A village boy from Malaysia finds a home in Fujairah

Fujairah - Kian Choong Cheah is from Malayasia and works for Fujairah National Group

"I still remember my first impression of Fujairah - it is very welcoming, cosy and homely. It reminds me of my home in Malaysia," shares Kian Choong Cheah, or KC to his friends.
KC, 47, a father of three, is a Malaysian expat. He arrived in the UAE in May last year after he was hired by Shaikh Saleh bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, chairman of the Department of Industry and Economy in Fujairah and chairman of Fujairah National Group (FNG).
"The people in Fujairah are very kind and helpful. Everyone almost knows everybody, in one way or the other. We are like one big family. I'm a Buddhist but I have many Muslim friends and I feel truly blessed here."
"Before coming to Fujairah I had no idea of this emirate. Little did I expect that I will be hired personally by Shaikh Saleh, who I first met in Singapore way back in 2003. I must have made a good impression on him and with our constant communication, I was employed to head the business division of FNG which is one of the leading diversified business entities in the east coast of UAE with over 4,000 staff and eight operational divisions, including Construction, Real Estate, Healthcare, Education, Oil Storage, Aviation, Trading, Services and Hotels."
"I'm a village boy from Pusing, (near Ipoh), Kinta Valley, Malaysia and with 26 professional years in Singapore, I'm honoured and proud to be at Fujairah's service."
"My dream is to launch an 'innovation plan' to synergise the local companies in Fujairah with East Asia companies and businessmen to further promote the Islamic economy especially so that we need to depend less on oil as the major economic contributor and to build a more resilient powerhouse."
"I would like to contribute to my adopted country's further development through my experience in company mergers, technology integration like IoT (Internet of Things), and market development.
"I am also involved in the Malaysian expat community and I'm so happy that we were featured in Khaleej Times last Ramadan while we were having Iftar at the Malaysian consul-general's house. That Iftar speaks of cultural diversity and that for me is the best attraction why I found a home in the UAE, and Fujairah in particular."
angel@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE