To mark Singapore’s 61st National Day, My Singapore Story continues with conversations featuring individuals whose personal journeys offer different perspectives on identity, belonging and home. In this interview, our Features Writer, Angela May Tan, speaks with 53-year-old New Zealand-born entrepreneur & leadership coach Roger Grant, who reflects on how a two-year work assignment became more than two decades in Singapore, shaping his family, career and understanding of what it truly means to call a place home.
SGLS: What’s your Singapore story?
Roger: I boarded a plane for the first time in 1995 at the age of 22 when my firm sent me to Bangkok for work. We made a brief stop in Singapore, and I remember looking out of the window that night. The city lights below looked like Neverland.
Four years later, I moved here on what was supposed to be a two-year contract with Nokia. It’s funny how a 24 month assignment turns into 27 years, a wife, three children and a place you call home.
What kept me here wasn’t just meeting my wife, Sophia, although that certainly helped. It was the energy and optimism of Asia. Every year seemed to bring new opportunities, fresh ideas and a sense of momentum. I never wanted to be a fan in the stands. I wanted to be a player on the pitch.
SGLS: When did Singapore start feeling like home?
Roger: Like many newcomers, I arrived with my own habits and way of life. Meeting Sophia changed that. Through her, I experienced a more local side of Singapore.
The real turning point came in 2003 when we moved into an HDB flat overlooking Bishan Park. We found wonderful neighbours, a genuine sense of community and a lifestyle centred around family. That was when Singapore started feeling like home.
For years, I still experienced the occasional bout of homesickness. Then, during a visit to New Zealand, I realised it had quietly become somewhere I visited rather than somewhere I belonged.
I think we all hold on to a version of ourselves that’s tied to a particular place and time. But the Roger who left New Zealand isn’t the same Roger sitting here today. Sometimes, you have to let go of one version of yourself to make room for the next. That’s when I realised Singapore had quietly become home.
SGLS: Your eldest son is serving National Service. What has it been like watching him reach this milestone?
Roger: When I applied for Permanent Residency in my twenties, I was asked if I was willing to serve National Service. I ticked “yes”, and the officer told me almost nobody ever did.
From that moment, I knew that if Singapore became our home, any sons we had would one day serve too.
Watching my eldest begin National Service has been one of my proudest moments. No one in my family has served since the Second World War, so seeing him in uniform means a great deal to me.
I’ve realised he needs less advice and more support. He’s finding his own way, and I can already see him appreciating home and everything that goes into building one.
Some lessons can’t be taught. As parents, all we can do is let our children learn them for themselves.
SGLS: As someone who’s built a career helping leaders and organisations grow, how has your own experience as an immigrant shaped your approach to leadership?
Roger: Navigating different cultures teaches you humility. Singapore is a tapestry of backgrounds, perspectives and traditions. You soon realise that what feels normal to you isn’t necessarily normal to someone else.
That’s shaped how I coach leaders today. Before trying to solve a problem, I first want to understand someone’s context. When people feel seen and understood, they’re far more open to growth.
Looking back, that’s always been my motivation. Whether coaching leaders, raising a family or building a business, I’ve simply wanted to make a positive difference and leave things better than I found them.
I often joke that everyone has their own version of “humble world domination”. Not in a megalomaniac sense—we’ve already got enough of that—but by finding your own corner of the world where you can make a real difference, then giving it your all.
SGLS: What are your hopes for Singapore, the country that has become your home?
Roger: I hope Singapore never loses its curiosity or its willingness to reinvent itself. I’ve always admired its ability to learn from the world while staying true to its own identity.
We often take so much for granted until we travel or life reminds us how fortunate we are—our safety, healthcare, green spaces and the way people from different backgrounds have built a shared home.
One of the moments that truly cemented Singapore as home was when my wife, Sophia, underwent cancer treatment a few years ago. During one of the hardest chapters of our lives, we were surrounded by compassion, professionalism and exceptional medical care.
Today, I’ve lived in Singapore longer than I lived in New Zealand. I’ll always be proudly Kiwi, but Singapore has shaped me just as profoundly.
For me, home isn’t where your story begins. It’s where your life continues to unfold.
Happy 61st National Day Singapore!
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Interview by Angela May Tan, Features Editor & Writer, SG Lifestyle Singapore