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Article from The Business Times, 12 February 2013
By WEE LE TING
Paul Heng's life is all about helping others
That's what the staunch Christian does in his job as well as in his personal life, supporting several social causes both here and abroad
CARING
Mr Heng, the MD of NeXT Career Consulting Group, Asia has helped to raise funds for the orphanage,which currently houses about 100 children. He also spends much of his time at Make-A-Wish
IN his professional life, Paul Heng is the managing director of NeXT Career Consulting Group, Asia. Outside work, he actively contributes to causes related to children.
While the two vocations do not overlap, Mr Heng says they are "very much aligned".
"Most of what I do, if not everything, has a common thread - helping others," he told BT in an email interview. "I run a business, but I do not consider that as work; it's my life.
"So, my life is about helping others - coaching CEOs and senior leaders and helping outplaced workers in my business, and the less privileged in the community. This is the purpose of my life, I feel."
A staunch Christian, Mr Heng's most recent charity effort was a fund-raising dinner held on Jan 11 for Care Corner Orphanage in Chiangmai, Thailand.
He and his wife Jane learnt about it through a friend. They then flew to the orphanage in Nov 2010 to stay for a few days. After interacting with the residents, they felt very comfortable with Pastor Ricky, who has been managing the place for over 15 years with his Singaporean wife. Mr Heng says the couple lives at the orphanage, with two sons schooling in Chiangmai and a daughter doing her tertiary education in Singapore.
Upon his return to Singapore, Mr Heng managed to get a large corporate here to donate $5,000 to buy a year's supply of rice for the orphanage. When the money ran out, he returned to the same organisation for help but it had decided to support other causes.
"I then decided to garner the support of a French friend, Christian Barbier, to work with me to raise the funds," said Mr Heng. "Along the way, a couple of other friends were roped in, including Thomas, the owner of Xi-Yan, where we organised the fund- raising dinner. Also Jimmy, the friend who referred me to the orphanage at the beginning."
The group managed to draw a turnout of about 55, who were entertained by a singer-cum-guitarist at the dinner. A couple of supporters who could not attend issued them a cheque, said Mr Heng appreciatively.
In all, after factoring in entertainment and food costs, about 300,000 baht (S$12,360) was raised for the orphanage. These funds will be used to buy a year's supply of rice for the children who live and go to school there. They will also be used to pay a year's salary for a trained counsellor, as some of the children are HIV-positive.
At Care Corner, the children are orphans or left by parents who are unable to look after them, due to reasons such as imprisonment or Aids. These children go to a school adjacent to Care Corner, and can stay till about 18 years of age before having to leave. Care Corner currently houses about 100 children.
Other than supporting Care Corner, Mr Heng also spends much of his time at Make-A- Wish (MAW) Foundation, where he serves as a volunteer Wish Granter to help realise children's wishes. He is also a past president of the Rotary Club of Bugis Junction. However, he confesses that he has not been an active Rotarian for a number of years as his time is given to MAW and Care Corner.
"Something has to give," he said. His other commitments include pro-bono coaching at the Centre for Non-Profit Leadership, and his appointment as a committee member of the affiliate relations committee of MAW International in the US.
When asked about his opinion on whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) is altruism or enlightened self-interest, Mr Heng replied: "My view is that there is a little of both. It is a privilege to give and share with others."
He believes that everything one does should be borne out of genuine interest, which is why his social contributions are closely aligned with helping children - a cause both he and his wife identify with.
Indeed, this passion motivates him despite the occasionally disillusioning facts of life, such as how his efforts can help HIV- positive children only with palliative care. "Everyone should do what they can, and it all adds up, and makes a bigger impact in the greater scheme of things."
He added: "I subscribe to the story of the man who throws dying starfishes back into the sea, one at a time." His definition of a "good" day is one in which he has managed to touch the life of at least one person. He believes that touching others does not have to be something monumental, and can be as simple as bringing a smile to someone's face when they least expect it.
Paul Heng is founder and executive coach of NeXT Career Consulting Group, Asia
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