CEO Insights Magazine

Access to basic life-saving healthcare is essential to ensuring a decent standard of living for all citizens worldwide. As the saying goes, “health is wealth”. But oftentimes, public facilities fail miserably to provide many, especially the underprivileged part of society, with access to even fundamental healthcare facilities. Sometimes it takes only one person to enter the system and change the drastic environment surrounding them.

This embraces story of Dr Kenny Yeap Kim Pey (Medical Director, Borneo Medical Centre), and Sarawak, a Malaysian state on Borneo, stretching along the island’s northwest coast.

Hailing from an underprivileged family, Kenny chose to be a doctor after losing his father to liver cirrhosis due to poor access to government healthcare facilities. Despite becoming a successful doctor (training in neurosurgery), he always wanted to impact more people around him by democratizing access to world-class healthcare. He transitioned to the Medical Director role and continues to transform patient lives in Sarawak.

Kenny, who currently serves as a Medical Director at Borneo Medical Center, Miri, is an alumnus of the University of London and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). He joins us for an exclusive interview.

What is the motivation that led you to be a doctor and healthcare management professional?

I have been a medical doctor for 12 years and hold a Master’s in Public Health and Healthcare Management from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. My journey into medicine was driven by a personal loss, that of my father, who died of liver cirrhosis when I was 16 after being denied care at a public hospital.

We had a difficult relationship for most of our lives, and it worsened after he lost his job. Raised in a low-income household, I started working at 13 to support my family.

Despite hardships, I secured a 4.0 CGPA and entered medical school. At 20 years of age, I was posted in rural Sarawak, where poor infrastructure and healthcare access often meant patients died before reaching help.

As a neurosurgery trainee, I regularly witnessed preventable deaths due to the lack of timely care. Over time, I realized my true strengths lay in leadership and strategic planning. In 2018, I transitioned from clinical work to join Borneo Group, working to expand healthcare access through community-based initiatives across underserved regions.

What are the guidelines for methodologies you follow to lead your team?

Leadership isn’t about the leader, it’s about the ship. As the captain, your role is to guide everyone toward a shared destination. The people onboard have committed to your vision, and your responsibility is to navigate not for yourself, but for the collective good. I lead as a visionary diplomat with a strategic mindset.

Thanks to my experiences in life, my strength lies in long-term planning, positioning people and resources effectively, and forecasting challenges years in advance, often five to ten. I believe employees can be trained, but leaders are forged through challenges.

From childhood, I’ve learned to view life with clarity and humility, understanding we arrive with nothing and leave with nothing. This mindset grounds me and helps me stay focused. My guiding principle is to change the pattern that can be identified and measured.

How do you keep yourself up to date with ongoing industry trends?

I believe communication is a cornerstone of effective leadership. As a visionary leader, I naturally enjoy engaging with people from all walks of life, whether they work in finance, healthcare, sales, politics, or even janitorial services. Meaningful conversations expose me to diverse perspectives that shape my own thinking.

True leadership requires a shift in how we communicate. To make truly informed decisions, you must connect on the ground, understand people’s emotions and sentiments. When feelings conflict with logic, emotions often prevail, revealing deeper truths.

For example, a leader might assume economic incentives alone suffice, but people also need belonging, dignity, and respect. To achieve breakthroughs, communication must flow upward, downward, and laterally across teams. Embracing this full spectrum fosters collaboration and leads to more empathetic, effective leadership.

What is the future road map you have envisioned for yourself for the next five years?

When I arrived in Miri, my goal was to build a healthcare center that improves local access, focusing on the top causes of death, namely heart attacks, cancer, and critical illnesses services that needed quality intensive care.

Over time, I helped establish key services to address these needs and stabilize healthcare services in the area, including the first neuro & spine surgery, interventional life-saving invasive cardiology laboratory service, and the first intensive care specialized service outside the capital (800 km away).

Recently, I helped acquire Miri's last competitor. While this strengthens market position, it tends to reduce innovation as focus shifts to restructuring and maximizing returns. Having achieved my initial goals, I will be moving on to lead healthcare development for Sabah and Sarawak on a national level, aiming to build these regions into medical tourism hubs, attracting over 50 percent of foreign patients within the next decade.

Dr Kenny Yeap Kim Pey, Medical Director, Borneo Medical Centre

A young, passionate doctor turned hospital management professional, Kenny serves as Medical Director of Borneo Medical Center (Miri). A purpose-driven leader, he is an alumnus of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and the University of London.

Hobbies: Basketball and Swimming

Favorite Book: Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant, Tony Buzan's Mind Mapping, Harry Potter, and Think and Grow Rich

Favorite Cuisine: Oriental Chicken Chop (Father’s cooking)

Favorite Travel Destination: Cambodia, Malaysia, the UK, and Australia

Awards and Recognition: Healthcare Asia Award in Singapore , Healthcare Leadership Award in Dubai .