For nearly three decades, Thomas Chu has been a central figure in shaping Boustead Projects into one of Singapore’s leading design-and-build specialists for industrial facilities.
Since joining Boustead Projects as a Project Manager in 1997, he has risen through the ranks, becoming a Business Development Director in 2005 and ultimately promoted to Managing Director of Boustead Projects in 2009.
When asked about the most memorable moments of his long tenure at Boustead Projects, Thomas looked back on the time when his team secured two of the three major Rolls-Royce developments at the newly launched Seletar Aerospace Park, which was to develop the Fan Blade Manufacturing Facility and the Test Cell Facility with CENCO, one of the world’s leading test cell integrators. The former was Rolls-Royce’s first fan blade manufacturing facility outside the UK, while the latter was Singapore’s first to test the Trent 900 engines powering the Airbus A380. While they were very sizeable in value, both were highly complex, long-span, first-of-their-kind facilities that required advanced soundproofing and vibration control systems, and were among the earliest in the industry to achieve the newly introduced Green Mark Platinum certification.
“It wasn’t just about the size of the contracts,” he recalled. “It was the nature of the client, the complexity of the projects, and what it meant for us, which was a leap in both scale and capability. Those 2 projects represent a milestone not only for the company, but also for me personally.”
Thomas became the Managing Director of Boustead Projects Engineering & Construction in 2009
Today, with the consolidation of Boustead Projects under Boustead Singapore’s Real Estate Solutions Division, Thomas oversees the Engineering & Construction (E&C) business covering strategic execution, business development, and project management. The division has expanded vastly, with over 200 team members across Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam to support regional projects, including a Malaysia data centre project secured by the E&C team in November 2024.
“What keeps me motivated every day is the passion for excellence from the team and the ability to continually grow myself as a leader, together with the mentorship and support from our Executive Chairman”, he said.
Evolving Vision Through Technology and Innovation
Under Thomas’s leadership, Boustead Projects has continually adapted its vision to stay ahead of industry shifts. From its early days as a core industrial design-and-build company, the firm has embraced technology and efficiency as key differentiators. This includes leveraging 7D Building Information Modelling (BIM) and cloud-based collaboration to streamline project delivery for improved efficiency. By integrating design, cost, scheduling, sustainability, and facility management into one digital model, teams can anticipate issues early and optimise performance. Furthermore, cloud-hosted centralised models keep all stakeholders aligned in real time, reducing rework and accelerating decisions, thus enabling Boustead to deliver complex, high-value projects with greater speed and precision.
“The building industry is changing so fast, and productivity is the most challenging activity with increasingly tight resources,” he explains. “Overcoming this with technology provides us with a competitive advantage for both us and our clients.”
Adapting Through Cycles and Challenges
Like the industry itself, Boustead Projects has weathered multiple economic cycles and disruptive events. Thomas credits the company’s core values of Perseverance, Professionalism, Integrity, Flexibility, and Passion for helping the staff to endure and overcome the challenges.
One of the toughest challenges in his career came during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought unprecedented manpower shortages, contractual disputes, and financial pressures. Despite these troubles, Thomas and his team prevailed by leveraging digital project management tools to coordinate remotely, implementing phased work scheduling to ensure progress and maintain transparent communication with clients as well as subcontractors to manage expectations and resolve issues collaboratively.
“The resilience of our staff was the core of our strategy in overcoming the tough period. Everyone stepped up to turn things around for the better,” he notes, adding that strong support from the Board and Boustead Singapore was also vital in tackling the crisis.
Thomas and the BPEC team won the BCA Green & Gracious Builder Award (Star) at the BCA WSH Awards 2024
The Winning Leadership Philosophy
For Thomas, leadership and client engagement have always been guided by one simple principle: create value for others, and value will come back to you. His approach is built on what he calls a “win-win” philosophy, which he credits as the primary reason behind his successes at Boustead Projects.
“I sincerely believe in always working towards a win-win outcome in everything we do. This helps us to manage clients’ or partners’ expectations and strengthen shareholders’ value. When you consistently deliver value to clients, you earn their trust, and that in turn secures the sustainability and profitability of the business,” he says.
This guiding principle has influenced not just the company’s growth trajectory but also the way he nurtures talent across the organisation. By fostering the same mentality among his staff, he is able to rally his team towards a shared vision.
He adds, “Once a team member understands this philosophy, it’s easy for them to get motivated to grow with the organisation.”
The Road Ahead: Focus on Sustainability and Words for the Next Generation
Thomas sees sustainability and innovation as non-negotiables for the future of Boustead Projects. Beyond compliance, he views them as key strategic levers to create intrinsic value for high-value industries and clients. This is reflected by the BCA Green Mark Platinum and Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) awards attributed to Boustead Projects’ developments.
Over the years, Boustead Projects has established itself as a leader in sustainable industrial development, with a strong track record under Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark certification. The company has built one in every five Green Mark Platinum-rated private sector industrial developments and one in every three Green Mark Platinum-rated private sector logistics developments across the nation. Among its standout achievements is the Takeda Building, recognised as Singapore’s first positive energy industrial building, which produces more energy than it consumes through innovative design and renewable energy integration.
“Sustainability and innovation will continue to pave the way for the company’s long-term future and provide a competitive advantage over our industry peers,” he affirms.
For young professionals aspiring to build long and impactful careers in construction and real estate, Thomas’s advice is simple yet powerful:
“As long as you have the initiative to take on challenges that are non-conventional and focus on a win-win outcome for all stakeholders, you will get the opportunities to thrive in this industry.”
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