Iconomy Group CEO Boo Kok Chuon Returns to Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School for Career Talk

20 October 2026

Drawing a parallel with the story of protagonist Han Li (韩立) from the popular Chinese animation series A Mortal’s World (《凡人修仙传》), Group CEO of Iconomy Group of Companies, Mr Boo Kok Chuon, returned to his alma mater, Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School, on 20 October 2026 to deliver a career talk entitled “The Mortal’s Journey” to Secondary Three students.

Using Han Li’s journey from an ordinary mortal navigating setbacks, uncertainty and gradual cultivation as a narrative frame, Mr Boo reflected on his own unconventional path through banking and finance, economics, entrepreneurship, corporate advisory, valuation and law. He shared how career paths are rarely linear and how setbacks can ultimately become part of a person’s professional development.

During the session, he recounted his early aspiration to enter the legal profession, his inability to qualify for his preferred polytechnic law course following his O-Level results, the subsequent development of his career in business and finance, and his eventual return to law school many years later.

Mr Boo also spoke candidly about failures, disputes, and the financial and personal consequences he faced during the formative stages of his career. Reflecting on periods of crisis in his own life, he encouraged students to regard failure as a temporary condition rather than a permanent judgment on their abilities.

Two principal messages formed the core of the talk: never let the judgments of others become your limitation, and it is okay to fail, so long as you get up and get going.

Mr Boo told the students that these were the two ideas he most hoped would remain with them after the stories, slides and anecdotes had faded. They did not need to remember every episode he recounted, or even remember his name. What mattered was that, when they were later confronted by doubt, disappointment or someone else’s assessment of what they could or could not become, they would remember not to turn an external judgment into an internal boundary.

The second message was intended to give students permission to fail without treating failure as final. A poor result, a rejection or a wrong turn may be painful, but none has to become a permanent verdict. This was especially relevant to the Secondary Three cohort, who will face one of the most significant academic milestones of their school years when they sit for their O-Level examinations in the following year. Mr Boo hoped that, whatever results they eventually receive, they would remember that a result can influence the next step without defining the whole journey.

The session also touched on the growing role of artificial intelligence. Using the metaphor of the “Green Vial”, a prop central to the animation series that accelerates the growth of herbs, Mr Boo encouraged students to view AI in much the same way: as an accelerator of human ability rather than a substitute for independent thought. An accelerator does not determine what is being grown. Used well, it can deepen learning and extend thought; used carelessly, it can just as readily amplify weak habits. The value of the technology, he stressed, ultimately depends on how it is used.

The talk was conducted in an interactive format, with students participating throughout the session and raising spontaneous questions on Mr Boo’s career, education, legal interests and personal experiences.

The occasion held particular significance for Mr Boo, who had previously been invited back to the other educational institutions at which he had studied. His return to Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School completed that circle.

It also carried a more personal significance. As a student at the school more than two decades ago, Mr Boo experienced severe stage fright after forgetting the National Pledge while leading the school during a flag-raising ceremony. Returning to the same campus, he deliberately delivered the talk without relying on a prepared script.

“Twenty-five years ago, I stood in this school and could not finish the pledge. Today, I came back and finished the speech.”

Mr Boo expressed his appreciation to Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School and the Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School Alumni Association, particularly to Mdm Lilian Ngui (Mrs Cheong), Alumni Association Chairman Mr Kelvin Lim, and the school leaders, for making the session possible, and thanked the students for their enthusiastic participation.