From Singapore to Malaysia: Coming home while moving forward

After several years in Singapore, Jafon Ng, Senior Managing Consultant in Ramboll’s Environment & Health team, has returned to Malaysia, his home country. The move brings him closer to family, his favourite Malaysian food and a market where he sees growing opportunities to support more sustainable data centre development.

Moving home, growing forward

After nearly seven years in Singapore, moving back to Malaysia felt both familiar and new. I had built a life and routine in Singapore, where everything was close by and convenient.

But Malaysia is home. It is also where I began my career in this field, so returning felt like a full-circle moment. There were practical challenges, as there always are when relocating between countries, but the move also gave me something I value deeply: more time with family while continuing to grow in a regional market I know well.

Being back in Malaysia has also sharpened the way I work. Across different markets, there is rarely one fixed way of solving a problem. You need to understand the local context, ask the right questions and find a practical path forward. The experience has reminded me to be resourceful, adaptable and a little more patient, though that last one may still be a work in progress.

Over the years, I have built my career within Ramboll by taking on increasingly complex projects, expanding my expertise in environmental and sustainability advisory, and supporting clients across Southeast Asia. My time in Singapore provided valuable regional exposure and deepened my experience in the rapidly growing data centre sector. As opportunities in Malaysia accelerated, returning home felt like a natural next step, allowing me to apply what I had learned, strengthen local client relationships and contribute to the development of a market entering an exciting new phase.

When relocation becomes a shared journey

What made the transition smoother was that the relocation was never treated as a purely administrative move. From the start, the conversations were about how my role could continue to evolve, how I could support clients across the region and how the move could become part of my longer-term career development.

Sheila Sharma has been an important part of my Ramboll journey. She was my manager in the legacy Environment business and remains my manager today. More importantly, she was not just my manager but also my mentor, encouraging me to take on new challenges, broaden my perspective and think about how my career could grow beyond any single market.

I also appreciated the support from Zul Salleh, our Managing Principal for Southeast Asia in the Environment & Health business. Together with leaders across the organisation, he helped make the relocation possible while ensuring it aligned with both business needs and my professional development goals. Rather than simply facilitating a transfer, they took the time to consider how my experience could contribute to Ramboll's growth in Malaysia and how the move could create new opportunities for me to develop.

I think that is what I appreciated most. The relocation was truly a team effort. There were many conversations and planning efforts happening behind the scenes that I probably did not see at the time, but which made the transition much easier.

Supporting the right data centres in the right places

The move also comes at an exciting time for Malaysia’s data centre sector. The market has become much more active in recent years, with Johor, Greater Kuala Lumpur and Cyberjaya emerging as key locations. But the next phase of growth is likely to look different from the last.

As land, power, water and infrastructure become more constrained in established locations, there is growing interest in alternative areas that may not have traditionally been seen as data centre hubs. While I do not believe Malaysia is saturated just yet, we are entering a more mature phase where the question is less about where we can build and more about where we can build sustainably, with the right power, water, infrastructure and connectivity.

That is where the work becomes especially meaningful from an Environment & Health perspective. The conversation is no longer only about adding capacity. It is also about managing environmental impacts, strengthening infrastructure, considering communities and helping clients make responsible decisions from the start.

Building the next phase of my career in Malaysia

Looking ahead, I am excited to help clients navigate the increasingly complex challenges of sustainable data centre development, from environmental considerations and infrastructure planning to energy and resource management. With expertise spanning Environment & Health, Energy, Buildings, Water, Transport and Henning Larsen, Ramboll is uniquely positioned to bring together the right capabilities to support these needs. For me, this move represents an opportunity to strengthen collaboration across our regional teams, create greater value for clients and continue growing professionally while helping shape the next chapter of sustainable data centre development in Malaysia.

This move feels like both a homecoming and a step forward. It reflects the trust Ramboll has placed in me, the support I have received from leaders and colleagues, and the opportunities that come from being part of a company that invests in its people as it grows. I am excited to work as one Ramboll team to help clients build not just more data centres, but the right data centres in the right places. And if I can keep enjoying good Malaysian food along the way, that is a welcome bonus.