In almost every game, your result is the culmination of all the moves you’ve made along the way. Life operates with the same rules. For Vincent Lee, the Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Frasers Commercial Trust, the ability to draw connections between all his previous roles has proven to be a winning strategy.

Surprisingly, it was a game of Monopoly that sparked his interest in the real estate industry. Vincent has always been curious about the different types of properties. Having friends who moved homes often also fuelled his interest about how people lived their lives within these residential structures.

Rise and shine

These days, Vincent is responsible for the asset management of the company’s properties in the United Kingdom. Although his days involve a routine schedule of getting in early and catching up on local and global news before diving into emails and emails, it provides a solid structure for getting things done.

“It’s important to always have your finger on the pulse of the market” he said. Vincent shares that he keeps himself updated on all things Brexit, the prospective withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union since news first broke.

“We are dealing with a fast moving, dynamic and competitive global environment. There is a constant need to continue to reinvent and sustain our value propositions” Vincent said, regarding the greatest challenge in his role as a Vice President of a Commercial Trust.

On an operational level however, there are also some minor challenges that he faces during work.

“At times, we may face cultural differences in the form of communicative nuances when we work with an overseas counterpart. These nuances may affect the way we understand the message. To counter this problem, my team would get together and discuss our understanding of the matter, and compare notes before responding.”

Keep it simple

Vincent finds his passion in the simple structure of the business. A real estate investment trust, or REIT in this case, Frasers Commercial Trust owns, manages, and enhances income-producing real estate.

“The simple structure of the business means that I have the ability to contribute directly to its success. For example, if I could secure a good leasing outcome, this will translate to the profitability of the business and its return to shareholders.”

Vincent also sees the necessity of mentoring and motivating newer members of the team. “I think that the ability to mentor and motivate them, to achieve that same success for the business, is equally important.” Indeed, it’s not just the brick and mortar that bind the business together, but the people that are the glue of the whole enterprise.

Making it right

In life, Vincent is guided by what he cheekily calls his “three F’s” – faith, family and fellowship. He speaks earnestly about the importance of finding like-minded people: for instance, his team consists of just him and one of his colleague. Yet, he says that he doesn’t see it as a “manager and subordinate” relationship, because they have “full and mutual support for each other’s expertise”.

Vincent also enthuses about the necessity of keeping one’s skills fresh. “Skills and knowledge all have expiry dates,” he says, and we can’t always stick to what we know. Instead of viewing it as a burden, Vincent sees upgrading our skills as an act of reinvention, so that we can keep moving forward and bring our expertise to every opportunity.