What inspired you to start Knowledge Director?

What is the vision of Knowledge Director?

Is Knowledge Director an e-learning company?

How big is the team in Knowledge Director?

What is the culture like in Knowledge Director?

What were you doing prior to starting Knowledge Director?

Knowledge Director has won over the hearts of MNCs like Microsoft, Citibank, Unilever and more.
How did the company manage to clinch such impressive contracts?

So other than the corporate sector, what sort of progress has Knowledge Director made with the Education/Academic Sector?

Is digital game-based learning really that effective?

What sort of digital games do you play?

What can we expect from KD in the future?


Q: What inspired you to start Knowledge Director?

Firstly, it started with a very “dewy-eyed” and, most of the time, unreal belief that we can all change the world simply with passion!

I have always been fascinated with technology – and feel that it truly is the language of globalisation. So it’s a wonder how it can it be so exclusive, especially in its application to learning.

Having been a buyer and seller in this industry for over 6-7 years, I realised that e-learning never did quite take off despite its benefits. I have always felt that the knowledge experts (teachers, trainers and sales managers), and not the technologists, should drive e-learning. These learning champions should not be denied the opportunity to leverage on today’s technologies just because they do not have programming skills! So, simplicity of technology was non-existent and all the available tools then were somewhat exclusive.

The tools available in the market were either professional authoring tools like Macromedia Flash which required the user to possess programming skills or other basic content creation applications which were easy to use, but limited in their ability to create interactive and visually appealing content.

The other factor was the prohibitively high content development cost. Most online content can range from $10,000 to $50,000 per courseware as the time spent on developing the courseware by technical professionals was the basis for such pricing.

So I thought, wouldn’t it be great if I, as a Subject Matter Expert, could produce the same results as a professional multimedia designer without having to pick up any programming skills? I shared this somewhat “impossible” dream with Steven (CTO and co-founder) and this led to the birth of Knowledge Director and our flagship, learningDIRECTOR™.


Q: What is the vision of Knowledge Director?

Here at Knowledge Director, we make it our business to simplify, accelerate and empower knowledge exchange. We feel strongly that to truly bridge the digital divide, we need technology to be inclusive – to take the stand of an equal opportunity enabler. No one should be left behind.

I have always studied hard, worked hard AND played hard. In my opinion. the learning and education world has become too serious, procedural and ... dare I say, boring! We believe that learning should be fun so we decided that games should be part of our vision.

We set out to design and develop techniques and tools that allow organisations and individuals to create attractive, interactive learning solutions easily and quickly. “Play to Learn” will always be our passion statement. From raw passion, we have made this passion a reality.


Q: Is Knowledge Director an e-learning company?

Knowledge Director is more than an e-learning company! Our passion is in empowering learning so learning drives the company, our vision, our strategy and products.

We are a full-service global learning solutions company that helps you and your organisation learn effectively through our suite of game-based and innovative learning solutions.

From classrooms to boardrooms, you can create highly engaging and visually impressive game-based lessons, tests, quizzes and presentations easily and quickly without the level of effort and costs that used to be associated with any multimedia production.


Q: How big is the team in Knowledge Director?

To serve our clients and partners effectively and efficiently, Knowledge Director has 4 globally functional teams to ensure the company remains dynamic and relevant – Global Solutions Group, Global EdKNOWvation Group, Global Total Excellence Group and Global Corporate Services Group.


Q: What is the culture like in Knowledge Director?

Our lives revolve around the idea that fun drives creativity and learning. We encourage creativity among our staff. We also believe that for a team to work together, they must play together. Hence we have a monthly get-together called Whazzup, where everyone, whether sales or development, meet up to bond and innovate.

We are also in the midst of building an online community called edKNOWvation that will connect us to the development and game community and expand our contacts. OPEN and INCLUSIVE communication is very much a part of the Knowledge Director culture and will continue to be.


Q: What were you doing prior to starting Knowledge Director?

Prior to Knowledge Director, I was with TTS Asia Learning Solutions where I held the post of Managing Director. My job was to spearhead the global expansion of TTS Asia group. I helped built a very successful branding and positioning programme, which saw TTS Asia achieving an unprecedented level of awareness and recognition within the e-learning and financial services industry.

Before that, I was busy establishing the New York Institute of Finance's Asia Pacific/Middle East headquarters in Singapore back in 1996 and was its Managing Director up to the end of 2000.

As Managing Director, I led the first-ever overseas branch operations into a highly profitable position, despite the Asian financial crisis. With my capable team, we developed a comprehensive curriculum of Asian-oriented specialist training solutions for the region's financial community. I was also integral to establishing and maintaining several major account relationships with top financial institutions in the Asia Pacific region such as JP Morgan and Merrill Lynch.

Going back further, I aided the launch of NYIF On-Line in June 2000 and prior to that, started the Centre for Applied Finance brand in Sydney, Australia - also a financial training business - for AiC Worldwide (an international events organiser), which is now known as Terrapinn. I was formerly the Managing Director for AiC's Indonesian business in Jakarta as well.


Q: Knowledge Director has won over the hearts of MNCs like Microsoft, Citibank, Unilever and more. How did the company manage to clinch such impressive contracts?

Yes, we are very honoured to list such big names amongst our clients. But it’s not just me. Our impressive clientele is the result and effort of each and every member of the Knowledge Director team. These clients saw the practical value of what our innovative solutions can bring to them in terms of cost, time and quality. But what mattered most was a committed vendor partner who understood the complexities of learning that they faced at every level, and yet had the determination to simplify these challenges for them through a combination of services and technologies.

Working with “big league” players ensure that we are on our toes all the time, and we never become complacent with our products, technologies, services, and more importantly, the total level of excellence. These, we will continue to provide to all customers, partners and staff.


Q: So other than the corporate sector, what sort of progress has Knowledge Director made with the Education/Academic Sector?

We are proud to say that the National Institute of Education (NIE) adopted learningDIRECTOR™ as part of its drive towards innovative teaching. We have also made inroads into China and Indonesia where several high schools and universities have seen the benefits of using our services and technologies to embark on evolutionary and revolutionary e-education initiatives in their institutions.

Currently, we are also working with education ministries around Southeast Asia to help teachers integrate IT into classrooms with empowerICT™ - a teacher professional development and curriculum development program.

To date, the education sector contributes over 40% to our overall business but will exceed the corporate sector in the next 3 years as the Asia Pacific region increases its commitment to the education sector by multilateral funding agencies, government projects and the private sector.


Q: Is digital game-based learning really that effective?

Of course! Other than its fun factor, games get us involved in the learning process. The interactivity ensures that we learn better and because everything is digital, we have the added advantage of visualisation! With rich graphics and audio effects, there is a high degree of realism and complex relationships or issues can be depicted more accurately.

But don’t take our word for it. Check out the research and views of international and regional experts on the effectiveness and growing demand for game-based learning.


Q: What sort of digital games do you play?

I love games and I definitely do have tome to play! In fact, I play all the games that Knowledge Director has in our library of sources! We are great believers of playing and working here at Knowledge Director. We even have Xbox and Playstation sets in the office to complete the commitment! But to be honest, with the company embarking on its manic pace of growth, as well as the frequent travels, the only thing I do these days is to make sure we continuously stay ahead of the “game”!


Q: What can we expect from KD in the future?

What else but more fun and play, of course!

But seriously, we will continue to invest in the R&D of our learning technologies to make sure we stay one step ahead of our competitors. R&D will always be one of Knowledge Director’s key imperatives. Our commitment is to learningDIRECTOR™, pptnLIVE™, changeDIRECTOR™ and empowerICT™. This includes pushing the boundaries and establishing our thought leadership in innovative learning approaches and techniques.

We predict that the next wave of learning will be in consumer education as e-learning expands the boundaries of learning and teaching beyond the traditional walls of the classroom and school.

We hope that “Play to Learn” will not only be adopted by the innovative teachers and organisations, but also by the masses.

Stay tuned. We hope to continue to make a difference and change the world with play and passion.