KUCHING: The role of a chief executive officer (CEO) is not for the faint of heart — dBazzar CEO, Kent Kho, embodies the resilience, patience, and passion essential for the position.
Standing at about six feet tall, proudly wearing the company’s collared shirt, and exhibiting slight weariness from sleep deprivation, Kho remains committed to doing his best to make an impact on the community, fully aware of the hardship and sleepless nights that come with it.
“It’s not easy, it’s challenging, but every time I feel like giving up, I remind myself of why it all started,” he reflected.
Kho’s vision started very simply — to enrich and empower the community through digital transformation.
“I wanted to see lives being transformed, people leading comfortable lives, and an improved standard of living for Sarawakians,” he added.
How it all began
“When I was younger, I rode my bicycle to school, met friends, played in the drain, and life seemed so carefree and easy,” Kho said.
Recalling his youth, half of his life was spent in the comfort of his home in Sarawak, and the other half was spent exploring the world and choosing to step out of his comfort zone in the United States (US).
“I went to the States with not much, but I knew I wanted to do my best and bring back the ‘Malaysian dream’,” he shared.
The ‘American dream’, a common aspiration, is the end goal for many; making their way to Hollywood, securing a good career in Silicon Valley, etc. — goals that resonated with Kho during his time in the US.
Yet, he intended to bring the essence of the ‘American dream’ to Malaysia.
“The lifestyle and quality of life in the States is completely different compared to home at that time, and there are a lot of opportunities.
“So, I wanted to bring that home, fostering Sarawakian to start thinking about our own ‘Malaysian dream’, and see that we can increase our standard of living,” he explained.
From engineering to entrepreneurship
Kho began his journey as an engineering student at the University of Louisville in the US, however, it was never his dream to become an engineer.
“I got my master’s in electrical engineering, but I intended to work as an engineer for about five years to gain experience, and then venture into my own business,” he said.
Similar to the challenges faced by recent graduates due to COVID-19, the US recession in the 1990s had a similar impact on Kho as an engineering graduate.
“When I graduated in 1992, the States was facing a recession, so I didn’t get to work as an engineer and entered straight into what I wanted to do after five years as an engineer — I went into business under sales and marketing,” he explained.
Reflecting on his choices, Kho expressed a preference for a business and finance degree over a more specific certification, like engineering.
“If I’m given a chance to start over again, I would definitely study my master’s in business and finance instead of electrical engineering because it’s very specific and technical.
“When I entered into sales and marketing, I had to learn how to strategise rather than calculations, which would have been an advantage if I studied business and finance instead,” he said.
Kho’s daily grind and its challenges
There’s a saying for gym junkies that goes: ‘The grind never stops’.
Nonetheless, it impacts CEOs too, especially Kho.
“Just because someone has the title ‘CEO’, it doesn’t mean they know-it-all or are billionaires — it comes with many responsibilities and sleepless nights.
“Most of my days start and end with meetings with different people, whether stakeholders, merchants, affiliates, etc.,” he revealed.
Kho added that the sleepless nights are also due to the many challenges that comes together with the title.
“As a CEO there are a lot of challenges, for me the biggest challenge is putting together a good team to execute the vision,” he explained.
Despite occasional self-doubt regarding the decision to run his own business, Kho acknowledged the support from the current team in making dBazzar an integral part of the rapidly evolving digital economy landscape.
“Finding the right people to put in a team, on top of many other things that’s needed to be done like making decisions, creating proposals, and many more — why did I?
“But, I’m thankful that the team right now is doing their best to make dBazzar an integral part of the fast-paced digital economy landscape,” he said.
dBazzar x Sarawak’s digital economy
On top of the many challenges a CEO faces, there also comes the vision that Kho envisions for dBazzar.
“Right now, we’re trying to expand to West Malaysia, and of course, in the future to the rest of the world,” he explained.
Having observed the progress and growth of the state’s digital economy during his travels, Kho expressed confidence in Sarawak becoming a digital economy leader.
“I travel a lot, and I can say that Sarawak’s digital economy is truly the leading state.
“I believe that Sarawak is going to be the leading state in digital economy, as the outlook is very positive,” he emphasised.
Additionally, Kho attributed dBazzar’s presence to the visionary leadership of Sarawak’s Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“I think one of the biggest contributing factors to Sarawak’s digital economy is our Premier.
“He helped us and many others to come out and implement this idea for Sarawak’s economy and the community,” he said.
With that said, he hopes for more support from the government in terms of resources, initiatives and infrastructure.
“In Sarawak, as business people, our resources, support, and infrastructure are still limited, but I believe that with the help of the government, we can achieve amazing things in our businesses and for the state of Sarawak,” he said.
Closing Thoughts
With over two decades in the business world, Kho aspires to see more young leaders discovering their passion and rising to leadership roles.
“I definitely hope to witness more young leaders arise and take up challenging roles, because our young Sarawakians are capable, they just need to step out,” he encouraged.
He advised young people to see that leadership requires a servant’s heart.
“To be a leader, one must first be a servant — learn to serve others.
“Be willing to learn, listen, and share your resources,” he advised.
Stressing the importance of giving one’s best in their current role, Kho urged young professionals to invest their full effort in their current careers before reaching the top.
“If you are still working in a company, give your 110 per cent, so when you’re at the top you will also give your very best,” he remarked.
On the other hand, he advised young leaders to prepare for a lonely journey because of the lack of understanding others may have towards a CEO’s or leader’s struggle.
“Sometimes, it can be very lonely because a lot of struggles as a leader cannot be shared with the staff or friends because they won’t understand,” he said.
However, Kho urged young leaders to remain positive and self-motivated during challenging times.
“You have to stay positive, encouraged and motivated all the time for you to last the long ha
