As a veteran civil servant, Mr Jumadi Mohamed Yosope took a leap of faith last year when he decided to look for a second career in a different industry .
He spent 18 years at various government bodies, including as an administrative manager in the Home Affairs and Finance ministries, before applying for the International Trading Professional Conversion Programme (PCP), from which he graduated on Nov 15.
"After being in the same job for some time, I wanted a fresh challenge - to do something new in a new environment, even if it meant taking a pay cut," said the 44-year-old, who declined to reveal his past or current salary.
Under the PCP, Mr Jumadi was matched to home-grown logistics firm Riverwood. He then underwent a year-long training under the firm's sponsorship.
During this time, he pitched an idea for the firm to expand into the global halal logistics market, which the company has adopted.
"With many Muslim-majority countries becoming more affluent, and a growing awareness of what goes into things like food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, the demand for such halal products is going to increase," he said.
Mr Jumadi, who has five children aged between one and 10, joined the firm in November last year as a finance and human resource manager. "In a small and medium enterprise, we sometimes have to wear two or even three hats," he said.
He has a Diploma in Business Administration from Singapore Polytechnic.
His current job scope includes recruitment and attending to staff matters like leave applications. Mr Jumadi said the soft skills he picked up in his civil service years fulfilled what Riverwood was looking for.
"In a government agency, even though it's very structured and procedural, with processes already in place, one thing I've learnt is always look for improvement," he said.
His perfectionist attitude impressed Riverwood chief executive Syafiq Yusoff. Mr Jumadi said: "My boss told me, 'It's not enough to just have a PhD when you have a negative attitude, like being unmotivated and unwilling to learn.'"
Lim Min Zhang
