Childhood ambitions are often far fetched and impractical but for Dominic, practicality could very well be his middle name. He wanted to be an accountant as a kid and worked his way straight into it, a feat not many people get to say they accomplished. After his stint in accounting, he found himself in commodities trading.
Why the commodities sector?
I’ve always been interested in the commodities sector so once the opportunity came up, I jumped into it. Commodities trading is a whole different ballgame. I get to meet up with some of the largest companies and be part of the global supply and demand chain. Everyone is dependent on it and it’s just interesting to see where and how the money flows.
Is travel a big part of your life?
I try to travel as much as I can. I recently went to Hokkaido for snowboarding. I was there for a few days and I also went to the south of Japan, Miyazaki. I experienced a home stay programme there and lived with an actual Japanese family there. It really taught me a lot about the Japanese way of living. It’s just a whole new world for me because we’re brought up in one of the most hectic countries and there, you wake up to padi fields in the morning and you go running along the streams. I thought it was a good change. It’s just an escape.
Do experiences like that make you more dissatisfied with your life in Singapore or do they make you more grateful?
It drives me to work harder because there’s so much more that we can do outside of this country. There are more people to meet, more things to do. In a sense, it does make me grateful and makes me treasure what I have. I use what I have to further myself to head out there and learn more.
What do you say to people who can’t take the stresses of living in Singapore and decide to immigrate?
For me, working here is about building yourself up, taking this whole package you’ve amassed and then making the best out of it, whether it be here in Singapore or another country. I believe in reaping what you sow. I’m just here trying to sow as much as possible so that I can reap the benefits in the future. My dream lifestyle would be to have my own café with a big garden. No stress, no budgets, no targets. My definition of personal success is not about your fortune or wealth but more about personal wealth but being surrounded by people you love; that’s success to me.
A man of substance is someone…
Who thinks before he speaks and understands the subject matter before making an opinion. He is able to think three steps ahead, demonstrate leadership and oozes charisma.
