Arts for Everyone, big dream of Benson Puah
Interview with Benson Puah, CEO of Esplanade, Singapore


                                                                                                                            Interviewer _ Sungyeop Lee

This article is written for an interview with overseas CEO through e-mail. The interview will be issued at Weekly @ Arts Management, arts management webzine in Korean published by Korea Arts Management Service.

Benson Puah has been working in the filed of performing arts administration since he was appointed as CEO of Esplanade in Singapore in 1998.
Benson Puah has been working as the chairperson of the International Society of Performing Arts(ISPA) which is performing arts global network, was also appointed as the CEO of National Arts Council Singapore(NAC) ON 1 August 2009.

It is now the 11th year of your incumbency as Chief Executive Officer of the Esplanade. In Korea, one cannot imagine, nor dream, such a long incumbency, especially in the public sector. Does it happen usually in Singapore, or is it that yours is an exceptional case owing to your outstanding ability of management?  

In Singapore, it is quite common for us to be employed without a term limit. It doesn’t mean that we are guaranteed a job for life though. The company can give us notice, usually between one to six months, to leave if we do not perform to its expectation.

As for your background prior to Esplanade, I could not find works relevant to the artistic sector, per se. I’m curious how you decided to work in the arts center. (Please tell me your story around your appointment in 1998 when, as I assume, you were quite young for the Grand Project like Esplanade.)

I was 41 when I joined Esplanade and my appointment was a surprise to everyone. It surprised me too when I was asked by the Government to do the job. I have worked in several different industries, mainly to start up companies or to re-engineer them. So I guess I built for myself a reputation as a builder of organisations and a developer of people. Although I have never worked in the arts before, I grew up with it. Music, dance, theatre as well as sports were a big part of my life which I’m sure have influenced me in many ways. 

When I was asked to join Esplanade, I viewed it as an opportunity to help transform society, to bring the arts to the community so that it becomes an integral part of a better enriched and balanced life. I didn’t see it as an extension of my skills as a hotelier though it helped that I understood the importance of good service. I guess from the onset, I was clear what I thought the roles and responsibilities of Esplanade were and that formed my vision for it. It had to serve all of our society and be relevant.

What skills or qualifications do you think are required of a CEO of such a big arts center like Esplanade?

The skills required of a CEO for any large performing arts centre would depend on the stage the centre is at, the state of the arts and the availability of trained resources to manage it. In the case of Esplanade, I joined when it was being constructed, the arts scene in Singapore was vibrant but still very young with limited variety and depth and there were no trained staff in either technical theatre or administrators. We never had a purpose built arts centre of this scale before in Singapore’s history. I basically started from scratch.

That being the case, I had to oversee the construction, manage the budget, specify and purchase the specialised equipment, ensure that the infrastructure was built suitable for our needs, set up the management, financial and operational systems, recruit, develop, train and mentor the team at all levels and prepare them for the opening and beyond. This demanded from me the fullest extent of my experience in leading and managing organisations. However, the more crucial aspect was setting the artistic direction and the programming strategies to achieve them. I mapped out a 20-year plan in two phases to achieve our vision to be a performing arts centre for everyone. The needs of Esplanade required a macro-thinker and a micro-manager, all in one. Mature centres may not always have these same demands.

The Esplanade is known as the arts icon, and a landmark, of Singapore, as well as one of the most beautiful arts center in the world. How did you achieve that in such short years since its official opening in 2002?  

That it is considered beautiful or an architectural landmark is not so much my doing but that of the architect and our Government who had the vision and courage to build something so different. We energised and brought life to Esplanade with our programming and made it a place where all people wanted to come to. This was our mission from the time we were planning its opening. We considered every aspect of our activities to ensure that we stayed relevant to our people and remained true to our mission.

Would you make a boast of your arts center? Please introduce it shortly with some facts and figures.

Esplanade as an institution is still very young and it will take many more years of hard work before we can consider ourselves successful. I would like to think that we have built a firm foundation for our future but there is so much more yet to do. Since our opening in October 2002, our audience numbers have grown from 900,000 people attending about 1,500 performances at the centre in our first full year of operations (2003/2004) to more than 1.7 million audiences last year attending about 2,500 performances both free and ticketed. The number of visitors has also increased steadily, from 6 million in 2003/2004 to a high of 8.5 million people in 2007/2008.

Our widely accessible and diverse annual calendar has grown to comprise 12 festivals and 21 programme series which cut across genres and transcend ethnic boundaries to cater to the different and specific needs of a wide range of audiences. Forming the foundation of our calendar, the community and access programmes aim to engage and entertain those who have little or no exposure to the arts. They include our key cultural festivals which aim to galvanise the community in celebration of their ethnic festivals through the arts.  Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts celebrates the Lunar New Year, Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts celebrates Deepavali, and Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts celebrates Hari Raya Puasa. There are also special events in line with festive seasons and occasions such as New Year’s Eve, Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day and Children’s Day that ensure that the community has a place to go to and programmes through which they can celebrate each occasion.

In addition, our genre-specific festivals and programmes such as Mosaic Music Festival, dan:s festival and Baybeats are designed to develop new audiences, grow existing ones and develop local artists through collaborations, workshops and masterclasses which encourage exchange between  international, regional and local artists.

Esplanade is also recognised as a Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centre by Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) for training workers in the Technical Theatre Industry. This acknowledges Esplanade’s Technical Training programmes under the Creative Industries Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) framework as the standard for the technical theatre industry in Singapore. The centre also conducts foundation courses in Technical Theatre and Technical Theatre Specialist Programme.

As it is mentioned in the vision statement, the Esplanade is to be a performing arts center for everyone. How do you serve your multiple public? I guess you must have a very strategic policy.

We are clear that all our people matter, of all ages, different ethnic and cultural communities, of all social classes, tastes and preferences. We recognise that all art of quality is important and valuable and do not distinguish between ‘high’ art and others. We treat all our people equally whether they are construction workers, high officials or the very rich. Everyone is important to us. This translates not only into how we programme our festivals and series but how each of our staff is empowered to do their work. We have a core system of values which ensures that each employee is respectful of their colleagues, with kindness, warmth, integrity and humility as guiding principles.

What is your role in your organization? And please introduce your management philosophy.

I lead and direct my team so that they are clear of what their objectives are, give them the resources and support to help them succeed, guide and mentor them when they are unsure of the way. I’m very hands-on and involved in all aspects of what happens at Esplanade. I believe in leading by example. However, I do so from the rear pushing my team forward and empowering them to make decisions and take risks. They know that I’m always there should they need me.

I know all my staff as I’m involved in interviewing all my managers upwards and take interest in their personal and professional development. I walk around a lot talking to my team and I encourage everyone to question anything that they feel is not right. There is little formality or hierarchy in our structure and communications is very transparent. We share information freely and explain decisions so everyone understands why they are doing what they are doing. No one needs to make an appointment to talk to me. Our turnover is very low and we rarely have to advertise for vacancies as we have on our files many applicants wanting to join us.

Could you tell me the secret of your big success as an arts manager? You are very well-known in Korea as a representative CEO in managing an arts venue. Could you introduce your strength and weakness- if you have any- as a top CEO of an arts center? 

I find this a difficult question to answer as I do not consider what I’ve done so far as successful yet, not until a generation has passed and the community and the Government embrace the arts as a necessary part of their lives and the arts have indeed enriched our lives. However, I believe that my responsibility at Esplanade is to serve the community through the arts. So it is about the people and not about Esplanade or me.

I guess a weakness of mine is my obsession for perfection, meaning and outcomes. I don’t believe in just doing something for no reason. That’s just an activity or output. It must make a difference. I drive my team crazy!

You are the first Asian to hold the Chair of ISPA, and for many years (perhaps since 2003) you have been serving as the chairperson of AAPPAC. You seem to be very concerned about international relationship and collaborations. Do you put specific or special value on it?

For several hundred years and particularly this last century, the West has had tremendous influence on us in Asia. The older generations, many having lived under colonial rule or in pursuit of progress, aspired to embrace Western practices. That would be the height of being cultured. So we built performing arts centres mainly for Western art forms, our aspiration is to have the same cultural vibrancy as the great Western cities but not with our own art forms but the West’s – Western opera, ballet and symphonic orchestras.

I feel that we have not invested sufficiently in developing our own artists and art forms. We need to find our voice, develop our own vocabulary even if we learn Western techniques. We cannot borrow someone else’s culture and make that our own. We can appreciate it, even practise it but it cannot be what defines us. Therefore my advocacy in these organisations is to open up avenues for Asia to redress this imbalance of influences. 

I read that you are involved in Education of Arts Management as well, chairing the Curriculum Development Advisory Committee for Arts Management Department, Nanyang Academy of Find Arts. Could you give a short advice to the students regarding their future job and what they should do for it during their study?

Be open, curious and interested in all art forms. Education gives us knowledge and working in the real world gives us experience which with time, gives us wisdom……hopefully! However, being young doesn’t mean we cannot yet contribute. Challenge the system but work with it without being cynical. In the recent AAPPAC newsletter, John Kani, a very famous South African actor and playwright wrote an article titled “Nothing but the truth.” I’d like to borrow a quote from it. He says “Life is not a relay race. No one comes and hands the baton to you and says ‘Now [it] is your responsibility to continue the race.’ You must seek out who is holding the baton and then go get it from them! We must never think it is not yet our time because we are still young. Now is the most critical time to take responsibility.”

Do you have anything to talk to young arts mangers in Korea as a senior in this field?

Korea is going through a very exciting phase of discovery and development. Go make a difference! Discover what it means to be Koreans and Koreans in Asia. There is a larger world outside. Be and stay connected.

I know you have been to Korea several times. Have you found scenic changes- or, what I may call “drastic changes”- in the field of arts and culture in Korea?

Each time I visit and even if I don’t, I can feel and infer a rising tide of change. It is very exciting. However, amongst the older generation, there still seems to be a lingering obsession for the classic Western art forms and a differentiation between the elite high art and others. Korea’s energy is in its own rich heritage that can inform its young and its future. Modernisation and progress does not need to mean Westernisation. I would also encourage Korean arts to look and stay in the East (in Asia).

Who is Benson Puah?

Benson joined The Esplanade Co Ltd (TECL) in July 1998. As its Chief Executive Officer he is responsible for the overall development, management, programming and artistic direction of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, one of the world’s busiest performing arts centres.

Prior to Esplanade, Benson had 20 years of experience specialising in pioneering hospitality projects. An honours graduate in Hotel, Catering and Tourism Administration from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, he embarked on an international career in the hospitality industry with leading luxury hotel companies in many of the major US, European and Asian cities.

Benson then ventured into the public sector, as Chief Executive of Sentosa Development Corporation. His next position was as Chief Executive Officer of Temasia Health Pte Ltd, the international business and management arm of Health Corporation of Singapore, a government-linked company.

Concurrent to his position as CEO of TECL, Singapore’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts has also appointed Mr Benson Puah as Chief Executive Officer of the National Arts Council(NAC), a position he took up with effect from 1 August 2009.  In addition to this, Benson is currently the Chair of the New York-based International Society for the Performing Arts(ISPA), a prestigious membership association for leaders in the arts world. He is the first Asian to hold this appointment. He is also the Chair of the Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres(AAPPAC) and is a member of various boards and committees.

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Sungyeop Lee is a member of Editing Committee of  Weekly @ Arts Management and Professor of Arts Management at Korea National University of Arts. He also holds various public offices including Representative of Wuturi Players, Vice President of Korean Association of Arts Management, and Korea Association for Cultural Economics, Board Member of Korean Arts Management Service, Seoul Theatre Association and Korean Association of Performing Arts Producers. He served in the production and theatre management of Seoul Arts Center from 1987 to 2001.