April Kwan | Communication and Inspiration

My IKEA journey began the day I saw the ad in the Singapore newspaper in 2000 and, and a few months later, I started working at IKEA Alexandra. I was there for about five years before I got involved in setting up the country’s second IKEA store, and headed up the Interior Design team there for the next for years. When I saw an opportunity to become a freelance Interior Designer for our franchisor, Inter IKEA Systems B.V., I grabbed it! It was a real adventure. I was based in the small town of Delft, in the Netherlands, but I had a chance to travel all over the world - United Kingdom, Turkey, Egypt - to support IKEA stores in commercial planning and building.
I am now back at home in Singapore as the Interior Design Leader for our regional Service Office.

Problem-solving! My main responsibilities are to secure relevant, functional, beautiful home furnishing solutions are on display in all our IKEA stores. I work in the Service Office in Singapore, and we set a direction for all the IKEA stores in our franchise in Southeast Asia. There is no typical day. One day I might be working on the interior design for our back office areas, the next day I might be working on the new sustainability room settings for our store.

To create a better everyday life for the many. That’s the IKEA vision, and I have it my mind almost every day as I work. That often includes leading, inspiring and challenging our Interior Design Managers to strengthen the uniqueness of the IKEA identity in the range presentation. We want to exceed visitor expectations and stimulate home furnishing interest in the markets we operate in. I love seeing how our plans come to life in the stores.

I love that I still have lots of opportunities for travel. This year I am going to Madrid to visit an IKEA store and to Sweden to see the new range. We never stop learning.

Simplicity. I have learned to consider this not only at work but also as an individual. I always look into the needs before reacting. I try to define a very clear objective and then find the simplest way to do things. Try not to be complicated. Be simple, and happiness will find a way to you.

Ask yourself: do you possess strong a passion for people and Home furnishing? That’s what we are all about at IKEA!