A career of purpose: Lai Tak Ming on leadership, legacy, and life beyond corporate

Lai Tak Ming’s career has always been about helping others grow – first as a lecturer then as a respected HR leader shaping cultures across industries. Now in his early months of retirement, he tells Priya Sunil why this next chapter isn’t about slowing down, but about passing the torch, building future leaders, and continuing the work that has always mattered to him.

Lai Tak Ming (pictured above), most recently Head of Human Resources at UOB Malaysia, has been a familiar face in Malaysia’s HR industry for nearly four decades. But what many may not know is that his career began in the classroom. Armed with a degree in Science with Education, Lai started out teaching at a private college – a role he loved deeply. His core motivation was simple: to help people grow. That passion never faded.

Over time, he distilled it into his life’s mission: to help people grow, develop, and make a meaningful difference in the organisations he served – right up to his retirement from corporate life at the end of 2024.

In this reflective conversation with Priya Sunil, Lai shares his journey across industries, the leadership values that shaped him, and why retirement, for him, isn’t about slowing down – but about giving back, enabling future leaders, and championing values-based leadership in a fast-changing world.

Finding purpose beyond the classroom

Even as he inspired young minds, Lai saw a troubling gap – organisational policies often didn’t reflect the values he believed in. He realised that while he had influence within his classroom, he had little voice in the structures that shaped people’s work lives. Inspired by a colleague’s passion for fairness and justice, he set his sights on influencing at a deeper level – a path that eventually led him to HR.

It wasn’t an easy shift. "Not many people want to hire a 30-year-old with zero HR experience to become an HR practitioner, but I made that shift in the end, through the help of someone who trusted me enough to give me a chance in the field."

Since then, he has never looked back.

From the start, Lai brought the same sense of mission to HR that he once brought to his classroom. For him, HR was never just an administrative function — it was always about people, culture, and values. At every turn, his guiding question remained: "What can I do to make a difference?"

For years, even as his corporate responsibilities grew, Lai continued teaching — lecturing on HR in MBA programmes and mentoring young professionals across the organisations he served. Formal teaching eventually scaled back, but the coaching never stopped. Supporting growth and developing others remained at the heart of his mission.

Lai also never job-hopped. His career unfolded across four key chapters: education, banking, infrastructure and property development, a consulting stint, and then a return to banking with UOB. Through each chapter, his purpose was constant: shape culture, build values, nurture leadership, and grow people.

Looking back on his 35-year journey in HR, one principle still guides him: help people grow, and make a meaningful difference.

Returning to banking – and rethinking HR

He’s candid about it – returning to the banking industry wasn’t part of his plan. "If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have gone back," he laughs. The heavily regulated nature of banking, compounded by complex union relations and growing compliance demands, made it a challenging space.

His first stint in banking was with Chung Khiaw Bank and Lee Wah Bank (both UOB subsidiaries). After five years, he was presented with two opportunities: another banking role or a position at Gamuda, a fast-growing company that had recently gone public. The chance to build its culture, processes, and policies from scratch aligned with his core mission – so he took it.

So why return to banking? It wasn’t nostalgia – it was loyalty. The man who had mentored him in HR, Lee Voon Seng, was retiring. Over the years, Voon Seng had invited him back, but the timing was never right. This time, it was. After a successful chapter at Gamuda, Lai felt his work had plateaued. When Voon Seng called again, needing someone who understood the bank’s culture and could drive meaningful change, Lai couldn’t say no.

The return wasn’t seamless. The banking landscape had changed, becoming more complex and compliance driven. But Lai’s purpose was clear: to transform HR into a true business enabler – empathetic, forward-looking, and empowering both people and performance. "But I was fortunate to inherit a robust, stable HR team from my predecessor on which to build from," he adds.

That vision, however, was shaped years earlier when Lai stepped away from corporate life to lead the Malaysian office of Human Dynamic, a regional consultancy focused on organisational and psychological services. He built the office from the ground up and eventually became Chief Operating Officer for the regional group. "I wasn’t doing HR anymore," he recalls. "I was in the business — I was chasing clients, closing deals. It changed the way I thought."

That shift – seeing things from the business side was pivotal. He began pushing back on HR rigidity, realising the frustration business leaders often felt when HR became more of a barrier than a partner. His time at Human Dynamic also exposed him to employee assistance programmes (EAPs), which taught him a lasting lesson: no two people experience challenges the same way. Even when the issues look similar, the human context is always different. "It taught me to look beyond the surface. To understand that nothing is black and white."

When Lai returned to corporate HR, he brought these lessons with him. His earlier career had been about structure and systems. Now, it was about enabling people. 

"I told my team: never say no without an alternative. If you can’t do something, find what you can do. Help the business move forward, even if it’s not exactly the path they envisioned."

This philosophy – HR as a business enabler – marked a turning point. He no longer saw HR’s role as merely protecting the organisation, but rather, helping people and businesses succeed. "When they succeed, we succeed. That’s enlightened self-interest. It’s not just about me; it’s about us."

This shift wasn’t always easy. Many HR professionals were still operating from an old-school mindset, seeing the business side as something to guard against. "But it doesn’t have to be adversarial," he says. "We can find common ground. We can think flexibly."

Flexibility became a core value. One of his first moves at UOB was to review all HR policies: Were they too rigid? Did they allow for human judgment and empathy? "Two people may break the same rule, but for very different reasons. You can’t treat them the same."

He shares the story of a long-serving employee who suffered a debilitating stroke just before retirement. The conventional response would have been simple – process the paperwork, say goodbye. But instead, they extended his employment by a year, kept him on no-pay leave, and continued to support his medical care. "His wife was so grateful. And to me, that’s what it means to be human in HR."

Moments like this were not isolated tweaks – they signalled a new way of working and thinking. At his very first team huddle at UOB, Lai set the tone: "I’m here to bring change," he said. "I know you’ve done good work. The HR function here is respected and has been incredibly stable. But stability alone isn’t enough anymore. I’m here to raise the bar."

His mission: to make HR kinder, more human, and more connected. To move beyond policies and paperwork and bring people back into the heart of the process.

That, Lai says, is what real transformation looks like.

Growth, leadership, and walking the f​ield

To Lai, growth isn’t just a passing "trend" to talk about; it’s something he lives and breathes by. He believes it’s not about how many roles you’ve held, but how deeply you’ve grown in each one. And growth, he says, starts with self-reflection.

"If you want to grow, you’ve got to become aware of your own gaps," he said.

"And that awareness doesn’t just show up – you either get feedback from someone who cares enough to tell you the hard truth, or you look in the mirror and ask yourself the right questions: What did I do? What could I have done differently? How can I be better?"

It’s a habit he’s honed over the years – stepping back, reflecting, and allowing lessons to surface. Smiling, he shares: "I’m grateful. I think God gave me this little gift – to reflect, to recalibrate. Those moments have reshaped the way I think, again and again."

He admits that in the early years of his career, he was more direct – driven by structure, results, and the need to be firm and fair. "I thought I was doing well. And maybe I was. When I left my first role, someone said to me, 'You always did the right thing. You were fair.' At the time, I took that as a compliment."

His time leading a consultancy was a turning point. It made him rethink what HR really means. It’s not about guarding policies; it’s about enabling people and helping them win.

That’s where his favourite football analogy comes in.

He’s a lifelong Arsenal supporter (and, he adds with another smile, now a bit of a Barcelona fan too), and football runs deep in his heart – helping him explain what modern HR looks like: In the old days, a goalkeeper’s job was to protect the goal. But now, a great goalkeeper starts the attack. He sees the field, catches the ball, and quickly moves it forward to create opportunities.

"It’s a transition – defence to attack. The rival team isn’t ready. And suddenly – you’ve scored!"

That, he says, is the new HR. "Yes, we guard the organisation. But more importantly, we see the opportunities. We pass the ball forward. We help the business win."

He adds: "A good HR professional must know how to read the environment. You need to understand the economy, the business, and – most importantly – where the pain points are." 

But you can’t do that from behind a desk. He uses a term often: Turun Padang – a Malay term that means ‘go to the field’. And in HR, it means more than just visiting a site; and rather, immersing yourself in the reality of your people: Listening. Observing. Connecting.

At Gamuda, whether it was during the SMART Tunnel or MRT projects, he regularly visited worksites. Steel, dust, and the heartbeat of the operation – that’s where he knew he needed to be. Later at UOB, he personally visited all 55 branches after the bank’s acquisition of Citi’s retail banking business.

"You can’t lead from a vacuum," he says. "You need to see what’s happening on the ground."

For Lai, Turun Padang wasn’t just about understanding the business – it was about honouring the people in it. And through those visits, something deeper happened: "When you go down to the ground, you don’t just collect data – you build relationships. You show people that you care. That you’re listening. That what they say matters."

That shift – from engagement to experience – became core to his leadership philosophy. "It’s not just employee engagement anymore. It’s about employee experience. And you can’t build experience unless you’re present and you live their experience."

His message to HR leaders is clear: don’t talk about HR transformation unless you’re willing to walk the field. "Understand your people. Feel what they’re feeling. Live what they’re living.

Because to him, real, leadership starts there. "It’s about inspiring others," he says simply. "If you can inspire someone, help them see a vision, help them embrace it – and then empower them to act on it, that’s leadership."

His guiding principle? Servant leadership. "How can we lead as servants, not drivers? How can we enable, not demand?"

The word 'enable' comes up often in his reflection – and for good reason. It’s at the heart of how he sees leadership. "You don’t berate someone to get results, he says. You support them, guide them, encourage them, and bring out their best."

He adds: "If you’re truly a mentor, or a coach, that’s what you do. You don’t push. You build belief."

That belief, he says, is more powerful than pressure – and it’s what drives sustainable growth in both people and organisations. "For any company to truly move forward, you need leaders who enable – not leaders who drive."

Refiring, not retiring: The journey ahead

As the conversation winds down, Lai shares that for him, retirement isn’t a destination – it’s a reawakening.

"I never saw retirement as doing nothing," he says with a laugh. "That word doesn’t even exist in my world. I’m more ‘type A’ than anything. I just don’t know how to sit still."

Instead, he describes this phase as 'refiring' or even 're-tyring' himself – much like putting on new wheels for the next stretch of the journey.

It’s not about luxury or leisure. Sure, he enjoys travelling, but he believes his 40 years of experience aren’t something to be shelved. Inspired by Bob Buford’s Halftime, Lai sees life in phases: preparation, corporate growth and leadership, and now, this third phase – a time of reflection, contribution, and freedom.

"This third phase gives me discretionary time," he explains. "And more importantly, it gives me ownership. In corporate life, you're always accountable to someone else. Now, I get to decide how I live and how I give back."

His focus is clear: legacy. He wants to help grow future leaders, shape better organisations, and play his part in building Malaysia. "I’ve always been quite nationalistic," he says earnestly. "I love Malaysia. I want to do my part to help build it."

His vision is to pass on what he’s learned. "Take what you need from my experience. Use it. Adapt it. Let it help you grow." But more than sharing skills or strategies, Lai is passionate about championing values-based leadership. "In recent years, we’ve put too much emphasis on charismatic leadership – on external performance, personality, image. But I truly believe we need to come back to something deeper. Leadership must be grounded in values, in principles."

It’s not about religion, he clarifies. It’s about integrity, ethics, and doing what’s right — consistently.

For Lai, this next chapter is about stewardship. "Stewardship means you don’t lock up what you’ve gained. You don’t walk away quietly. You give it back. You say, ‘Here I am. Take what you need. Grow from it.’

"And when they grow? When they become better leaders? That’s enough for me. That’s what makes me happy."

When asked what he won’t miss about corporate life, he answers quickly: "It’s the things you don’t feel right about, but you still have to do." He recalls the painful memory of retrenching nearly 400 people during the global financial crisis.

"It’s not something you ever enjoy. It’s painful to tell someone they no longer have a job."

What he will miss are the people. "I’ll miss the camaraderie, the friendships, the fun, the conventions, the dinners, the moments we all shared!"

He chuckles softly: "I guess I won’t be getting as many invitations to those events anymore."

"One thing I’ve always been grateful for is that colleagues who left have remained friends. And those friendships — those are what I’ll carry with me. Priceless."

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Photo / Provided