National Service
Immediately upon completing his GCE A-Levels in 1988, Richard was called-up for National Service and attended Basic Military Training (BMT) on Pulau Tekong, where he was assigned to Platoon 24 in Foxtrot Company. Upon completion of basic training, he was posted to the School of Provost (SOP) located in the SAF Provost Unit (SAFPU) within Mowbray Camp in Clementi. Upon completion of military police training, he was posted to now-defunct sub-unit where he took on a liaison role for the rest of his two year service. During his unit service, Richard was promoted twice, and upon his run-out-date (ROD) in 1991, he attained the rank of third-sergeant for his reserve service.
Career
Richard's first job after National Service was as Guest Relations Officer (GRO) at the newly-opened Underwater World Singapore on Sentosa. It was at this first job that Richard discovered his interest in nature and wildlife and his love for interacting with people. His main duties at UWS were to man the static and hands-on exhibits at the oceanarium, describing the marine exhibits to local visitors and international tourists. As one of the few appointed VIP guides, he also hosted various local and foreign dignitaries on guided tours of the facility, among whom was the late Dr Kwa Soon Bee, Permanent Secretary of Health. Dr Kwa was impressed with Richard's engaging personality and detailed knowledge of the exhibits that he offered him a similar position at the Jurong BirdPark, where Dr Kwa was Chairman and Managing Director. Underwater World Singapore closed on 26 June 2016
Richard joined Jurong BirdPark shortly after Dr Kwa's job offer and assumed the role of Public Relations Officer. Despite the hour-long commute from his home in the East, this was arguably Richard's favourite job. In particular, he enjoyed arriving very early in the morning and taking walks or driving acround the park in a buggy to enjoy the sounds of the birds waking up to a new day. ALthough his role was largely a desk-bound one, assisting with media enquiries and hosting the occasional VIP visit, he would find time to mingle with the park's visitors during operating hours, just to get a feel of their satisfaction levels. An added role he took on at the BirdPark was to assist with the publication of the Park's monthly educational newsletter BirdLife, and Richard soon discovered his passion for writing short articles and reports. This new-found skill would later be very useful in his next few roles. Jurong BirdPark closed on 3 January 2023 and moved to Mandai where it opened as Mandai Bird Paradise as part of Mandai Wildlife Reserve
After a few years at the BirdPark, Richard ventured further into the hospitality industry by joining Orchard Hotel Singapore as an Assistant Public Relations Manager. This role was a large shift away from the wildlife industry, although he still hosted media and VIP visits within the hotel premises. His interest in writing and publishing was further developed when he was placed in charge of the hotel's graphic department and oversaw the design, layout, editing and publication of the hotel's bimonthly newsletter. This role also required him to oversee food photography at the hotel's various F&B outlets where he not only picked up plating, staging and lighting skills, but also piqued his interest in culinary creations.
Richard soon returned to the tourist attraction industry and joined CHIJMES as an Assistant Marketing Communications Manager a short time after the conserved site of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus along Victoria Street was opened. CHIJMES was Richard's first urban tourism project as well as his foray into history and heritage tourism. During his time at CHIJMES, he conducted regular "Gate of Hope" walking tours, describing the history of the site as an orphanage and hone for abandoned babies. Unlike in his previous jobs, handling the attraction's monthly newsletter required him to liaise with tenants and assist them with marketing and promotions campaign initiatives.
Over the next decade, Richard worked as a business consultant, offering marketing and web-based solutions for small and medium enterprises in the fashion, retail and food & beverage industries.
Private Education
Richard had a very successful career in the private education industry teaching hospitality, tourism and F&B. He first started out as an associate hospitality lecturer at NUAC, before accepting a full-time position as hospitality, retail and business lecturer at AEC College. When the opportunity presented itself, he accepted the position as Head of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Retail and developed the college's culinary arts programme. Prior to the launch of the programme, Richard was also instrumental in the setting up of the college's training kitchen Dining@3500. After he left AEC College, Richard joined Coleman College as an associate lecturer in hospitality and tourism.
#TravelTrainer
Richard's association with Chan Brothers Travel spans over a quarter of a century. He started out as a junior travel consultant in the China department, then as an outbound tour manager for the Long Haul department and finally as a Retail Manager in the Asia department. During this time, his many roles included stints in retail, customer service, managing a call centre and e-commerce travel sales. In 2023, he was appointed the company's Training and Development Manager, combining his passions for the travel and education industries. His current role includes managing the training needs for the organisation as well as its loyalty programme.
Professional Certifications
Having himself completed his tertiary education while juggling a busy work schedule, and developed a wide repertoire of side-businesses, Richard believes that a work-study education and life-long learning are very necessary to build a successful career and remain relevant to the ever-changing needs of the workforce. He is a strong supporter of adult continuing education and the Singapore government's SkillsFuture upskilling initiative. Some of his SOAs include:
Train the Trainer Programme (Institute of Technical Education)
• Design and Develop OJT Programme
• Prepare and Conduct Coaching
NTUC Learning Hub
• Training, Coaching and Assessment Management
• Service Coaching
• Data Protection Management
Certified Digital Marketing Strategist v2 (Equinet Academy)
• Digital Advertising
• Digital Content Marketing
• Digital Marketing Analytics
• Digital Marketing Essentials
• Email Marketing
• Search Engine Optimisation
• Social Media Marketing
NATAS Professional Tour Leading (Tourism Management Institute of Singapore)
• Service Planning and Implementation
• Events Planning and Management
• Coordinate Regional Tour
• Prepare for Tour
• Implement Operations for Service Excellence
WSQ Diploma in Retail Management (Singapore Institute of Retail Studies)
• Control Inventory
• Deliver Service Excellence
• Interact with Customers
• Lead and Manage Work Teams
• Maintain Professional Image
• Manage Customer Relationships (CRM) in a Retail Environment
• Manage Finance for Retail Operations
• Manage Human Resources to Achieve Service Excellence
• Manage Marketing Strategies
• Manage Merchandising and Store Presentation
• Manage Service Operations
• Offer Customised and Personalised Service
• Provide GEMS Service
• Retail Management
• Retailing and the Economy
Advanced Certificate in Training & Assessment (Singapore Training & Developement Association)
• Apply Adult Learning Principles and Code of Ethics Relating to Training
• Conduct Competency-Based Assessment
• Design and Develop a WSQ Facilitated Training Programme
• Develop a Compentency-Based Assessment
• Interpret the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications Framework
• Prepare and Facilitate Classroom Training
• Training and Assessment
Food Hygiene Course (Guilford Training Centre)
• Follow Food and Beverage Safety and Hygiene Policies and Procedures
STC Institute of Learning (SRTC)
• Care Assistance (Community Care Associate)
