For the third chapter of the Zeemart Inspirational Champions Series, we had the honour of hosting Damien Tan, Chief Operating Officer of The Benjamin Barker Group. Damien also holds the position of Chief Transformation Officer and Chief Peoples Officer, managing 7 different functions of the company and juggling his time between F&B and retail. Not only did he share Benjamin Barker’s story, but he also inspired the audience with his passion and belief in people.

2019 marks Benjamin Barker’s 10th year anniversary. Regardless, Damien still considers Benjamin Barker as a start-up, embodying the spirit of constant innovation and all-hands-on-deck approach.

When asked about his proudest achievement, he mentioned that the majority of the team that joined Benjamin Barker in its initial years is still here with him, even after 10 years. The ability to see his people grow over the years is what gives him the satisfaction in his job.

During his sharing, Damien emphasised the importance of adding value to people by establishing a conducive environment for young working parents and millenials to thrive. He envisioned the concept of “heaven at work” for the Benjamin Barker family and strived to create a positive working environment in all his outlets.

Furthermore, Damien sacrifices his time to focus on coaching and developing his people through constant interactions, and making it a point to dine-in with his team during all their lunchtime. He truly believes that the team is family — there is a mutual respect among them and every one of them is responsible for each other.

“We (Damien and his CEO, Nelson Yap) decided to say that, come what may, we must always stand side by side and be aligned in what we do,” commented Damien on his experience when going through a low point in his journey of entrepreneurship with Benjamin Barker.

We appreciate Damien’s effort to come down to our office to share about his passion of building a lifestyle brand with us. Damien’s ability to cope with changes and his infinite passion for people, has inspired all of us here in Zeemart!