Choe Peng Sum, new ACS BOG chair and veteran hotelier, talks about the new ACS Academy and God at the workplace
In November 2024, Choe Peng Sum assumed the role of Chairperson of Board of Governors, Anglo-Chinese School (ACS). He has worshipped at Barker Road Methodist Church for more than 50 years, serving as its lay leader and Pastor-Parish Relations and Staff Committee chairperson at different points in time. As a veteran hotelier, his name is familiar in the marketplace after more than 25 years in the hospitality industry. Currently he is the CEO of Pan Pacific Hotel Group.
In Choe’s eyes, his career path and faith journey are closely intertwined. His entry into the world of hotels came when he applied for a Shangri-La scholarship. Out of 480 applicants, he was one of two successful candidates. “At the fifth round of interviews, my cell group was outside praying for me,” he said. “That I managed to get this scholarship with no relevant experience was surely the hand of God. God knew that I would enjoy running businesses, that I liked to understand how they work, so I’m grateful he set me on the right career path.”
Building a different kind of school
Choe became a believer in ACS. The young Choe had a chance to hear the gospel because he attended ACS and joined The Boys’ Brigade. “I’m from the era of the clock tower revival,” he recalled.
As BOG chairperson, he will be involved in the new ACS campus at Tengah. He shares his excitement at the prospect of building a different kind of school campus, both in its architectural design and in its culture, that will allow growth and integration between two schools: “ACS Academy”, the upcoming school for children with special needs and ACS (Primary) which will be co-located at the Tengah site.
Students of the two schools will be given opportunities to interact with each other naturally and intentionally—a different approach to special needs education. The campus will have mingling areas, like a “lung”, so that students can interact during recess, and it will boast sports and vocational facilities that both schools will share, creating more opportunities for the students to have activities together. Seeing how the physical design of the school has direct impact on the social aspects of school life, he is amused at the parallels between school and hotel design.
Acknowledging that “Tengah” has been fractious for the ACS family, he is ready to deal with the challenges that lie ahead.
His support for the school’s move to the heartlands and fulfilling its original mission has to do with the fact that his mother had queued up to register him when the ACS Primary School was at Coleman Street. “Coleman Street was not like Bukit Timah today,” Choe said, alluding to the fact that the school was open to all and his life would have been vastly different otherwise.
On having a co-ed ACS and admitting girls to a traditionally all-boys school, he said educators he has spoken to support the idea wholeheartedly. “I think we should just embrace it and move on. ACS boys who have daughters would benefit from this co-ed school,” he said.
“It’s not going to be easy, but we have wonderful opportunities at Tengah. What I would like to do is bring everyone together and move forward,” said Choe.
God at the workplace
Rallying people and “knowing your flock” is something he has spoken of before in other interviews about workplace leadership. In many articles about Choe, he is dubbed the “workplace minister”, seeing his role as an office “pastor” who is known to speak of his faith openly. “It may scare you when I put it this way, but I do hear God’s voice,” Mr Choe says, matter-of-factly.
“It may scare you when I put it this way, but I do hear God’s voice,” Mr Choe says, matter-of-factly.
Rising to the top of leadership at work has not come without its struggles. At times, it is like being thrust into battlefields and being forced to make a tough, sometimes illogical, call. Above all, Choe firmly believes: “God is relevant at the workplace. His ways are better than our ways.”
But aren’t marketplace practices often at odds with Christian principles? At the workplace, there are turf wars, politics and badmouthing, but Choe “still think(s) it’s possible to behave differently.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, hotels and airlines were the worst hit industries. As Choe struggled to keep 6,000 staff employed, he heard God tell him to “start a war room” and examined the cashflow data with a team of experts. The plan was to slash salaries of the staff around the world, starting with China, and in doing so, no one was laid off. Miraculously, the business became cashflow positive as the world emerged from the pandemic, and Choe then lobbied for all salaries to be returned to the employees.
Occasionally his decisions have caused his staff to raise their eyebrows because of the seeming ill logic. During the pandemic, one of the senior partners in China was upset and had sent a legal letter, threatening to break the relationship. Choe’s team replied with an equally tough letter and organised a meeting to face each other online.
“That morning, I prayed and asked God for wisdom. And I heard God say, ‘Just listen.’”
“I told my CFO to stand down the lawyers, and she was shocked. ‘But we’re ready to fight,’ she said. If we went without our lawyers, it was akin to going to battle naked.”
When the virtual meeting started, the partner turned up with his army of the best lawyers. But after 25 minutes of ranting, he suddenly stopped and asked his lawyers to leave the room.
“Frankly, I could have just called you and talked,” the partner admitted.
Choe said, “I realised then if we had gone in with our lawyers, we would have started fighting because neither side would want to lose. My staff asked me, ‘How did you know?’ And the truth is, I didn’t know, I just prayed. Sometimes what God asks you to do doesn’t make sense.”
That difference in his thinking comes from a constant fellowship with God, continuously seeking his wisdom. Philippians 4:6 is a verse he clings to.
Choe said, “Others will be able to see the difference in your behaviour, that you’re calm, your decisions are made from a different place. God is interested in your work. For me, church starts on Monday.”