Affable and charming, Faisal Salam is a team player who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. In his previous roles in the real estate industry, he has managed both residential and office developments. Now, the Senior Building Executive at YewTee Point ensures the smooth-running of the facilities at the mall.

“I always think that when you’re under a certain kind of pressure, you are forced to quickly absorb whatever that you need to know,” shares Faisal, who has been with Frasers Property Singapore since November 2017.

From air-conditioning to compliance with rules and regulations, Faisal ensures that the technical aspects of the mall are running smoothly. As this involves many responsibilities, he enlists the help of different personnel and teams because no man is an island.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Initially overwhelmed by the learning curve, Faisal is thankful to have helpful colleagues who helped him out along the way. Besides giving him a warm welcome, they also provided him with guidance and emotional support for a smooth transition into his role.

“I appreciate the support of my team. They would go out of their way to help me out, even during times that do not directly concern them.”

It also becomes clear that his co-workers are one of Faisal’s favourite parts of the job. He was shocked, for instance, when his colleagues invited him out for lunch, because he rarely ate lunch at his previous jobs. “My former colleagues didn’t go out for lunch, that’s why I learned not to do lunch. When my new colleagues said, ‘Come, let’s go for lunch’, I got so excited!”

Now, it’s the highlight of his day as he bonds with his co-workers during lunch.

“I could eat at Encik Tan every day. It’s my favourite lunch option in the mall!”, Faisal said excitedly.

Indeed, Faisal eats there so often that he has become a familiar face to the auntie working at Encik Tan. She even memorised his order – when she sees him, she recites his usual order happily, “cutlet, no spring onion!”

Valentine’s Day gift

Faisal chuckles as he recalls an incident at one of our tenant’s store, where a pipe overhead began to leak. “I will always remember that day, because that was my Valentine’s Day gift.” Upon hearing of the incident, he quickly activated the cleaners and plumbing staff to help him. Colleagues from nearby malls also were also initiated to help with the clean up. “We needed to limit the damage and ensure that operations were back to normal as fast as possible.”

Yet, as he recounts this story, you get the impression that it was all in a day’s work for him. He jokes, “Accidents happen, and this one was definitely manageable!” Faisal has an upbeat attitude and always tells himself that “work does not wait for anyone”. He takes it upon himself to ensure that any work is carried out swiftly and without delay.

When asked about his guiding principles in life, Faisal says he does not have any fancy quotes in mind. Instead, he is inspired by people like Molly Lim, Senior Vice President, Head of Retail Properties, who has been with Frasers Property for over a decade. He admires how she embodies persistence and initiative, stating that he wants to find that sort of stability and passion in his new position.

The cat’s meow

During his weekends, Faisal enjoys spending time with his wife and his cat, Pepper. Yet, he wasn’t always a big fan of cats.

At Frasers Centrepoint Singapore, we strive to leave a positive footprint and lend a helping hand in the communities we are rooted in. Through regular community investment (CI) activities, we give back to those who need support and care. Our CI initiatives embody our fundamental values, as they not only foster staff bonding and collaboration, but remind us to stay respectful towards communities and one another. In the month of September, two outreach programmes were organised which were aimed at giving back to different groups of the community.