimately fulfilling directions.
The occasional trifle, however, did occur. “In the earlier years of travelling to China, my impression was that the Chinese businessmen were less comfortable in dealing with a woman. When I travelled with a male colleague, they were more comfortable talking to my male colleague, even though I held a higher title,” she said.
Such encounters did little to dampen her spirit or slow her climb up the ladder.
Today, as the top person at Orchard Turn Developments, Ms Soon stands on the cusp of creating the first residential-cum-retail project to hit Singapore’s prime shopping street in about a decade.
Worth $2 billion, the 56-storey building will have more than 450 shops and restaurants, including top brands now not in Singapore.
Ms Soon’s project could also set standards for design and architecture, besides smashing bench- mark prices for luxury apartments. City Development’s St Regis Residences currently holds the record of $3,000 per square foot.
“I was always very focused on the assignment — rather than being concerned if I could do the job because I am a woman,” said Ms Soon.
Source: Weekend Today, 03 March 2007