A state of fitness: Colin Tan and Rahadian Mahmud Mohammad Khalil

Colin Tan
Managing director, Hatten Group Sdn Bhd
MELAKA-BASED Hatten Group Sdn Bhd's first project in the city centre was to revive the previously abandoned Dataran Pahlawan in 2004. The group subsequently built a mixed-use development opposite Dataran Pahlawan called Hatten Square, which included a 710-room four-star hotel. It is currently working on a 20-acre mixed-use commercial development, Hatten City, which has a gross development value of RM2 billion. It will be the largest new development in the historical city.

What type of exercise do you engage in regularly?
I jog or run at least once a week and go to the gym at least once a fortnight. Accessibility to the gym is easy as it's in the building where I work.

What benefits have you received from your exercise regime personally and professionally?
Personally, it helps me to keep fit, but not in shape though as I'm not into weightlifting and muscles. Professionally, it helps to ease tension and stress from work. Exercising is a form of relaxation and keeps my mind off work for a while.

How do you achieve work-life balance?
I strongly believe that if you want to do it, you can. I also believe in playing hard and working even harder. Therefore, despite the hectic work schedule, I manage to find time to enjoy myself with my family and friends, and exercise whenever I can.

Describe the health of your company.
We achieved sales of more than RM800 million, which is around 75% of the properties we put up for sale this year. We launched a new mixed-use development project recently called Imperio (retail and residential) in Melaka with a GDV of RM600 million.

The performance of our property management arm has been excellent as well. Rents of our retail units increased by 10% this year. All our tenancy renewals saw rates move up more than 10%. Our hotel opened for business in the second quarter of the year and is doing well with the average room rate at RM185.

Describe the health of the Malaysian property market. What is your outlook for 2013?
The market should still be strong as property prices haven't peaked yet. We can expect a slowdown in the first quarter but it will pick up thereafter as the overall economy is still good. In states like Melaka, we will still see significant increases in prices as we are far behind Selangor/Kuala Lumpur and Penang although tourism growth is the same, if not better than the other

===

Datuk Rahadian Mahmud Mohammad Khalil
CEO, Magna Prima Bhd
PUBLIC-LISTED property developer Magna Prima Bhd has been involved in projects mainly in the Klang Valley. The niche developer launched its maiden venture abroad, The Istana in Melbourne, Australia, this year. Its other projects include The Avare in Kuala Lumpur, Seri Jalil at Bukit Jalil, Boulevard Business Park on Jalan Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, One Sierra in Selayang, as well as Alam D'16 and U1 in Shah Alam.

What type of exercise do you engage in regularly?
I work out in the gym five times a week, starting early at 6.30am. I also like hiking, cycling, golfing and a bit of Muay Thai kick-boxing. I find Muay Thai an interesting sport and am in the process of opening my own Muay Thai gym in January 2013. I'm not doing it for profit but because I want to be a part of the sport not just for exercise but also to meet people from all walks of life who share the same passion. I doubt I will last two minutes in a ring as a fighter.

What benefits have you received from your exercise regime personally and professionally?
There definitely are benefits or I wouldn't torture myself. For many, it's a struggle just getting to the gym but I manage to overcome this simply because I always feel amazing after a good workout. More so in the morning as it sets a positive tone for your day. I tend to feel sluggish if I don't exercise. It's hard work but it comes with guaranteed returns.

How do you achieve work-life balance?
It's a bit of a challenge but if you like something enough you will always find the time for it. Just manage your time as efficiently as possible, prioritise so that you will have wasted the least time, like being stuck in traffic. That's why I go to the gym first thing in the morning. It's also just to get that part of the routine out of the way so that I can spend more time on matters that need attention. Starting the day on a good note will make you think clearer and complete things faster. It also leaves you with ample time in the evening to just chill out.

Describe the health of your company.
The overall performance of the group has improved compared with the same period a year ago. Revenue was at RM46.1 million for the nine-month period ending Sept 30 despite early adoption of the new accounting standard (IC Interpretation 15) and we expect our One Sierra project in Selayang to be completed in the next three months.

Total sales as at Sept 30 from existing launches were about RM992.12 million while estimated unbilled sales were at RM645 million for the period.

Describe the health of the Malaysian property market. What is your outlook for 2013?
The property market is in a healthy state. There will be good demand in some growth areas within the upcoming infrastructure projects as well as those touted as the next key drivers of the economy. With the upcoming general election, there may be some underweight calls on equities until a strong certainty has been established in the market. Properties will still be a safe investment choice as they are a tangible asset class.

The government's steps to curb excessive speculation in the property market will be beneficial for long-term stable investments while the establishment of PR1MA and the incentives it offers for the middle-income group will see good growth prospects in that segment.

The high-end segment will benefit from the Economic Transformation Programme to turn Malaysia into an attractive investment destination. Likewise, the Bandar Malaysia and Tun Razak Exchange projects will bring large investments to stimulate the economy and turn the area into a new growth nucleus that will eventually cascade down into the outer regions.

I'm optimistic that the market will maintain a healthy momentum. Price appreciation may not be as high as before but growth will still be at a healthy, attractive pace.

This story first appeared in The Edge weekly edition of Dec 24-31, 2012.