Leon Hulme
Managing Director of Crown Worldwide Group, Malaysia

“The services in our industry are becoming increasing commoditised but of course our service is not a commodity,at Crown we aim to offer our customers an experience.”

As the managing director of Crown Malaysia, Leon Hulme is at the helm of one of the largest mobility & information management chains in the world.  An evolved and culturally sophisticated individual, Hulme oversees Crown Malaysia’s comprehensive portfolios like domestic and international relocation, secure storage and information management facilities, destination settling-in, immigration services, employee and family support.

Never a tourist but always the traveller in Asia, and now a resident in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Hulme originally joined Crown Malaysia in 1999.  He held a variety of roles in several Crown offices in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and most recently Thailand, where he served as Country Manager before being promoted to his current position.

Hulme hails from an industrial Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK, and claims that he never studied.  “I never cared much for school.  I was working at 13 and dropped out of school at 16 to go into full time employment.  At that time I was holding down three or four jobs.”  During his last year in school, his school career officer told him this, “If you don’t end up unemployed and you manage to get a job, let’s say, in a factory, then you would have done very well.”  Unfazed Hulme sat there and thought to himself, “I bet my career ends up being more successful than yours.”

Born in Australia, Hulme left the continent down under for Great Britain when he was four.  “Both my parents are English.”  Not from a moneyed background, Hulme considers himself lucky to have good parents with upright principles.  “There wasn’t a lot of money in the house but my parents were determined not to live off the government, though we would have been more comfortable claiming social security than working in relatively low paid jobs.”

Sound work ethics were instilled in young Hulme.  “I believed in hard work, I believed in proving myself and then things would come as a result of that.  My parents used to say to me – ‘Nobody wants to give a job or work with somebody that they don’t like’.  So if I could get on with people, work hard, be flexible, prove myself, then the opportunities would present itself. I think if you’re street smart, have good work ethics, common sense, the ability to communicate and get on with people are fundamentals that can take you a long way.”

Speaking on mentors, Hulme has this to impart, “Over the years I have met many people who have inspired me.  I am always willing to listen and surround myself with people who inspire me. Jim Thompson, my chairman is one such person.

Jim is serious about work, a great communicator and I really admire his drive for quality, these traits you see in many of Crown’s staff and the Country Managers I have had as bosses over the years.  It is important to Jim and his employee’s that Crown is recognised as the Rolls Royce in this industry.”

“I would like to be able to look back and think that, I had a positive impact on my colleagues and that I might have in some ways helped them surpass even their own expectations.”

Rather than immediate short term financial gains, Crown is more focussed on long term quality services, meaningful partnership with its clients and our contribution to our local communities.  “Our organisation is filled with tremendous people with great experience.  Some of them have been with us and in this industry for more than 35 years and can offer a wealth of information and knowledge to our clientele.  The people I work with in Malaysia are absolutely incredible.  We have known each other for so long that when I came back instead of shaking hands, as a new MD might normally do, we hugged” says the happy expatriate.   

Hulme forecasts a bright future for Crown Malaysia.  “This industry will continue to flourish.  The world is so small.  People are constantly moving.  It is a mobile workforce with a lot of assignees moving around the world.  I have seen a lot of changes in 16 years where we have gone from HR-driven decision making to procurement-driven decision making these days.  Though we are not selling a commodity, our services have become much commoditised, with price as an increasingly key factor.  Of course it is not a commodity because at Crown we deliver an experience.  If someone is relocating overseas with their family, we make sure they arrive at their destination comfortable and focused and not distracted by anything, in order for them to perform in their new assignment immediately.   We are not a commodity trading on the cheapest price, more of a mature quality service that supports you as you embark on the next chapter in your corporate and family life.

To cater to the fine art business, Crown Malaysia is the first to set up an art vault with premium security protocols, climate-control and fire suppression features.  “We have a healthy fine art business and are moving quite a lot of works of high value.  The art vault looks like something you might store gold bullions that only James Bond might attempt to break in,” Hulme shares and chuckles.

Outside work, the Englishman in him plays football, and does a bit of cycling.  He beams as he speaks of his family.  “My wife Akiyo is Japanese and I am very lucky that she is willing to give up her career as a successful production manager for a television commercial company in Japan to follow me gallivanting around the world. Akiyo is a very strong woman and adaptable to move with me to Korea, Thailand and now Malaysia.  We are really a team.  She manages everything that could potentially get in the way of me focussing on my work.  My son Noah is six years old.  He speaks English, Japanese and Thai as he was born and raised in Thailand.”     

As a worldly corporate warrior, Hulme would like to be able to look back and think that, “I had a positive impact on my colleagues and the people who worked with me, and that I might have, perhaps, in some ways, helped them surpass their own expectations.”

就任嘉柏国际集团马来西亚董事经理，Leon Hulme 掌握了世界上最大的流动和电子信息管理。作为进化和尖端文化个体，他监督着集团马来西亚区域的综合国内外搬迁传送、安全存储和信息管理设施、目的地处理、移民安居服务，职工管理和家庭支援等业务运转。

他在1999年加入嘉柏集团马来西亚，现居住在吉隆坡，从来不是一名旅客，但总是在亚洲旅行。他分别在香港、日本、韩国及最近的泰国担任各种各样的角色，在现任职位之前，任职驻外经理。

来自英国第二大工业城市伯明翰 ，他声称从未注重读书。“我从不关心学业。我13岁开始工作，16岁就辍学进入全职就业。”当他最后一年在学校，学校的就业咨询人员告诉他，如果最终没失业，他是能得到工作，比如在工厂就业，肯定能做得很好。Leon 当时回答：“我想我以后的工作肯定比你还成功。”

出生在澳大利亚，由于父母是英国人，Leon在4岁时就定居英国。虽然不是富裕的背景，但他认为父母传递了良好的正直原则。“我们家里没太多钱，但是我父母决心不依靠政府，尽管获得社会保障相对微薄工作收入来的更简单舒服。”

这种职业道德灌输予年轻的他，Leon相信努力工作和证明自己，然后好事就会上门。父母曾经说过：没人愿意提供工作或者和他们不喜欢的人一起工作。如果能与人相处，努力而灵活的工作来肯定自己，机会将显现。他认为靠着街头智慧、职业道德、常识与沟通能力，并且懂得与人相处，就是让人可以走得更远的不二法门。

“这些年来遇到许多激励我的人，我愿意倾听并且让周围的人鞭策着我。我们的创始人兼主席Jim Thompson就是这样一个人。Jim认真工作，是非常伟大的沟通者，我钦服于他的驱动能量，而类似特征造就集团的壮大，尤其是我多年来遇上的许多精英员工和驻外经理。Jim和所有员工都是让嘉柏集团成为此行业领域“劳斯莱斯”的缔造者。”

“我们的服务业趋势越来越商品化，当然嘉柏集团的服务不是如此，我们目标是为嘉柏客户提供一种体验。”

嘉柏集团的企业宗旨非看重眼前的短期财务收益，而是注重提供长期优质服务，以更有意义的形式与客户合作，并且贡献当地社区。

“我们的组织由强大兼富有经验的人们组成，其中一些人在这行业已超过35年，可轻易提供大量的知识和资讯予客户们。我们在马来西亚工作团队的人们都是了不起的人物，而长时间的聚集，我们已不再握手，作为新董事经理,我与他们拥抱。”这名快乐的外籍人这么说。

他预测着集团在马来西亚的灿烂前景。“这个行业将继续蓬勃发展，因为世界是如此之小，人们不断移动，世界上有许多迁移的劳动力与流动的委托人。我亲眼目睹这16年来的巨大变化，我们已经从人力资源驱动转为采购驱动决策。虽然我们并非在卖商品，但服务已转为非常商品化，价格是关键因素。当然这不是真正的商品，因为嘉柏是提供经验，如果有人与家人迁移到国外，我们将确保他们到达目的地的舒适度，不被任何事情所干扰，可以更专注并快速执行新工作。我们并非廉价的商品交易，而是以更成熟的优质服务支援你的公司事务和家庭生活。而为了迎合艺术品业务，嘉柏马来西亚首次设立艺术品库与更优质的安全协议，温度环境控制和消防灭火功能。

“我们有一个健全的艺术品业务体系，并传送许多高价值的艺术品，而坚固的保险库房完全可以储存黄金，估计只有007占士邦可以试图破门。”

“我让同事们可产生正确积极的方式和想法，而且我会以某种方式帮助他们，甚至超过原订的期望 。”

工作外的闲暇时间，这名英国人爱好踢足球和骑单车。他微笑地叙述家庭。“我的妻子Akiyo是日本人，我很幸运，作为一名成功的电视广告公司制作经理，她愿意放弃在日本的事业，跟着我全世界到处走。Akiyo是一个非常坚强的女人，可以适应和我搬迁到韩国、泰国和马来西亚，我们是一个团队，她管理一切琐碎事务，让我可以集中工作。我的6岁儿子Noah，他擅长说英语,日语和泰语，因为他在泰国出生和长大。”

作为身经百战的企业战士，Leon回顾与希望积极影响他的同事或一起工作的人。“我可能或也许在某种程度上，协助他们超越自己的期望。”