Singapore Medical Group’s new CEO eyes injecting aesthetics into business model

Wellness and health screening are also among his biggest priorities.

Dr. Beng Teck Liang was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Medical Group in December 2013. In this role, Dr Beng will be responsible for leading day-to-day operations and the organisation’s long-term strategy.

He recently shared with Healthcare Asia some of his short-term and long-term objectives for the company and gave a glimpse of how he plans to tweak the current business model some tweaking.

What makes you excited about your new position?

I am excited that I am able to bring my 10 years of MNC experience to managing an SME business that is close to my heart and which I am very passionate about. I left the healthcare scene more than 10 years ago to pursue a career in information technology.

It is now a fantastic opportunity for me to come back to the healthcare environment - and what better way, than to be in the company I have a share in, to develop and grow it the way I envisioned it to be.

Singapore Medical Group (SMG) is a unique setting that enables me to leverage my background in medicine, management and technology. I am probably one of only a few unique individuals in Singapore with this mix of background.

I want to build the SMG brand to be synonymous with quality specialist care and being a patient-centred medical care provider to every individual, both in Singapore as well as overseas. We also have a desire to take Singapore’s high standards of healthcare outside of Singapore to our neighbouring countries.

What three goals are you focused on?

Firstly, get SMG on track for healthy growth. Secondly, continue extending Singapore’s healthcare services and quality outside of our shores. Lastly, build and apply innovative, simple and useful technologies, in the context of our current environment, to empower our patients. We want to improve patient care and quality. We have started to apply some of these ideas and initiatives in our clinics and we will share more in due course.

What changes are you planning for?

We have recently launched new clinics, recruited new doctors and introduced a new management with MNC experience. We intend to grow SMG substantially into a much larger healthcare company and will continue to invest in our people. I want to bring on board the best and brightest people to the team, as we are a ‘people business’.

We are tweaking the mix of or businesses. We will continue to focus on some of the existing verticals of the business such as ophthalmology, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and oncology, but we intend to grow them individually by growing our pool of doctors and our clinics. We are also looking into the areas of aesthetics, wellness and health screening. I will personally be taking on the role as Medical Director for a new clinic called The Wellness Suite, where I am taking the opportunity to introduce and encourage the concepts of wellness, prevention and health screening into the organization. This greatly complements the existing businesses we have. We are growing our network of specialists and doctors who want to be part of and be associated with the SMG brand.

What are your key business philosophies?

I believe in people and I want to build the best possible team. The key is to have the best people. For example, the best doctors, nurses and staff. Everything else will fall into place. Empower the team with the best technologies, tools and environment to do the work they do best in every function. Build active relationships and engage shareholders and potential investors.

I am very involved in the business, I am happy to roll up my sleeves and get into direct contact with patients, doctors and my team. I am definitely a believer, builder and user of meaningful technology innovations in healthcare. And I hope to apply some of these technological innovations in SMG in order to create a truly unique and memorable patient experience.

What previous positions prepared you for this one and how?

I have previously led multi-billion dollar businesses and large teams in the information technology and healthcare sectors across Asia-Pacific and Japan over the last decade.

My previous appointments include:

- Managing Director for Hewlett Packard (HP) Thailand
- General Manager for HP Enterprise Services segment across Southeast Asia
- Marketing Manager for the Imaging Information Systems of General Electric (GE) Medical Systems in Asia
- Chief Medical Officer, Novahealth

I started my professional career as a Medical Officer with the Singapore Ministry of Health after graduating from the University of Manchester Medical School in the United Kingdom. My background in medicine, management and technology is a unique pairing with Singapore Medical Group (SMG).