17/09/2026

BIZ & FINANCE THURSDAY | SEPT 17, 2026

19

SUCCESS: THE INSIGHT STORY

Disrupt yourself before someone else does

0 How has your life experience made you the leader that you are today? When I started Easybook 20 years ago, I built the first version of the software myself – no co founder, no investor – just me and two friends. That experience of doing everything yourself, of being scrappy and resourceful, stays with you. It makes you very careful with money and very protective of what you build. I have been fortunate enough to have great role models in my family growing up, and they’ve played an essential role in shaping who I am today. I grew up watching my sisters run their own self funded businesses, entirely on their own, and that really shaped how I think. I never wanted to be dependent on anyone else’s money to build something. 0 What traits do you look for in your talent or how do you decide who is right for a job? What I look for, above all else, is domain mastery. A great hire is not someone who knows a little about everything, but someone who knows their field better than anyone else in the room. When I bring in a CFO, that person needs to understand finance at a depth I simply do not possess. I always say my education was more pickaxes and shovels than textbooks, and I think that self-awareness is actually an advantage. It means I hire without ego, and I hire to be challenged. The second thing I look for is difficult to explain directly but the closest I can get is this: someone who executes with force and urgency, who is daring and decisive, who does not wait to be told twice and has absolutely no tolerance for slowness. A person with those traits goes after their target with everything they have, as fast as possible, and they do not stop until it is done. And the third, which was not always on my checklist, is adaptability. Specifically, a willingness to work with AI. We are at a point where the companies that will pull ahead are the ones where every person, regardless of role, is actively learning to work alongside these tools. That is not a nice-to-have anymore. It is a baseline. The future of this industry will be built by people who can combine deep expertise with the ability to leverage technology in ways we have not even fully imagined yet. 0 How do you think the industry you are in, will evolve in the future? Over nearly two decades, Easybook has grown from a ticketing platform into one of the most comprehensive ground transport management systems in Southeast Asia – managing ferry terminal operations in Indonesia, running parking infrastructure, handling island entry fees for tourism destinations and overseeing ground transport corridors that move millions of passengers every year. What we have deployed at Klang Sentral is proof of where this is heading – facial recognition boarding, AI-powered verification, zero-queue check-ins, operational today across multiple countries and multiple verticals. The next wave is already here. AI is fundamentally changing how people plan and book travel – from itinerary building to destination discovery, to eventually completing bookings directly. For a platform like Easybook, that is both a challenge and a clear signal. Our response is to expand vertically, becoming so deeply embedded in the ground transport experience that no AI intermediary can replace the value we deliver. The threat is real, but so is the opportunity for those who move decisively enough to get ahead of it. 0 What advice can you offer those looking to start their career/own business? Analyse the shifting landscape, especially the impact of AI, then plan decisively and execute without hesitation. Commit to the long game and push through the inevitable one to three year initial lean period with relentless perseverance. Success rarely comes quickly, but it does come to those who refuse to stop. 0 We all know about the industrial revolution, are we in for a technological

o Easybook founder and CEO William Lee tells SunBiz why success favours those who persevere and face challenges head-on revolution? Your thoughts. I’d argue we’re already living through it, just quieter and faster than the one before. At Easybook, technology has never been a department. It is the business. We have spent nearly two decades building systems and infrastructure that most in our industry are only now beginning to explore. So, when AI arrived and the conversation around automation accelerated, we were not caught off guard. We had been laying the groundwork for years, so in many ways, this felt like a natural next step rather than a disruption we had to scramble to respond to. That said, we do not take that advantage for granted. Recently, I asked my management team to imagine running their departments with zero staff, then justify every hire against what AI can already do. What we found is that automation alone, without acquiring a single new customer, could double our net profit. The companies that will define the next decade are not the ones waiting to see how this plays out. They are the ones already moving, and we intend to stay exactly where we have always been. Out front. 0 How has mentorship made a difference in your professional life? I have been fortunate to receive guidance from many remarkable individuals, whether through conferences, friendships or those who sit on my board as advisers, including Suresh Thirumugam, former CEO of Seek Asia. Their insights have helped me avoid costly mistakes and saved valuable time that would otherwise have been spent course-correcting down the line. 0 What do you want to accomplish in the next five years? The next five years are about deepening what we have built rather than simply growing bigger. In Indonesia, we have a strong pipeline of government and corporate projects tied to our core technologies such as terminal management systems, smart entrance systems and large-scale transport infrastructure. Additionally, there are developments in the second half of this year that I am excited about. Those conversations are progressing well. We are also preparing for a listing on Bursa Malaysia, targeted by end of 2027 or early 2028. This is not simply a financial milestone. It is a signal to the market that ground transport technology in Southeast Asia is a serious, scalable and investable space. Beyond the listing, the ambition is to be the dominant ground transport platform in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, and to enter a fourth market. But honestly, my ambition goes beyond five years. I did not build this to sell. I want Easybook still standing in a hundred years, long after I am gone. 0 Best piece of advice you ever got on your career Disrupt your own comfort zone before someone else does it for you. 0 Most admired business leader? Why?

Easybook is embracing AI and new technology as it looks to strengthen its business, expand across Southeast Asia and prepare for future growth, while remaining focused on strategic planning and adapting to change.

Robert Kuok. What I admire most is how he built sustainably, expanded vertically to maintain control, and extended into related businesses that created greater synergy across the group. What stands out is that among his many ventures, several were in basic necessities – businesses that remain resilient regardless of the economic climate. 0 How do you stay abreast of issues affecting your industry? I stay deeply embedded in an extensive network across all levels of the industry, which gives me access to firsthand information early. Beyond that, I actively monitor emerging trends and evaluate opportunities and threats, such as the rise of AI, when making decisions and taking action. 0 If you could have an hour with any thought leader in the world, who would it be and why? President Xi Jinping. Whatever your view on his politics, the scale of transformation that has taken place under his leadership is something any business mind would find worth studying. If China were a company, the strategic discipline behind how it has been run would be a case study in long-term thinking and decisive execution. I would want to understand how decisions get made at that scale, how priorities are set and what it actually takes to lead something that large with that level of conviction. 0 What has been the biggest challenge you have faced ? And what did you learn from it? Discipline. It sounds simple but it is one of the hardest things to maintain when you have a tendency to see opportunities everywhere. There were times when we pursued too many projects that looked profitable on the surface, only to find that each one was quietly pulling resources, attention and time away from the core business.Knowing when to walk away from something that works well enough but is not the right thing is a skill most founders never fully develop. I am still working on it.

0 What was the most outlandish business proposal you have ever heard of? Someone once proposed building a business to be the champion in every field simultaneously. No focus, no prioritisation, just dominance across the board. It sounds bold on paper but in practice it is the fastest way to be mediocre at everything and exceptional at nothing. 0 A must-read for every business owner/ manager is ... Forbes Magazine 0 How do you expect policies on climate change to impact businesses in the future? As climate policies tighten, the push to move fleets towards electric vehicles (EV) such as cars and buses will only grow stronger. For operators, this is not just an environmental conversation, it is a practical one. EVs change the economics of running a transport business – cutting fuel costs and reducing long-term operating expenses in ways that make the transition not just necessary but genuinely worthwhile. The businesses that move early will be in a far stronger position than those who wait for regulation to force their hand. 0 What are the top three factors you would attribute to your success? Strategic planning, decisive execution and perseverance. Getting the strategy right matters, but it means nothing without the conviction to act on it boldly. And when things don’t go to plan, which they rarely do, the only option is to keep going until you get there. 0 Tell us a joke. If you use the waiting time of traffic light and jam in Malaysia to read some books, you will get a new bachelor’s degree every 10 months. 0 Malaysia’s greatest brand. Shangri-La hotel.