Featured in EuroCham Singapore’s CEO Economic Echo Report, Roland Salameh, Chief Executive Officer of OCS Asia Pacific & Middle East, shares how the organisation is evolving to meet the needs of a changing world. He speaks about integrating sustainability into everyday operations, using digital innovation and AI to strengthen service delivery, and building resilience amid global uncertainty.
Through it all, Roland emphasises what remains constant: a people-first culture that drives long-term partnerships, operational excellence, and a shared commitment to doing what’s right, every day.
How has your company approached the green transition?
Roland Salameh: We started by looking inward, rethinking how our teams move, work, and deliver. In New Zealand, for instance, we cut fuel consumption by 30% and transitioned over a quarter of our fleet to electric or hybrid vehicles. We also reduced commuting emissions by hiring staff closer to customer sites and using digital tools to optimise deployment. With Ecotricity, we eliminated electricity-based emissions from our 2017 baseline.
Operationally, we adopted low-impact methods like chemical-free products and real-time occupancy tracking to minimise unnecessary site visits. From there, we focused on our own footprint, conducting internal carbon audits and several business units have already achieved certified carbon neutrality, setting benchmarks for the industry. That hands-on experience laid the foundation for our customer-facing services. Today, we offer ESG consulting and carbon audits in several markets, including leading the first carbon audit in Thailand’s FM sector, a first for our industry. We’re proud to be among the first to scale these offerings across our sector.
What challenges did OCS face, and what new opportunities have emerged?
Roland Salameh: At first, not every client embraced the cost of sustainable, ethical delivery. But we stayed true to our values, choosing to work with partners who share our direction, even if that meant some customer turnover.
Infrastructure gaps also posed a challenge, especially in countries where clean energy or public transport is limited. We continue to work with governments to enable long-term transition. Internally, we navigate regulatory and labour differences with consistent standards while adapting to local contexts.
Despite these hurdles, the transition unlocked new value. Sustainability shifted us from being just a service provider to a strategic partner. Many of our clients now rely on us for ESG reporting, energy audits, and decarbonisation guidance. It’s also strengthened our employer brand, helping attract people who want meaningful careers and reinforcing trust in competitive bids.
Our biggest lesson? Sustainability is people-first. That’s why self-delivery has been a cornerstone of our model, to ensure fair pay, safe conditions, and oversight. We hold ourselves to European governance standards globally. Going beyond what is legally required in various markets. These long-term choices define our business and position us for what’s next.
How has OCS approached the digital and AI revolution, and what have been the most impactful changes so far?
Roland Salameh: Our digital transformation started by strengthening our core systems, upgrading platforms like HRIS and ERP to ensure we could collect, store, and manage data with integrity. Once the foundations were in place, we focused on improving the quality and coverage of the data itself. This has enabled us to begin using automation and analytics more effectively; from real-time occupancy tracking that reduces unnecessary site visits to dramatically faster invoicing.
While we are still in the early stages of scaling AI and automation, the results are promising. Our mobile time and attendance tools, for example, have simplified processes and improved the employee experience.
Digitalisation has helped us move from input-driven to outcome-based models. We’re more agile and transparent, and clients now get measurable results tied to their ESG and performance goals. It’s not about technology for its own sake, it’s about making operations smarter, faster, and more aligned to business needs.
What’s been your approach to leading digital transformation, and what lessons have you learned along the way?
Roland Salameh: We believe change only works when people understand the “why.” Communication is key, from senior leaders to frontline teams. For example, when we rolled out mobile timekeeping, it wasn’t positioned as a control mechanism. Instead, we showed how it protects pay accuracy and improves work-life balance. That clarity drove adoption.
We also focus on equipping change leaders to go beyond just deployment. Success means getting buy-in early and making tools simple. If a solution doesn’t solve a real problem, it won’t be used. That principle has guided us at every step.
How do you see digital transformation shaping the facilities industry, and what’s your vision for the future?
Roland Salameh: Digitalisation is already shifting both white- and blue-collar roles. In the future, frontline work will be less manual and more tech enabled. Singapore is ahead in this transition; its labour shortages and high wage costs drive the urgency for automation. Other markets with higher unemployment rates may take longer, but the pressure to modernise is growing globally.
We’re investing in robotics, AI-powered planning, and smarter service models. But transformation also means preparing people, clients and employees alike, for new ways of working. That’s where we’re focused: being a partner in change, not just a provider of tools.
How has trade volatility affected your operations and industry, and how are you adapting?
Roland Salameh: Currency fluctuations have impacted our bottom line, increasing hedging costs and squeezing margins in some markets. These pressures are not unique to us. They are affecting clients across sectors, prompting many to delay nonessential investments, scale back ESG initiatives, and reassess workplace strategies.
In response, we are building more flexible business models and unlocking efficiencies to help customers adapt and maintain resilience in an unpredictable environment.
These disruptions are reshaping the facilities services landscape. Evolving workforce models, geopolitical fragmentation, and office relocations are all shifting demand. Clients now expect partners who can deliver operational agility while maintaining global standards. This trend has driven increased outsourcing of noncore functions, creating new opportunities for providers like us who combine local responsiveness with structured governance.
We’ve built a strong presence in sectors that demand consistency and care, such as healthcare, data centres, and logistics, while continuing to support a broad customer base across industries. This forms part of a broader diversification strategy, balancing exposure across geographies and sectors to reduce risk and drive long-term stability.
What are you doing to prepare for future uncertainties and stay competitive in this environment?
Roland Salameh: We’re reinforcing our hybrid model: strong country-level operational control supported by global infrastructure. This setup ensures local flexibility with global compliance and governance, something that resonates with multinationals and regional players alike.
Our sector-led approach gives us agility to pivot quickly as conditions shift, whether driven by trade, labour costs, or client needs. We’re also investing in future-ready capabilities, from partnering with startups to deploying automation and AI that help offset labour shortages. On the commercial side, we’re evolving service models to deliver more measurable value.
Trade uncertainty may persist, but companies with strong local roots, clear values, and alignment with global business priorities will remain competitive. We’re building for exactly that future.
