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He left and came back as a PR. Good example that PR is better than citizenship.
SINGAPORE - When he gave up his Singapore passport for a Canadian one, and went on to an illustrious career as a "mentor" to global CEOs which earned him a place on Sony Corporation's board of directors - a rare honour for a non-Japanese - Hsieh Tsun-yan did not expect that he would one day return to his roots.
The President's Scholar, who cut short his bond and a career in public service after completing his MBA at Harvard Business School, spent some two decades at global management consultancy McKinsey, where he rose to become the Managing Director of McKinsey Canada and travelled the world to help heads of multi-national corporations become better leaders.
"At the time (when I left) I had a little bit of difficulty explaining it to people. They'd ask, 'are you going there and never coming back?'" says Mr Hsieh, who in 2000 became Managing Director of McKinsey South-east Asia in Singapore.
"I didn't plan it this way, but what is so clear to me now is where I would rather be. I can be at home here and contribute to society here."
In a casual get-up of rolled shirtsleeves and trousers, Mr Hsieh looks relaxed by corporate high-flyer standards. But his appearance belies a forceful personality - after being made junior partner at McKinsey in Canada, he defied expectations by accounting for 75 per cent of the client billings in Canada in one year.
His intensity can be seen even in how he enjoys a cup of coffee - he can be counted on to assess how it was prepared and his favourite way of brewing coffee (in an Italian "Moka pot").
And during the photo shoot, he peppers the photographer with questions on technique and equipment. "I became interested in photography when I joined Sony, because I wanted to become familiar with their products," explains Mr Hsieh, who has since channelled this interest into turning his travel photos into short films for friends and family.
WORLD-CLASS S'PORE CEOS
It was in 2007 that Mr Hsieh was invited to join Sony's board, which he did in 2008 after he retired from his executive positions at McKinsey - making him one of only four non-Japanese on the board.
This next phase of his career will see him imparting his corporate-world savvy to students at the National University of Singapore Business School. Last month, he was appointed the school's Provost Chair Professor of Management. He has helped design a course on business communication which he will personally teach in the coming semester.
Mr Hsieh, who has said he hopes to see a Singaporean CEO run a Fortune 500 company, believes the local talent pool has leaders of top calibre.
He dismisses the perception that Singaporeans are often passed over for foreigners when Singaporean companies select leaders. "Singapore has world-class companies - SingTel, Singapore Airlines, Keppel - and the (Singaporeans) who run these companies are world class," he said. "No board will get away with (favouring foreigners). Everybody is looking everywhere, and the person chosen is the best person for the job."
THE 'GOOD ENOUGH' CULTURE
Instead of getting "emotional" over this, he thinks the bigger question we should consider is whether Singapore has more companies that will become world-class. "Let's talk about that. That's a productive, constructive conversation."
Mr Hsieh describes his role at Sony as having a "front row seat to the sea-change" in what consumers want. While they previously sought to buy the very best quality they could afford, this has been replaced by what he calls the "good-enough" culture.
The biggest challenge companies now face, says Mr Hsieh, is convincing the younger generation that their product is "cool". Pointing to the dominance of Apple's iPhones and iPads, he says: "If you look at it from a purely technical point of view, there's a lot to quibble with - it still doesn't have a USB port. When they introduced the iPhone (4) last year, they did it with full awareness that it drops calls. So are consumers gullible? No, it's that in a 'good-enough' culture, there are other things that are more important."
Businesses - beyond just those in the consumer electronics industry -need to understand these intangibles. "I look with horror at the coffee being served in coffee joints. But what makes those coffee joints successful is that they are 'good enough' to serve a purpose … ofttimes the coffee is just the excuse for socialisation, so some of these companies have created a place and environment for people to socialise."
ALL THAT BOTTLED WASTE
Mr Hsieh also waxes passionate about how the consumer electronics industry could look more closely at the environmental impact of their products.
He speaks as someone who carries around an aluminium bottle instead of buying bottled water, and laments the wastefulness of bottled water doled out at trade conferences. "They line up this whole row of plastic bottles and throw them away after one session, and then bring out more," he complains. "Why can't we just use a jug for water or something?"
What awoke the greenie in him was a fishing trip with a Canadian client to Newfoundland, where the beauty and purity of the place struck him. "I care more and more about the environment in conscious ways, because of a very simple idea - the beauty of the world that I have been privileged to experience.
"I want to make sure I do my fair share, or more than my fair share, to make sure (future) generations can enjoy what I have seen," says the father of two adult children. "I'm not very proud of the fact that my generation, the baby boomers, actually did a lot of damage … the way we thought about economic development."
REPORT CARD MEANS NOTHING
That bit of a rebellious spirit also surfaces in his parenting philosophy. Mr Hsieh said he and his wife early on decided they did not need to see their children's report cards.
"I told (our kids), the report card is meaningless to me … I only need to judge by what comes out of your education: Are you well-mannered, are you making friends with the right people, are you thinking more about the world than about yourself, are you involved in community work, and making some modicum of contribution."
Though a scholarship holder himself, he feels that Singaporeans at times are too preoccupied over about elite schools, scholarships and the "pecking order of things".
"On the global stage, it means nothing," he points out.
"Very often, we focus on the very little differences in our society and forget the fact that on the global stage, what matters is not that pecking order. It is your own inner resources. Can you cut it? Are you humble enough to learn? Are you resilient enough to pick yourself up after a setback?"
NOT A BOND-BREAKER
He does not appreciate his "original bond-breaker" label, as he was dubbed by a Business Times article in 2010.
"First, to be a bond-breaker would mean I didn't bother to serve my time at all," says Mr Hsieh, who spent five years at the Public Works Department before he went on to do his MBA. "Number two, I am not the original, there were others."
Now a permanent resident, he feels Singaporeans should not be "hung up" over whether to stay in Singapore or uproot for other opportunities.
"I think that's the wrong way to think about it. The right way to think about it is, you should go overseas in a field you are excited about and really push the envelope, so that (you) can understand the global forces.
"And then by all means let your heart do the talking. If the heart deep down inside is Singaporean, come back."
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