CapitaLand has opened its own business school at a heritage building in Sentosa.

PROPERTY giant CapitaLand has opened its own business school at a heritage building in Sentosa.

Yesterday, chief executive Liew Mun Leong also used the venue to launch a book that is a compilation of nine years of e-mail messages to his staff, written mostly on Sundays.

The developer spent $10 million to renovate the building, which used to house a museum of rare stones. It leased the building earlier this year for a period of 10 years for Climb, short for CapitaLand Institute of Management & Business.

Climb has started offering learning and development programmes for the group’s staff - about 8,900 globally, of whom 1,400 are in Singapore.

Started last year, Climb has six full-time staff and previously conducted its courses at various locations, including hotels.

Mr Liew, who is involved with some of Climb’s programmes, yesterday launched his book, Building People: Sunday Emails From A CEO, with President SR Nathan, who also officially opened Climb.

The book contains some of the e-mail that Mr Liew has written to his staff in past years - an activity which he described in his book as enjoyable and relaxing.

An e-mail sent in 1998 carried the message: ‘Don’t take everything from the table. Leave something for your partners, too.’

Another, sent in 2001 and titled ‘There are no fat CapitaLand executives’, addressed the group’s ‘keep fighting fit’ culture.

Mr Liew ended it with: ‘So get out, you lazy bones and get going. It is all about discipline and then habit…Have fun doing it!’

Source : Straits Times - 23 Nov 2007