For Leon Lee, success is not a straight road. Instead, it comes with many turnoffs, extending the adventure and increasing possibilities.
Come November 2022, Lee’s real-estate consultancy company, Zeon Properties Group, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. What was once a simple real-estate agency has now grown into a marketing and consulting firm housing more than 1,000 staff members and agents in Kuala Lumpur and Penang and being involved in more than 300 property developments across the nation.
This year, the 40-year-old Penangite was conferred the Darjah Johan Negeri (DJN) award in conjunction with Penang’s Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak’s 73rd birthday celebration for his contributions to the state of Penang. This recognition follows the Pingat Kelakuan Terpuji (PKT) and Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) awarded by the Penang Governor in 2016 and 2010, respectively.
“I am glad that we have managed to come this far. Right from day one, my team members have been told to be bold, creative, and try to be unique in their approaches towards branding and strategies. It seems that our approach has paid off,” he tells The Asia Connects.
Zeon Properties has indeed come far, having gone through a global pandemic that has crippled the real-estate industry and emerging on the other end resilient, successful, and ready to celebrate a decade of growth and excellence. But it’s not sheer luck that got Zeon Properties through Covid-19 and a decade of socioeconomic and technological disruptions.
The company is not a typical real-estate firm. Offering a complete spectrum of property-related products and services, Zeon Properties specialises in property development and project management that encompass design and concept planning, sales and marketing, and submission of Advertising Permit and Developer’s License (APDL) for approval and end-financing facilitation.
Beyond that, Zeon Properties also provides international project marketing, foreign direct investment, retail planning, building management and hospitality services.
“We are the go-to service provider for foreigners who wish to settle down in Malaysia through the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme. We assist expatriates who either retire or invest in Malaysia and those who require medical and educational tourism facilitation,” Lee says. “We’re not just helping people build houses – we’re also helping them find homes.”
This diversity in services and products and its embracing of digital technology have ensured that Zeon Properties remain relevant and resilient even through the economic turbulence of the past two years. The Group is building towards a new future where sustainability in business also means environmental sustainability.
Diverse Beginnings
Leon Lee is himself a person of diverse interests. Even from a young age, Lee was active in sports clubs, societies and associations at school, holding several key positions like President, Chairman, and Captain that helped prepare him for leadership roles.
Today, Lee’s many hats include serving as the National Council Member of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), the National Chairman of the ACCCIM Young Entrepreneur Committee, and the Chairman of the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC) Young Entrepreneur Section, among others.
Notably, under his leadership, the ACCCIM Young Entrepreneur Section and PCCC Young Entrepreneur Section have both grown to about 8,000 and 1,500 members, respectively this year.
Lee is also serving as the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Penang as its consular protection liaison officer and the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese Youth Committee member.
A stalwart Scouts member since 1995, Lee made the grade as King Scout in 2000 and is now the Penang Scouts Council Chairman, overseeing over 30,000 scouts in the state.
In laying the foundations for his future career, Lee understood the importance of preparing ahead. Believing that technology will be central to prospective businesses and trends, Lee dedicated himself to learning Information and Communications Technology (ICT). As a school student, he took on part-time jobs in computer service centres to develop his ICT skills while earning pocket money.
“During my secondary school years, I was also helping to repair computers in the school library. After a while, I gained a certain level of trust among the teachers and students, who began asking me to service their personal computers,” he says.
This propensity for technology led him to found Zeon Computers while pursuing a course in Business Information Technology. “I obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science (Hons) from Northumbria University, UK. At that point, I was already a strong believer in the power of connections and networks. I knew that resources would directly determine one’s income level,” Lee explains.
After completing his tertiary education, Lee expanded his ICT business from one to seven outlets in the Northern Region of Malaysia. He set up two other companies – a software programming company called Unieksoft; and an IT parts and accessories company called Cebiz Distribution. He eventually sold them to DIS Technology Holdings Bhd, a public-listed company.
Breaking Out of Comfort Zones
Another person would have stuck to the comforts of an industry that they are already familiar with. Lee, on the other hand, wanted to explore new grounds. On 28 November 2012, Leon set up Zeon Properties Group to create a strong brand presence that connects and resonates with customers through solid partnerships with leading industry players.
His focus on building strong connections and networks paid off. “Our strength is, of course, our loyal and established clientele base developed over the years. That speaks volumes of our strong track record. This is evident with our appointment as an exclusive marketing partner for a few public listed property developers in the country,” he elaborates.
In the ten years since its establishment, Zeon Properties have grown into one of the premier real-estate entities in Malaysia. Their achievements include being the exclusive marketing partner for City of Dreams, the luxury seafront residential development between Seri Tanjung Pinang and Gurney drive. With its facades inspired by cut diamonds, City of Dreams stands as one of the most recognisable landmarks in Penang. It is designed to be on par with five-star resorts with over 80 world-class amenities spread across 120,000 sq ft of facility floors.
Besides that, Zeon Properties is also the exclusive marketing partner for three other notable projects, including one in Melaka – The Wyndham Hotel & Residence. The other two are Maritime Signature in Karpal Singh Drive and Penang Gateway in Bayan Lepas.
Like his penchant for embracing new and diverse interests, Lee ensured that Zeon Properties do not remain stagnant. “From a Penang-based property, we have ventured out of our comfort zone. In less than ten years, we now have representatives stationed in Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan,” he says.
“In Malaysia, we even set up four special divisions – Properties, MM2H, Property Management and Hospitality – just to cater to the needs of different types of clients.”
Embracing Sustainability
Presently, Lee is also looking towards building sustainability within his businesses. In 2018, he completed a Ministerial Workshop on “Forging Closer Partnership to Implement 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda for Developing Countries,” sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China.
For businesses to remain resilient, Lee sees the need to build a company culture rooted in sustainability. “Given the ascent of environmental, social and governance (ESG) adoption globally, we know how important this green agenda is. We are responsible for the world we live in. We know climate change is real, and it is vital for everyone to play a part in reducing carbon footprint,” he says.
As a start, Zeon Properties encourages its management team members to buy electric vehicles (EVs), supporting the cause in several ways, including providing a financial package for employees buying EVs.
Additionally, their office renovations emphasise comprehensive planning and green concepts by using sustainable materials. “We use a lot of indoor plants with natural lighting and ventilation, as we believe it will bring people closer to nature and experience the beauty of existence while reducing energy consumption and promoting healthy living,” explains Lee.
These efforts are expanded from the ESG commitments and sustainability practices adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic Movement Control Order (MCO). Lee says that the MCO allowed the company to embrace technology as a means to connect and interact, as well as to manage workflow and retain business continuity.
Zeon Properties now exercises flexibility in their work, allowing employees to dial into virtual meetings if they can’t attend physical ones, which Lee sees as a way to reduce carbon emissions. Working from home is also an option. “Every small step means a lot in achieving the ESG commitments,” he adds.
What’s next for Lee? “My ultimate aim is to set up the first college that offers broad-based real estate education. Continued resilience and growth require the next generation of real-estate experts. It is vital to empower and equip those in the industry with the necessary knowledge,” he says.
This means that Lee will be dipping his toes in education – another departure from his comfort zones. But that’s not a strange, unusual thing for Lee. It is what keeps him going.
