Her innovative leadership and strategic acumen are propelling her father’s company, Eurokars, into a new era of automotive excellence Her innovative leadership and strategic acumen are propelling her father’s company, Eurokars, into a new era of automotive excellence
By Helmi Yusof
SHE STARTED DRIVING AT 13. When her parents were not home, Charmain Kwee would hop into one of the family’s cars and drive around the compound. She avoided going onto the public roads – she knew that would be breaking the law. But for short and safe drives, there were plenty of cars in the garage to choose from: a Porsche, Range Rover, Mini, Mazda and Saab, among others.
Her father, Karsono Kwee, had channelled his childhood passion for cars into building Eurokars, the biggest privately owned auto dealership in Singapore, focusing on luxury brands such as Porsche, Rolls-Royce, BMW, Mini, Pagani and McLaren. The fleet at home was as diverse as the brands he carried in his showrooms.
“Once, I reversed one of the cars into this rocky feature of the house. And the rock chipped the back bumper of the car. Fortunately, no one found out about it – until, well, maybe today,” she recounts with a laugh.
Yet, despite growing up around cars, Kwee was dead-set on not following in her father’s footsteps. Inspired by her mother’s commitment to community service, she wanted to forge her own path as a lawyer who could help the less privileged fight for their rights. When she graduated from Singapore Management University’s Yong Pung How School of Law, she found herself naturally drawn to cases involving marginalised individuals and communities. She wanted to use her skills to amplify their voices and struggles.
Although that gave her a strong sense of achievement, something happened in the early 2020s that changed her mind: Eurokars was working on a joint venture with Porsche, the details of which were bogging the senior Kwee down. The younger Kwee couldn’t bear to see her father “unhappy”, so she decided to help the team with the legal agreements. She was soon roped in to handle another massive deal involving BMW, and from there, her “love for the car industry grew”.
In January 2022, Kwee accepted a position as executive director of the company her father founded in 1985 – launching her, now aged 27, into a major leadership role. In Singapore, Eurokars represents Rolls-Royce, Mini, Mazda, McLaren, MG, Pagani, BMW and BMW M, and Porsche. In Indonesia, it represents Porsche, Rolls-Royce, BMW and BMW M, Mazda, Maserati, Ferrari, Pagani, Bentley, and Mini. The group also owns a Mazda dealership in Perth, Australia, as well as two more soon-to-be-revealed brands, and operates Rolls-Royce dealerships in China’s Nanning, Shanghai Pudong and Shenzhen.
The company runs approximately two dozen showrooms in four countries, sells about 15,000 cars a year, and employs more than 1,700 people.
When Kwee thinks of the mini empire she’s helping to run, she feels somewhat daunted by the magnitude of it all. “But I don’t think it’s a bad thing to find it daunting or challenging, because that means that I’m not comfortable yet,” she says.
“Progress arises from an uncomfortable environment, in the sense that when you get too comfortable, that means you’re not changing, you’re slacking and not growing. So I think it’s good I’m still feeling this way… But comparing myself now to about a year or two years ago, I think I’ve grown a lot in terms of understanding the business.”
Youthful ideas
When Kwee thinks of the mini empire she’s helping to run, she feels somewhat daunted by the magnitude of it all. “But I don’t think it’s a bad thing to find it daunting or challenging, because that means that I’m not comfortable yet,” she says.
“Progress arises from an uncomfortable environment, in the sense that when you get too comfortable, that means you’re not changing, you’re slacking and not growing. So I think it’s good I’m still feeling this way… But comparing myself now to about a year or two years ago, I think I’ve grown a lot in terms of understanding the business.”