PETALING JAYA: When Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin stepped onto the stage at the StarProperty Awards 2026 to accept the inaugural StarProperty Real Estate Icon of the Year award, he carried with him the weight of a 36-year legacy.
Yet, in a move that has come to define his leadership style, the property man often cited as the architect of modern Malaysian townships immediately turned the spotlight towards the next generation.
Despite receiving the individual honour, Liew credited EcoWorld’s leadership team, particularly executive director, president and chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Chang Khim Wah and executive director and deputy CEO Liew Tian Xiong, for the group’s success.
“Even though the award is given to me, you are actually giving it to them and the team,” Liew remarked with characteristic humility.
“I may just be the old face or the old master of the group but in terms of workload, concept and branding, it is their work.
“They have done a very good job and I humbly accept this on their behalf.”
Bittersweet journey: 1990 to 2026
Looking back on a career that began in 1990, Liew takes a decidedly pragmatic view of success.
To him, the path to becoming an industry icon is paved with crises rather than smooth transitions.
Over nearly four decades, Liew has steered his ventures through at least four major global economic storms.
He described the journey as bittersweet, a term that feels especially fitting in 2026, as the industry wrestles with turbulence from the Iran war crisis and surging oil prices.
“No one can say their path to success was smooth. It’s never smooth,” Liew shared.
“The bitter part is that you must go through so many ups and downs in life.
“But the sweet part is the success you feel in overcoming those difficulties and the fact that you are still standing.
“I’m very thankful that I’m still around after 36 years and hopefully, I’ll still be around for another 10 to 20 years.”
For the younger generation of developers entering an increasingly crowded, and high-tech market, Liew offered a stark reality check regarding the pace of modern business.
In an era dominated by rapid artificial intelligence (AI) integration and instant information, the moat around a good idea has never been thinner.
“What we do today, no matter how innovative, only has a six-month lag time,” Liew warned. “After that, everybody will change, innovate or even do better than you.”
His core message to the industry is a call for constant metamorphosis.
According to Liew, the survivors in the property sector will not be those with the largest landbanks or the most capital, but those with the highest adaptability quotient.
Evolve or be left behind
As the 2026 landscape presents a complex mix of geopolitical conflict and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Liew insists that stagnation is the only true failure.
Whether dealing with the intricacies of AI-native townships or the supply chain shocks of international war, the strategy remains the same: evolution.
“The person who is standing today is the person who keeps on changing and evolving,” he concluded.
“If you don’t change, you will be left far, far behind.
“The winner is eventually the one who can overcome these issues and evolve with the times.”
As Liew accepts the mantle of StarProperty Real Estate Icon of the Year, his message serves as a timely reminder to the industry: a legacy is not built in the moments of peace but in the relentless drive to adapt when the world shifts beneath your feet.
