The data centre industry is a highly complex one, but Wai Meng Wong has learned the art of explaining it in a succinct and simple way. “We do a lot of corporate social responsibility initiatives, and there was one session where we hosted a whole bunch of young kids, who are all about 10 to 12 years old,” Wai Meng, the CEO of Keppel Data Centres, says.
“I explained to them what a data centre was. I said: ‘Boys and girls, do you play games on your computer? When you play games, there has to be something behind it that is talking to it, something that is making the game operate as you would expect it to.
When you click a button or you touch something, the game responds to you because there’s something in the back of it — basically a server or a bigger computer that talks to your phone, your iPad or your desktop at home. All these back-end systems, these big computers, are kept in a specialised building called a data centre. There are literally thousands and thousands of systems in these centres to ensure that your game keeps running well.’”
When put like that, it sounds like a fairly straightforward concept that is easy enough to understand; however, delve a little deeper and it is obvious there are many technical intricacies involved to enable a data centre to operate efficiently and effectively. That is something Wai Meng knows well. As the head of Keppel Data Centres, he is very much in tune with what goes into running a successful data centre company.
Passion for computers
Keppel Data Centres is a subsidiary of Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation, and its aim is to deliver reliable and proven data centre solutions for businesses across a variety of industry sectors. Its overarching philosophy is to not only develop these centres — of which the Keppel Group currently has 17 in its portfolio across the world — but also to build trust between itself, its customers and its suppliers when it comes to looking after and supporting their business data.
For Wai Meng, joining the business was a good choice. “I think I operate in Keppel Data Centres very well,” he says. “At Keppel Data Centres, decisions are made in a quick and efficient manner. We have great communication and close collaboration.” Wai Meng’s passion for computers was developed from a young age.
In high school, he was very interested in technology and intrigued by how things worked. This led him to study a degree in electrical and electronics engineering at university. His first professional job was in a research and development role with a company called Goldtron before he made a leap into the IT sector as a salesperson. After many years clocking up experience with a range of different companies, he started taking on various leadership positions before eventually being appointed CEO of Keppel Data Centres in January 2016.
While Wai Meng is not as involved in all of the technical aspects as he once was in the early days of his career, he certainly still knows his way around a computer. “This is so important if you are to be a good business leader in the technology sector,” he notes. “You can’t just depend on other people to come up with the next trend and the vision; you really need to understand it sufficiently too if you are to lead a company successfully. Technology changes so fast, and if you are not technologically savvy yourself, you will struggle.”
Raise the collective IQ
Having said this, Wai Meng does not claim to know everything and recognises the need to have the right people around him. Currently there are more than 100 loyal staff members who excel in their areas of expertise, helping Keppel Data Centres achieve its goals. “I always ensure I surround myself with superior operations people, a sales team that is always going after customers, a head of operations who is able to convince me he is looking after the operational aspects of everything we have, and a strong solutions team that strategises for our technology offerings.
“The workplace culture is another reason why I like working for Keppel Data Centres. I encourage open communication and I want everyone to have a say, to be able to contribute to the success of the company.
“I like to empower people who have proven themselves to be capable and give them the authority to make decisions. I also like to have people who really speak their minds. There’s no such thing as a stupid idea. Everything can be discussed; let’s put it on the table.
“Something I always strive for when I lead a team is to raise the collective average IQ of the team so that it’s higher than the individual IQ of each single person — because if you look at a lot of organisations, the collective IQ is always lower than that of the individuals. If you can collaborate to increase the collective IQ, then I think you are leading a team that is much more powerful.”
I also like to have people who really speak their minds. There’s no such thing as a stupid idea. Everything can be discussed; let’s put it on the table.
With data centres playing a critical role in today’s device-driven society, Wai Meng shares that his business unit is “well positioned to meet the growth in demand for data centres.” He continues: “People need a high level of reliability, and that’s what we offer. Technology, design and architecture have come a long way, and our responsibility is to build and operate data centres that are of an extremely high standard.
“I am always looking forward to what’s next to come our way, because technology is always changing. The trends keep changing, so we always have to look a few steps ahead. We must know where to invest, whether it be in our capabilities or technologies, and due to this we’re constantly studying the marketplace.”