Me & My Money: Crane company boss says people are his most important investment

Pollisum Group CEO Chris Ang took over the family business when he was 30 and steered it to profitability while building a company culture he is proud of.

But Chris Ang left his job as an auditor at one such firm to eventually join his family’s business in the construction sector.

Now 38, he is the chief executive officer of Pollisum Group, which specialises in crane leasing and transport.

Under his leadership, the company returned to profitability and was ranked by The Straits Times and global research firm Statista among Singapore’s fastest-growing companies in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Ang cut his teeth in 2016 at a Malaysian transport business newly acquired by Pollisum, where he handled sales and operations.

Ang says he found the transition from a corporate job to running a company challenging, especially as the firm was struggling then and needed a new strategic direction.

“In a big company, everything is structured. But running a family business required me to take a more hands-on approach, with a greater responsibility for decision-making and problem-solving,” he says.

“I was unfamiliar with running a business, let alone having knowledge of the crane industry. I had to rely heavily on my colleagues and draw on my parents’ experience. The learning curve was steep.”

“Looking back, the hardest part wasn’t managing the numbers, but it was understanding the crane industry, making the right decisions and managing people. But that’s also the most rewarding part. Observing my team’s growth alongside the company’s validates my decision to make the transition,” he adds.

The company, which Ang’s parents started in 1984, now has around 400 employees, many of whom are crane operators who work long hours under difficult conditions, he adds.

He believes that engaging his employees’ families and recognising their support are important in building company culture.