Office Design at CEO SUITE
Try fulfilling today’s demands in the business world, including high-speed and reliable internet connectivity, professional phone answering, reliable and capable staff, good office management, comfortable working environment and the list goes on… We check out today the office of the one businesswoman, Mee Kim, the President of CEO SUITE, who seems to truly understand the demands of such a fast-moving world.
On entering the Centre, one is greeted by an environment predominantly decorated in soft cream-color tone. Its minimal, yet soothingly sophisticated designs, are immediately obvious to anyone entering the Centre. All facilities and set-up necessary for a functional office seem to have been provided and catered for under one roof on this single level in CEO SUITE.
The tour would not have been complete without the walk through the lively Reception area, where guests are welcomed and warmly greeted; ready-for-work executive office suites of various sizes, fully furnished with executive desks and leather chairs; stately boardrooms well-equipped with facilities for tele/video-conferencing sessions; lounges obviously designed for convenience for traveling business people, and finally, the stylish cyber-cafe comparable to any coffee chain, the ultimate luxury provided for in an otherwise strictly business environment.
Our final destination was the office of the woman behind the business. Behind her letter-L-shaped desk in her office suite with full-length glass window, Mee Kim is interestingly absorbed in her work behind her laptop, from which she supervises work of her five centres around the Region in Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai. Her elegantly decorated office offers a breathtaking beautiful and panoramic city view, with a bird’s eye view of all the office buildings in the city. Accompanied by a soft but chic music playing in the background, and dressed in a soft colour of a formal suit, we were immediately put at ease as she strides forward to greet us in all her friendliness.
Still around her office, Mee Kim has two cabinets for her collection of books, world-maps, VCDs and CDs. Pictures of lighter-hearted moments of her with her husband, Mr Joseph Siswanto, who is also an entrepreneur like herself, are displayed on the shelves of her cabinets. The two golden-frame paintings of a roaster by the famous painter, Popo Iskandar, completes the entire mood of her office, set above a grey sofa with littered cushions covered with leopard-skin design cushion covers.
As we chatted, Mee Kim reveals that she is both a golfer and a frequent traveler, and it is important for her workplace to be furnished for comfort. The Centre’s minimal-design concept extends even to her own office suite; there is a classic touch to her office with the variety of unique and interesting furnishings such as table accessories, ceramic souvenirs and paintings, all of which have been carefully positioned – no doubt all collections from her extensive travels.
True to the feeling, Mee Kim’s intentional choice of a cream-dominated color around her Centres is to create a “homey” feeling for her clients within their office. The overall office design is meant to be “simple, yet elegant”, exclaims Mee Kim.
The mother of a 6-year old boy, and born in Seoul, Korea, Mee Kim has been successful in her establishment of the instant-office business since the opening of her first centre in 1997. Her previous experience in this industry as an employee (instead of the owner) has shed some lights, and helped her accumulate precious experience in anticipating the potential of the market, and pre-empting the demands of her clients. It would remain part of her corporate plan to continue to expand her business into Bangkok and Vietnam.
“We have our vision and business plans established region-wide. It remains our aim and mission to set ourselves apart as the leading operator in this industry, not just in a few markets, but our flag in this business should be carried across internationally. The same goes for our team of human resources. Our IT-specialist, employed in Jakarta, is now based in Singapore to oversee all our Centres region-wide. In today’s business world, businesses should no longer be limited by the borders of each country. Our resources in all our Centres are shared, and our strength comes from this unity,” enlightens Mee Kim.
Apr 26, 2013