Staying ahead

EMPLOYEES are a company's best asset - and even more so with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These smaller businesses might have less resources but attracting, developing and retaining their talent remain vital if they want to stay ahead of the competition.

In this issue's Top Story, we find out how firms are transforming HR through technology as big data and analytics are changing the way that companies operate. Local enterprises share their vision for the future of work, and how going digital is the way to go.

The Towkays section features Chope founder and CEO Arrif Ziaudeen, who shares his entrepreneurial journey and the plans that he has for growing the startup. The company has expanded tremendously in the past few years, with revenue reaching S$19.5 million last year - almost double that of 2017. With 200 employees and over 4,000 restaurant clients in seven markets, the home-grown startup is going places. Read on to find out how his hunger for growth continues unabated.

In Budding Entrepreneurs, we zoom in on a newer startup Butler in Suits, which is a hospitality and real estate management company that offers services such as housekeeping, concierge services and more to help busy professionals free up their time.

The Space section takes a look at how facilities management is being transformed digitally, with artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, sensors as well as machine learning driving this change.

This issue, we introduce a section on business insight, covering a range of topics from innovation strategies to cashflow management to how to become a better company director. We hope you find the pages useful.

On a final note, this will be my last issue as editor of The SME Magazine. I will still remain with The Business Times, but covering a different beat. It has been a pleasure to have served in this role in the past three years. I am certain that the incoming editor Dylan Tan will take this magazine to a new level. Do give him your support!

Vivien Shiao EDITOR