PASSION! 2011 Booklet

Joy Z e al Ze s t Desire sm ia Enthus n o Aspirati Drive Energ y Love Ver ve Spirit y Vibranc on ti Dedica n Devotio nt e Excitem Joy Z e al Ze s t Desire sm ia Enthus n o Aspirati Drive Energ y Love Ver ve Spirit y Vibranc on ti Dedica n Devotio nt e Excitem Joy Z e al Ze s t Desire sm ia Enthus n o Aspirati Drive Energ y Love Ver ve Spirit y Vibranc on ti Dedica n Devotio nt e Excitem Joy Z e al Ze s t Desire iasm Enthus n o Aspirati Drive Energ y Love Ver ve Spirit y Vibranc on ti Dedica n Devotio nt e Excitem Joy Z e al Ze s t Desire iasm Enthus n o Aspirati Drive

ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited An annual publication to honour our people ISSUE 2011 MICA (P) 147/04/2011

CONTENTS

MD’S MESSAGE OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION BE OUR NEXT PASSION! WINNER

MD’S MESSAGE

Dear Colleagues, The world-renowned novelist, E. M. Forster, of “A Passage to India” fame, once said that “one person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.”

Certainly, a person driven by passion is able to accomplish so much more because of dedication, aspiration, zeal and belief.

Just ask any of this year’s Passion! Award winners. Each and every one of those featured in this booklet is the embodiment of true passion. To them, work is not just a means to earn a livelihood – it is a joy in itself.

It should come as no surprise then that the judges had a truly difficult time deciding who should be crowned this year’s Passion! Award winner. In the end, it was decided that not one, but two, of our colleagues were truly deserving of this honour.

One of them is SBS Transit’s Heng Fook Juan – a living, breathing example that age is no barrier to learning, so long as you have the passion for it. At 60 – an age when most people are contemplating retirement, Fook Juan decided to challenge himself by transferring to a department which required a complete set of new skills. He not only mastered the new skills within three months, he also succeeded in adding value to his new department by marrying his old skills with the new.

Our other winner, Metroline’s Roberto Afonso, is another sterling example of passion and dedication. The coach maker treats all the buses under his care as one of his own and spends countless hours poring through every detail to make sure that nothing is left to chance.

In addition to the joint winners, we have also granted a Special Award to Theaga Rajan of ComfortDelGro Engineering, who regularly goes out of his way to help his customers and his colleagues. Once, he even drove his own car to help a customer who had been stranded by the side of the road when her car broke down.

Such exceptional performance is certainly something to be proud of and I am sure you will join me in congratulating all our Passion! Award winners and nominees.

May our Passion! Award winners continue to inspire us all!

Warmest Regards Kua Hong Pak

OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION

2011 PASSION! AWARD WINNER

In his New Year’s message to staff this year, MD/GCEO Mr Kua Hong Pak spoke of the need to have a passion for learning, given that ‘the path of knowledge is one that is never-ending’.

S

BS Transit’s Heng Fook Juan is the perfect embodiment of this spirit of continuous learning.

At the age of 60, most people are already thinking of retirement.

Not Fook Juan, who not only wanted to continue working, but also wanted to try something new. A mechanic all his life, he decided it was time for a change last year when he heard that there was a vacancy in the Logistics department – even though he had no experience in this field.

His transfer was approved and he did not disappoint. Working doubly hard, he picked up unfamiliar IT skills with aplomb, fearlessly asking questions and constantly seeking help from his supervisor and younger peers, never allowing pride or age to get in the way of his quest for knowledge.

Length of service | 37.5 years

Within three months, Fook Juan had mastered the ropes – and was even able to provide added value by applying his mechanical skills to his new role. For example, on his own initiative, he helped with the assembly of the Transmatic Lamp Assembly spare parts during the non-peak periods, thereby shortening the turnaround time for maintenance and reducing the probability of the parts being misplaced.

Awards | CARES commendation

So once again, congratulations Fook Juan!

HENG FOOK JUAN / 61 Logistics Personnel SBS Transit, Singapore

2011 PASSION! AWARD WINNER

“All the buses that come under my care are mine, and therefore, when they leave my workshop, they must be the very best as they are the icons of my city and country.”

T

hat is the dictum Roberto Afonso subscribes to – so much so that he spends almost all his waking moments at the workshop. So strong is his conviction for perfection that his colleagues have all been infected with the same enthusiasm, and are likewise motivated to put in their best.

Thus, over the years, the accomplished coach maker has developed a solid reputation for himself as the master of his trade as he pushes himself to be heavily involved in all aspects of engineering. He is one who is not afraid of getting his hands dirty, conducting repair work in-house to the best of his ability with the primary purpose of reducing cost and shortening turnaround time, and to ensure the finished product meets his stringent standards.

His only complaint about his job? That he is unable to do even more. His tireless drive and passion for his work have garnered him the respect of both his peers and superiors, as he readily steps up to bat, running the show in the absence of his superiors, ever determined to ensure that the show not only goes on, but goes on well.

It is this genuine, personal pride that he takes in his work which has produced such excellent results for Metroline in the years of his service with the company, and which is to be lauded, as this service leader really walks the talk, and embodies ComfortDelGro’s passion.

ROBERTO AFONSO / 33 Coach Maker Metroline, United Kingdom Length of service | 7 years

OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION

OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION

2011 SPECIAL AWARD WINNER

What would you do if your customer’s car had broken down in the middle of the road and she was running late for work?

THEAGA RAJAN / 54

I

f you were Theaga Rajan, you would jump into your own car, pick the lady up and send her to work yourself – whilst concurrently making arrangements for her car to be towed to your workshop.

Customer Care Officer ComfortDelGro Engineering, Singapore Length of service | 1 year 2 months

For his extraordinary feat, Rajan won over a customer for life.

Awards | Transport Gold Award 2010 EXSA Award 2010 CEO Commendation Award 2010

In fact, in a span of a year, Rajan has amassed a whopping 54 compliments from customers who have been wowed by his caring and empathetic nature. Despite having to deal with frustrated and frazzled customers upset with their vehicle breakdowns, he always keeps his calm, smoothing out ruffled feathers and allaying fears and worries with his gentle smile.

Though he has only been with the company for a relatively short time, Rajan has proven himself an invaluable asset. Not surprising then, that he has been held up as a role model for many of his peers.

Well done, Rajan!

2011 OUTSTANDING NOMINEES

OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION

December 2010 was one of the coldest months London had ever seen, with temperatures falling to a low of minus 14.9 degrees Celsius! orried about his drivers, Garfield McLean sprung into action, putting in 14 hours a day to ensure that they were not stranded as he went to various locations to help free buses out from the snow.

W

In fact, Garfield’s helpful hands extended not just to drivers from his garage – but to others as well. In all, he spent a total of eight hours in the freezing cold, shovelling snow and pushing buses.

GARFIELD MCLEAN / 38 Service Controller, Harrow Weald Garage Metroline, United Kingdom Length of service | 10 years

Garfield’s sense of responsibility was also tested once when he chanced upon two teenagers who were trying to set one of Metroline’s buses on fire.

He trailed them for a good 15 minutes before the Police finally caught up.

Such displays of passion and bravery are to be lauded. We are proud to call Garfield one of our own.

OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION

2011 OUTSTANDING NOMINEES

Over the years, Goh Mong Siang, a technical officer with SBS Transit, has established for himself a reputation for being a solid, dependable staff. Ask his co-workers and the adjectives heaped on him would include words such as ‘dedicated’, ‘wellrespected’ and ‘humble’.

H

is greatest strength, however, lays in his ability to think out of the box, as Mong Siang is always on the lookout for ways to make improvements, or come up with solutions to deal with work problems.

For instance, he came up with a specially designed seat counter for double-deck buses so that passengers boarding the bus do not have to traipse upstairs to check if seats are available. And he did not stop there. He continued sourcing for more cost effective gadgets to further improve upon his idea and helped save another S$1,375 in costs per bus.

GOH MONG SIANG / 49 Technical Officer SBS Transit, Singapore Length of service | 17 years Awards | EXSA Gold (2010)

Mong Siang is also the go-to person whenever his colleagues need assistance. He is always ready to help, often taking the initiative to see if anyone needs help – including co-workers from other departments.

His passion for helping others, as well as his creativity, has won him the hearts of many people. He has certainly proven to be an invaluable asset to the Group.

2011 OUTSTANDING NOMINEES

Jessica Pang does not understand what ‘cannot’ or ‘impossible’ mean because to her, anything and everything can be achieved, if one only puts his or her mind to it.

er relentless pursuit of quality is reflected in her daily work, as she adopts a consistent diagnostic discipline, carries out regular comparisons and analyses of parts consumption patterns, and always remains on the lookout for ways to cut wastage.

H

Jessica is also known for testing boundaries, and for her passion for innovation. She has established for herself a reputation as a productivity activist. In just 2010, she implemented several initiatives, which achieved a total savings of more than S$264,000.

Her involvement as a LEAN Project Leader also helped the company achieve savings of close to S$1 million.

Jessica is certainly a role model and a source of inspiration to many.

JESSICA PANG / 48 Manager, Engineering & Supplies SBS Transit, Singapore Length of service | 17 years Awards | LEAN Award PIP Award

OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION

OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION

2011 OUTSTANDING NOMINEES

While driving past The Children’s Hospital at Westmead one day, ComfortDelGro Cabcharge bus driver Peter Rose had an idea – why not do something for the sick kids to cheer them up?

S

ince it was Christmas time, he thought: “Why not decorate the bus so that passengers will be so moved by the spirit of giving that they will be inspired to make donations to the children?”

He ran his idea by management who were in firm support of the idea. In a span of 10 days, a ComfortDelGro Cabcharge’s blue-and-white bus was transformed into a cheery red and green Christmas mobile.

Peter’s idea worked and commuters were spurred on to make generous donations. He managed to raise A$187, and passed on the cash to the hospital.

The smiles on the children’s faces told him he had done the right thing.

PETER ROSE / 52 Bus Operator ComfortDelGro Cabcharge, Hillsbus, Sydney, Australia Length of service | 4 years Awards | Certificate of appreciation from The Children’s Hospital at Westmead

That was four years ago.

Peter’s Christmas Bus idea is now an annual affair for ComfortDelGro Cabcharge.

In 2010, it raised more than A$26,000 for the hospital, a figure more than twice the target set.

Good work, Peter!

2011 OUTSTANDING NOMINEES

OUR PEOPLE, OUR PASSION

When Guangzhou Xin Tian Wei’s ticketing system shut down at 1.30am one day in December 2010, Deputy Head of Information Technology Liu Jun Chi grabbed his car keys and rushed down to the office in the hope of getting it back up before operations began. e spent the next five hours reconfiguring the system and reworking computer codes. His efforts did not go to waste and by the time the station’s doors opened at 6am, the system was back up and running.

H LIU JUN CHI / 35 Deputy Head, Information Technology Guangzhou Xin Tian Wei Transportation Development, China Length of service | 10 years

Jun Chi’s dedication to his work is legendary. He is meticulous to a fault and will often drill down to the finest details to make sure that nothing is left to chance.

Well done, Jun Chi!

BE OUR NEXT PASSION! WINNER

Passion resonates throughout the pages of this booklet. The people featured may be separated by continents but they all pulsate with the kind of energy and enthusiasm that sets them apart from the crowd.

We believe that there are many more like them in our Group. Could it be you? Or your colleague? Perhaps your supervisor or your subordinate?

Help us find them and let us all celebrate their achievements.

Printed by Colourscan Co (Pte) Ltd

AWARD A cash prize of S$5,000, a trophy, a free trip* and a framed certificate await our Passion! winner. He/She will receive the Passion! Award at a dinner hosted by ComfortDelGro’s MD/GCEO. The winner’s name will also be engraved on a Hall of Fame plaque which is located in our Singapore headquarters. *Trip includes a pair of economy-class tickets, a two-night hotel stay and a half-day city tour.

ASSESSMENT PERIOD From 1 January 2011 to 31 October 2011

SELECTION CRITERIA In general, areas of consideration are as follows: • Number of service • Safety and security commendations consciousness • Other awards received • Enthusiasm/job interest • Attendance/punctuality • Customer focus • Job competency • Responsibility • Sense of integrity • Special contributions