Christopher Khoo – Honoring Our Roots While Building the Future
These reflections come from Christopher Khoo, Class of 2026 and 2027, who recently completed his Immersive Learning Experience as part of the UCLA-NUS Executive MBA. During this segment of the program, Christopher and his classmates visited a wide range of organizations, from global technology leaders to fast growing entrepreneurial ventures. The goal was to observe firsthand how different companies honor their heritage while embracing innovation, purpose, and transformation in a rapidly changing world. This article brings together the key lessons he carried away.
Honoring Roots While Innovating for the Future
One of the most meaningful aspects of the UCLA NUS EMBA journey is the opportunity to step into organizations very different from our own and see how each navigates transformation. Across all five visits, one theme kept resurfacing. The ability to honor one’s roots while preparing for what comes next.
At Google, this balance was evident the moment we entered the Playa Vista campus inside the historic Spruce Goose hangar. The space once housed Hughes Aircraft’s legendary flying boat. Today it has been transformed into a bright, open workplace that powers Google’s artificial intelligence ambitions. Aviation history still lives in the structure, yet the environment now drives an entirely new frontier. It showed that innovation does not require discarding the past. It can grow from it.
PSA offered another view of reinvention. Singapore is reshaping a centuries old maritime industry for the next century. At Tuas Port, deep water berths handle ultra large vessels, automated cranes move containers with precision, and digital twin systems oversee complex operations. The scale and foresight were unmistakable. Real transformation demands designing not only for today but for many decades ahead.
At UOB, we saw a different kind of change. One that is anchored in trust. What began as a family bank has grown across the region. Its modernization journey blends artificial intelligence, data, and digital services with longstanding values of relationship based banking. This was a reminder that innovation succeeds only when trust and culture progress alongside technology.
The entrepreneurial visits brought forward a more personal dimension of transformation.
At Evike dot com, our classmate Julie, the Chief Operating Officer, described how she and her husband Evike, the founder and Chief Executive Officer, built their company from modest beginnings. What started as a simple way to avoid listing fees on an online marketplace grew into warehouses, expanded product categories such as fishing gear and trading cards, and even immersive airsoft arenas. Their journey followed a clear rhythm. Test, learn, scale. Growth was never smooth, but constant iteration and grit kept the business moving.
At Summerfield Tea Bar, Peter walked us through the kiosks and mobile ordering systems that create a smoother experience for customers. Yet the most inspiring part was his commitment to giving back. Even while building a thriving beverage brand in California, he supports libraries and education in rural Vietnam. His story highlighted that growth gains real meaning when it is driven by purpose.
As someone working in digital transformation in government, these visits offered three reminders that stay with me.
1. Remember your roots.
Staying grounded in where you come from clarifies what matters most, especially in times of rapid change.
2. Stay hungry and be courageous.
Innovation is constant. It is easy to fall behind when you hesitate to adapt. Technology is only a tool. The real goal is to shape services and products that meet the needs of each new era.
3. Think long term.
Success is a continuous journey. Just as Singapore plans not only for ten years but for twenty five, fifty, and even one hundred, we must make decisions that honor the future rather than trade it away.
This is the deeper value of the EMBA experience. Beyond the coursework in economics, leadership, entrepreneurship, risk, statistics, and accounting, the greatest lesson is the habit of lifelong learning. It also comes from being surrounded by classmates who are curious, generous, and unafraid to ask difficult questions. They remind me to keep returning to the essentials. What truly matters, and how to pursue ambition without losing my way.
Company visits are a key part of our in-person learning experience. See how immersive learning adds real-world value to your EMBA.
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