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Graduate Interview
Education is My Business
Ivan Gan Zhi Hong,
21,
Managing Director of Novative Increations Pte Ltd,
Diploma in
Computer Engineering (Graduation 2004)
Meet Ivan Gan Zhi Hong, Managing
Director of Novative Increations Pte Ltd, an educational placement and advisory
company which specialises in assisting foreign students wishing to study in
Singapore.
The passionate 21-year-old entrepreneur, who graduated
with a Diploma in Computer Engineering in May 2004, started the business during
his final year at Temasek Engineering School.
The never-say-die entrepreneur first set up with Goshen
Technologies, a company which provides software solutions for HR management.
Seeking more profitable avenues a year later, he renamed his company Novative
Increations, and diversified into job consultancy, helping his customers with
their resumes and job interview preparations. With the increasing number of
foreign students coming to Singapore, Ivan was quick to seize the opportunity
to venture into what he saw was as a lucrative market for educational placement
for foreign students. Today, he is planning to expand into training and
consultancy by offering courses in personal development and grooming.
The budding entrepreneur gives his take on the issues
and challenges in starting a business:
What made you go into
business?
I like challenges, trying new things, and exploring
possibilities.
Does your Engineering
training at Temasek Polytechnic help you in your business?
Certainly. It has helped to develop my critical thinking
and taught me how to solve problems logically and systematically, and to make
efficient use of limited resources. Engineering has also made me more aware of
changes in my surrounding, and hence, changes in business
conditions.
What would you say are the
essential qualities needed to run a successful business?
Entrepreneurs should be agents of change, ready to
explore and embrace new ideas. It is important to be focused and
goal-driven.
Why did you choose to study
Computer Engineering?
Computer technology will play a big part in the future. It
is, and will continue to be, the backbone of many enterprises
and businesses.
Interested to study Diploma
in Engineering? Find out what are the engineering courses available
at the polys.
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"It has
helped to develop my critical thinking and taught me how to solve problems
logically and systematically, and to make efficient use of limited resources.
Engineering has also made me more aware of changes
in my surrounding, and hence, changes in business conditions.", Ivan Gan Zhi Hong, 21, Managing
Director of Novative Increations Pte Ltd |
