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 Cisillia Tay  (EMBA 1997)

From trading floors to trading designs

Having retired some 5 years now, I am back sitting at my laptop for a good many hours each day but for a different cause. I spend my time drawing and designing, a passion I have held for many years and now am able to indulge in.

There are moments when I hark back to my days in the banking arena, when my MBA qualification more than doubled my salary overnight, and launched me into the world of equity research, where ‘home’ for me were the trading floors and meeting rooms in the various cities. Money may not be the root of all evil but there were those who found the foliage fascinating and through their pursuits, many of us have found ourselves working in worlds which do not revolve around the creation or management of money.

The past 4 years have taken me through the turmoil of real estate investments, property renovations, and the death of my father and other family members. Whilst the MBA has provided me with a degree of discipline when it came to project managing building works and creative budget forecasting, I will confess there were times when people management skills went out the window when dealing with building contractors. But nothing prepares you for the lost of a father, and it does not get easier with the passing of a cherished uncle and aunt.

Today I divide my time between Malaysia, the UK and France; a fine balance of family commitments, reality and a slice of the good life.

In between holding up a garden fence and the frying pan, I have found a use for my ‘innate talent’ (as my partner calls it) – creating ideas and designs that can be translated into greeting cards. On my part, my time and minimum start-up capital - drawing table, color pens and a new printer/scanner. The US company to whom I submit my designs, provide the web services, online store, sales & market statistics and crucial exposure. Today, cards … tomorrow …?

My store went live on August 10 and in these two and a half months, I am pleased to have made sales in the US, UK, Japan & France. Maximum return per card sale is 20% … I am waiting for my big break. I enjoy my retirement but I still seek a challenge; a quality in me which was heightened during my time in the CASS stable. Am I looking for a portal back into the commercial world, I hear you ask? Yes, to have just one of my designs featured in a corporate milieu would for me be a personal triumph and a passion fulfilled.

The contact I have maintained with CASS Alumni staff and students has been invaluable. I hope to continue enjoying the privilege of attending the Alumni evenings wherever they are held and look forward to new horizons and fostering new contacts.