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Origin Integrated Studios specializes in Hospital Information System (HIS) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR). The company offers implementation services including business requirement study, data preparation and migration, installation and setup configuration, training, user acceptance test and trial run, and technical support maintenance services after system GoLive. Kenneth Kee, CEO of the company, leads the team to provide the best digital solutions to the healthcare sector. 

The Leadership Accelerating Success

After graduating with Bachelors in Information Systems, Mr. Kenneth Kee started his career as a Business Executive with a regional ICT company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. Kenneth’s long 18 years with the company enabled him to gather industry knowledge and experience including pre-sales, account management, sales, marketing and business development for software solutions and services for Banking, Healthcare, the Government and some cross-industry applications.

Mr. Kenneth Kee started as the CEO in Origin Integrated Studios when the company was incorporated 6 years ago by a team of talented software developers. Kenneth’s potential role in business development led the company from the first hospital as the customer into a wider range of clients that now spreads over twenty hospitals running its mission critical in HIS with EMR 24/7, for all 365 days. According to Kenneth, the company’s goal is to help digitalize hospital operation processes by providing a platform for Digital Transformation. Origin Integrated Studio’s business model is based on the size of the hospital in terms of the number of beds. The company focuses on beds ranging from below 100 for small size and single disciplinary, to multi-disciplinary of ordinary setup of above 100 beds and even large setup of over 300 beds. In Kenneth’s words, the company’s mission is to become a household name for EMR in the Southeast Asia region.

Beating the Challenges with Mental Strength and Will

Kenneth learned that persistence in pursuing one's goals is what matters in long run. He believes that as long as a person sees progression toward the objective, no matter how long it takes, they will finally get there, provided they do not give up and continue to work harder. Kenneth remembers how his earlier goal was to have a college degree and to achieve that Kenneth enrolled in more than five colleges, one course after another to find the specific interest. Kenneth says, “When I started working, selling was tough. I almost gave up on my first week. If I had given up, I would not have been the chief salesperson for the company today, thanks to some words of advice to stay on, from people who have gone through struggling to overcoming by adjusting to changes around them and made it.”

From the beginning of Origin Integrated Studios, Kenneth had to adjust to leading the company in both business and technology apart from his traditional role as a salesperson. 

Six years ago, the company started with a simple document scanning and retrieval system, which was just an engine or subset of the EMR. Kenneth mentions how a hospital gave the company an opportunity to develop a HIS from scratch to replace outdated technology. With the requirements and knowledge from the customers, the company developed modules, features and functionalities inch-by-inch from one customer to another before the company finally made the solutions that became one of the sought-after in the marketplace. Kenneth proudly states that the company has a team of talented developers willing to innovate and therefore, the company is able to replace the competitors’ systems. Kenneth says that the current challenges are competition and retaining talent to progressively influence the marketplace. As a leader, Kenneth has to be the one who cares the most, works the hardest, sets the right working culture, and sets achievable goals for his team to follow.

Standing Out in the Industry with Patience and Hard Work 

At the initial stages, Kenneth recalls how Origin Integrated Studios was nothing compared to pre-existing local and foreign solutions which were already popular with customers. As a strong leader, Kenneth believes that he has to lead the team to fight tooth and nail to prove that the company is better than competitors in all aspects and ensure that they differentiate the company’s innovation, modules, features, functionalities, process flow, interface design, support resources, etc., clearly. Kenneth mentions a fictitious scenario where the company with almost two decades of sales experience is still skeptically viewed by people thinking whether the company is going to last or not. Further, Kenneth proclaims that this imaginary phase is the truth of struggling as a start-up company. Kenneth learned a lot being patient to grow the company on a daily basis and believing that one day the company will surpass the competitors and the journey towards success. 

Responsibility and Empathy as the Pillars of Being a Leader

According to Kenneth, one should be ready to take risks and make decisions they are afraid to make. This might demand a person to get up early and even in the middle of the night, even though they do not want. Kenneth believes that a leader should care more about others, continue to lead even while some followers might choose to leave and invest in themselves. Grinding out the work that no one can do when it is easier to shrug off, projects a strong leader. Kenneth says that a leader should keep, learn to run faster even though they are out of breath, and be kind to people who have been challenging the journey. Meeting deadlines, being accountable for their actions and moving forward despite the obstacles are some of the greatest qualities that Kenneth considers a leader should possess.

Taking the Difficult Road to Success

Kenneth says that one must allow oneself to sit back, relax, and calm the mind to nothing, similar to meditation and mindfulness to pulse and recuperate from business and surrounding noises to achieve growth and success. He believes that there is no single straight path to and identifying one’s own strengths and weaknesses will lead the path towards the goal. Kenneth concludes by repeating that the willingness to sacrifice, complementing other’s strengths, readiness to take a calculated risk, and working an extra one percent compared to the ordinary makes leaders and entrepreneurs uniquely outstanding.