What are the most significant cases or transactions that you have been involved in over the past year?

This has been a busy year for ERA as we have worked hard to automate many of our processes and to leverage on the use of AI. ERA was the first agency to create a legal AI tool for our sales force and this has helped them tremendously from an efficiency and efficacy standpoint. Apart from this, ERA has also automated the screening of clients, which is part of the KYC on-boarding process for clients to cut down the processes faced by salespersons. Finally, ERA has also provided its salesforce with a fully digitalised transaction platform where contracts, with the necessary details filled in, can be easily generated by salespersons.

And of course, this is on top of providing support to the business on more than S$22 bn worth of transactions through nine months in 2024 across all sectors of the real estate market.

Based on your experience, what is the key to collaborating successfully with business partners?

The key to collaborating successfully with business partners is to understand the business and the space in which business partners work in providing solutions that drive their businesses forward. In this regard, I am very grateful to have colleagues in the department who were part of the sales force.

Another crucial key is to build trust and mutual respect with business partners by not only maintaining a strong presence in the boardroom but also in the trenches of the frontlines of the business.

How do you motivate and manage the other members of your legal team well?

I hope I do, at least that’s what they tell me!

Frankly, it is about building a culture where everyone looks out for each other in the team. Oftentimes, high achievers get really caught up in bringing value to the business and it is important to protect their time and look out for their careers. It is a virtuous cycle and I’m really grateful for their trust.

What is a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about, and why?

I am really passionate about the real estate industry. To me, it is not just about bringing up the bottom-line for my company but also about driving positive change for the entire industry. One key change is AI and how this can be used to empower consumers in making informed decisions. This is something that ERA has pioneered in Singapore by using AI in various ways, for example in generating property reports for consumers where key information is presented in an easy-to-understand format. We intend to further this space in our effort to empower and enable consumers to make the best decisions for their property needs.