A warm welcome to the Autumn ’22 New Residents at Keystone! We know that you have choices on where to stay, and we’re very grateful that you have chosen to stay at Keystone.
To build Community
Both Tim and Jeng went for the “Wharton Exchange” where we spent several months in Philadelphia (albeit 13 years apart, as Jeng is a ‘02D while Tim is a ‘15J). Unlike at INSEAD where there was no dedicated INSEAD student accommodation, Philadelphia has exclusive MBA-only accommodation where Post-Graduate Students can build strong bonds by living together as a community.
Jeng had owned and managed several apartments that he had rented to INSEAD MBAs since 2006, but it wasn’t until launching The Keystone in 2018, that we had our first opportunity to build a large Live and Learn Community, thanks to Keystone operating out of 21 Terraced Houses along a residential street in Holland Village.
Win Hearts and Minds
But how did a 1.94m German guy and a 1.70m Chinese-Singaporean guy from INSEAD batches more than a decade apart start Keystone together?
Jeng takes up the story, “A big factor is Tim’s tenacity, patience and real sincere effort to learn about Singapore and ASEAN in general. Unlike most foreign MBA students, Tim had spent a year in Singapore before starting at INSEAD. He learned about our history and culture, but most important, he built real relationships, real friendships. Tim had learnt that in ASEAN, Guanxi (the Mandarin word for “relationship”) is more important than hard knowledge – that first, you win our hearts, after which, our minds will follow. Tim and I met many times over the course of six months, and he truly won me over.”
“Win Hearts and Minds” is also the strategy that Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer used to successfully turn the tide of Communism in Malaya. As such, we named the Keystone Clubhouse after him: Templer House.
Understanding and succeeding in Singapore and ASEAN
Tim also owns and operates Waitrr – tech start-up he built from Singapore. “Building a venture thousands of miles from your home country, in a totally different culture is very challenging. It took me two years of making mistakes, and building relationships to do it”, remarks Tim.
For those who want to better understand ASEAN for your career, to build a business, or just to learn more about the region, we hope to make the journey easier and more enjoyable for you.
Keystone Events, Tours and Travel
We already know that Keystone Residents love to travel all over ASEAN to enjoy the beaches, sunshine and cities. We want to nudge and guide these trips so you learn about the peoples, the history and the culture as well in an enjoyable way.
Keystone therefore organizes the Welcome City Tour and other events, including overseas travel as well. We will also organize talks and events by experts in their fields, to help you better understand Singapore and ASEAN.
As an alumni-founded organisation, at Keystone we rely on the continuous feedback and ideas from current residents to participate actively and help us co-create the programmes for your own learning and enjoyment, and for future INSEAD batches down the road.
Tim Wekezer (INSEAD MBA ‘15J) Low Jeng-tek (INSEAD MBA’02D)