National Shuttler to Private Banker — Meet with Kendrick Lee, Managing Partner of Raffles Family Office

Sometimes the most meaningful and inspiring conversations happen over casual meals. The Time Auction Blog is a snippet of our meetings with people who have found passion in their lives and career.

Adapting to change in this digital era is one of the keys to success in almost every industry. At Time Auction Singapore, we are honored to have hosted our first ever Zoom event with Kendrick Lee, Raffles Family Office Managing Partner to share his journey from a professional career as a national shuttle to making a career switch to the Wealth Management industry.

Meet Kendrick Lee!

Kendrick served as a private banker with Pictet and Credit Agricole Indosuez for 8 years before joining the Raffles Family Office.

Prior to his banking career, Kendrick was a national shuttler. He had represented Singapore in many Regional and International Competitions such as the 15th Asian Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games and the SEA Games. In this profession, Kendrick has made history as the first Singaporean to take part in the Men’s Singles finals after 24 years.

Now, you might be wondering …

Why make a career switch so unique yet challenging?

Since becoming a professional athlete, Kendrick’s childhood has been replaced by a routine lifestyle for 17 years. From waking up in the early hours of the morning to various exercise drills and training sessions until the night, all was humdrum.

It is not unusual for young professional athletes to make such sacrifices at an early age if they want to make a name for themselves in this field. And that is why he gave up a lot.

However, he hit the crossroads during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The pivotal age just before 25, commonly known as the Quarter-Life Crisis! He had to make a decisive choice whether to stay or leave the sports industry.

That is when he decided to exit the sports scene and enter the banking scene (in part because his siblings were in banking as well). And in 2010, a chance landed in his hands, and he grabbed it.

Stepping into the world of private banking also had its own set of challenges. But thanks to his athlete days, Kendrick was able to reflect strength and dedication all over. Sports has given him a huge space for the development of character and discipline.

I quote:

“You’re only as good as your last game. You don’t rest on your laurels.” — Kendrick Lee

This quote applies not only to the sports industry, but to everyone.

No doubt, Kendrick ‘s story has given us a huge takeaway — nobody’s going to look at your past achievements. You might be good at playing badminton, but that is in the past. You are hired today as someone who works in the private banking industry.

At this point, you might think…

This is an example of taking the leap of faith. But is there luck, too, when he got that opportunity in 2010?

Well… Kendrick believes that 80 percent is hard work, and 20 percent is luck.

So, yes, luck has a part to play. But luck only happens to those who have prepared for it.

Thanks to Kendrick, he reminded us that we should:

“Always do your best and not let extrinsic factors change your inner values.”

Everyone has their personal stories, and perhaps interesting experiences that you may not have even imagined. Get fully inspired when we network with people, and never waste a conversation.

Thank you, Kendrick, for raising 76 volunteer hours and all the volunteers who dedicated their time for Singapore Food Rescue, Ground Up Initiative, Children’s Cancer Foundation and more!

For our upcoming experiences, visit Time Auction Singapore to volunteer and meet inspiring mentors!