Venturing Beyond the Law – Ho Kheng Lian ’07

Ho Kheng Lian ’07 had three good reasons to read law at NUS. First, she loved writing argumentative essays and was always up for debates, whether it was in class or at home. Her next motivation was to fulfil her father’s unrealised dream of becoming a lawyer. But perhaps the most important reason of all was that she knew a law degree from NUS would build a foundation that would allow her to pursue career paths beyond the field of law.

While reminiscing about her law school days, Kheng Lian especially recalled fond memories of performing in her graduating year’s Law IV musical production. She played the part of an oracle who imparted pearls of wisdom in dramatic fashion with loud costumes and elaborate dance moves. The fact that her best friends were part of the cast and crew made the experience all the more meaningful. It still fills her with joy and warmth when she thinks about the camaraderie and collaborative spirit of her cohort coming together for the production.

“We spent memorable hours laughing, crying, improvising, and making hilarious props. A dance partner, Ross Tan, had to catch me in mid-air. He was always scared he might break his back, while I was always scared he might drop me,” she laughed.

There were also nerve-racking moments, such as the times she had to prepare for moots. The sleepless nights at Kent Ridge Hall doing research, writing papers, and rehearsing with her teammates truly gave her a taste of what real-world practice would feel like.

“Merely thinking about appearing in front of Professor Eleanor Wong ’85 for my first moot had my tongue twisted and my stomach in knots,” said Kheng Lian. “I later learnt how not to blank out and to always be ready, know my material inside out, anticipate questions from every angle, and be prepared with answers that are backed up with research.”

Those skills and mindset have since played a crucial role in whatever work she does Like many law graduates, Kheng Lian began her career journey with a stint in a law firm. She practised at Drew & Napier in the insolvency, restructuring, and cross-border litigation team for five years before moving on to Maples and Calder in Hong Kong.

Even at the onset of her legal career, Kheng Lian had her sights set on breaking out of practice to build her own business.

“My pupil master, Julian Kwek, whom I still call often, even joked in my first month of pupillage that he imagined I would be one of those who leave law to set up an ice cream shop,” she chuckled.

Kheng Lian described the experience of moving to Hong Kong as exhilarating and invigorating. The venture marked her first step in accomplishing her larger ambition, and it opened the door for her to meet a variety of business people from diverse backgrounds. The fast-paced and dynamic environment created a buzz which in turn influenced her to believe that she could realise her aspiration of starting her own business.

“By then, I had practiced law for six years, it was a pivotal point in my career to leave and try something new before the opportunity cost got too high,” she said. “I told myself that if I fail, I could always fall back on becoming a lawyer again.”

When Kheng Lian left Maples and Calder, she had one resolve – to discover new opportunities and not succumb to tantalising offers from headhunters who knocked on her door. It was during this discovery phase when she became aware that she was carrying self-limiting beliefs which were holding her back.

“I limited myself by thinking it was difficult to be in a different industry as I lacked the skill set to do anything beyond the law,” she said. There was even a point where she felt like she had lost her identity and self-worth because she did not have a compelling answer to what her immediate plans were.

Nevertheless, she persevered and continued to meet and engage with various people. Then, an opportunity arose for her to co-invest in a tech startup in New York City. She had no prior knowledge of this industry but decided to take the leap anyway.

“When I agreed to do it, I learnt about business operations, fundraising, investing, and how to hustle. My eyes were opened to the supercharged world of tech startups in America,” she said.

At that juncture, Kheng Lian was shuttling between Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States to immerse herself in the world of tech communities and angel investments. Opportunities began opening up, and soon she found herself in the venture capitalist space. She joined a venture capital firm based in Hong Kong as a partner and successfully raised capital to help her friend, who was the founder of dating app Paktor, close a Series A funding round.

As her network and influence grew, Kheng Lian earned the moniker of “Super Connector” and finally gained clarity on how to shape her future by leveraging her strengths.

“You have to identify your superpower. I understood mine to be that of being a “Super Connector”, which stems from my love for getting to know people, authentically developing deep relationships, and bringing people together,” she explained.

She had unknowingly built a large network of people in diverse fields. Moving forward, she realised that she could use her influence and connect with people to build businesses better and to solve global problems. That would be her business idea.

Kheng Lian then founded Kollective Ventures, Kollective Advisory Partners, and co-founded Open Circles. At Kollective Ventures, her work involves investing in and acquiring early-stage startups, as well as curating consortiums to invest in latestage companies. At Kollective Advisory Partners, she helps provide strategic business advice, and fundraise for startups and venture capital funds. Open Circles is an events and community building company that creates thought-provoking experiences for a global community of leading investors, entrepreneurs, and nongovernment organisations, who gather to solve global problems.

In retrospect, leaving her legal career behind was not as difficult as she had initially imagined.

“I am grateful for the many who have trusted me and helped me identify what I am good at,” said Kheng Lian. “What matters to me now is that I build a career beyond the law which I can use to touch as many lives as possible.”