Daniel Ng, 47
Marketing director in Asia-Pacific and Japan, Red Hat

By Grace Chng

A 25-YEAR tech marketing career saw Daniel Ng, 47, changing jobs 10 times.

One might think that Daniel, now marketing director in Asia-Pacific and Japan for software firm Red Hat, is a job-hopper.

For him, though, each change of employer was a fresh opportunity to manage new products and/or oversee new geographical regions.

He has always had a desire to learn, which made him move from managing one country to many countries, from overseeing a product family in a country to doing so in many countries.

Along the way, Daniel has also moved from application development work to marketing networks, software and hardware.

The Kuala Lumpur-born Singapore permanent resident will still do this all over again if he were a new graduate.

'By moving around, you get first hand experience; you learn many things like people's behaviour which is the basis of marketing.

'Understand what people need, serve that and you can do reasonably well,' said Daniel, who graduated as a systems analyst from the University of Guelph in Canada in 1984.

In his first job as a systems analyst with the now-defunct Nixdorf Malaysia, he developed enterprise applications for, among other companies, a local bank and a transport firm.

His bosses at Nixdorf saw that he had a knack for engaging customers while explaining project technicalities. His marketing career was born.

Joining Red Hat about two years ago, he became involved in efforts to promote free software.

Red Hat itself sells a commercial version - complete with technical support - of the Linux operating system. But Linux was created as an open source software and any developer can contribute code to the program. It can be downloaded from the Web, free of a purchase licence.

'I initially grappled with the idea of free software. But I learnt that freedom means free from vendor lock-in and free to choose how software is used.'

Business users, with no need to buy a licence which is part of capital expenses and overheads, are then free to pay a subscription fee, which is part of operating expenses, to a vendor like Red Hat to provide technical support.

'In these days of tight budgets, businesses will pay for operating expenses rather than capital expenses which stay on the balance sheet for a few years and thus have an impact on the bottom line.'

What is your best marketing experience?

I would like to think that I pioneered e-marketing here. I was with IBM in 2003 when the Sars epidemic hit Singapore. We have the IBM Forum, which showcases our technology to the IT industry. Because of Sars, we decided on virtual seminars.

That year, customers attended the seminars virtually, when and where they wanted to, and on demand.

It was a trendsetting move. Participants could revisit parts that they missed and be in the same seminar with friends located elsewhere.

The data collected from the virtual events enabled us to refine our e-promotions and make them more targeted to accelerate sales.

I have done various e-marketing programmes in China and elsewhere. It has become my area of specialty and these days I get invited to speak on it.

You worked exclusively in Asia. Would you be open to a position in the United States?

Asia is where my friends and family are. I have already sunk my roots here. Also, my parents in Malaysia are getting older and I would like to be near them.

I was open to working in the United States when I was younger. My interest is to do a global job wherever I am. There is no difference where you are based today because technology connects us globally. Besides, we are managed by results and not by the clock.

What two tips would you give to new graduates entering the workforce?

First, be open to learning. Not only learn the good things, but also learn to do the tough stuff that people do not want to do, like having to do work on weekends or travel for work during Chinese New Year. Do things out of your comfort zone, go to places where no one has gone before.

Secondly, always contribute not only by doing things but by articulating your ideas and arguments. Explain yourself and ask questions. Be curious. Be mature enough to realise that not all your ideas are acceptable and always agree to disagree in a cordial and civil fashion.

When I interview a job applicant, I look for three things. Great attitude towards working makes up 50 per cent of the marks. Good aptitude takes up 40 per cent and skills, 10 per cent.

In a dynamic world, skills can be picked up in no time. But attitude and aptitude are key to a good worker.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.