No Place Like Home

How Burger King Singapore general manager Goh Chin Hou is using his local know-how and international experience to grow the fast-food chain.

- Jodie Darlington

Goh Chin Hou had spent several years working abroad when he decided to return to Singapore in 2016. He’d worked in China for a few years, followed by nearly four years in senior management positions at Burger King Vietnam and Taiwan. He was ready to go home and was prepared to hand in his resignation. However, Restaurant Brands International Inc (RBI) wasn’t going to let him go that easily.

“I was General Manager at Burger King Taiwan, but after almost three years there, I decided it was time to come home,” Chin Hou recalls. “I’d been spending too much time travelling overseas, and prior to Burger King, I was also at Starbucks China. So I felt like home was calling. But RBI went, ‘Man, this guy is going to go back to Singapore. Let’s not lose him. Let’s try to see whether we can put him in another position.’”

They decided to introduce Chin Hou to Lee Thiam Wah, the franchise owner for Burger King Singapore and Malaysia.

“So we met up and, after talking to him, I developed an understanding of the challenges the team was facing, the kind of leadership they needed, and what would be expected of me,” Chin Hou says. “That’s when I decided to join Burger King Singapore and take on the role of General Manager.”

Chin Hou soon realised the fact that he was born and raised in Singapore gave him a distinct advantage in his new role, which would help him grow the business. “I think one of the strengths I bring is that I’m a local boy, but I have international experience. So I want to use that knowledge and experience to lead and build the local team to encourage them to live a bigger dream,” he explains, adding that their goal is to “think bigger, dream bigger”.