Who would have believed that a person who describes themselves as a functional introvert could work full-time as a coffee vendor, be a pioneer in the field of mobile photography in Singapore, and also have formed a whopping four communities in the area?
Ivan Kuek is unstoppable in pursuing his interests, and nothing can stand in his way. Not his natural disposition, and most definitely not the lack of available time.
Ivan’s previous line of work was in the coffee sector, where he was primarily responsible for distributing equipment for producing coffee. His job is to provide establishments like restaurants, hotels, and coffee shops with the assistance they require in stocking their pantries, coffee shops, and kiosks with the necessary equipment to make coffee. After several years, Ivan is now one of the co-founders and the director of Stella M, a respected coffee equipment specialist and an official distributor.
The first community that Ivan established was called SGIG, which is an acronym that stands for Singapore Instagram Group. When it first launched, Instagram was exclusive to the iPhone; hence, most people who participated in this community were mobile photographers and creatives.
Second, he is the founder of the photography-related community known as Photo Logue, which he co-founded with his close friend. The idea behind this was to return to something more analog, precisely the printed word. They desired a group of photographers who could talk about their projects and share prints of their work with one another.
Ivan recently joined The Social Running Club, making it the third organisation on the list. It all started with a bunch of close friends out for a run together while catching up with one another. It took some time, but eventually, it turned into a community. As a result of one event leading to another, several members of The Social Running Club went on a trek. Therefore, as a final resort, Ivan concluded that he should establish The Social Hiking Club, and he will end these club formations right now!
Even though Ivan has friends who are into hobbies like skateboarding and rollerblading and would like to establish a club for their interests, the formations of these clubs are unlimited and will never end.
Ivan always prioritises focusing on spending time with his children, even though he has a full schedule.
Ivan’s Day begins very early. After seeing off his children to their respective educational institutions, Ivan will, if time allows, go for a run before attending my various meetings. After dinner, he also tries to assist his children with their homework assignments.
Ivan does not devote an equal amount of time to each community group he is involved with. He would claim that he is someone who, for the most part, is content to go with the flow.
For example, he can more easily produce events for the several communities he leads through numerous alliances and partnerships.
Although he enjoys meeting new people and his line of work requires him to do it frequently, Ivan is an introvert. He enjoys having time to himself, during which he may go running, read, and go on trips by himself. It plays a role in ensuring that he maintains his sanity!
