Father secures professional doctorate in later years to inspire his son

SINGAPORE: For Jay Choy, achieving a Professional Doctorate in Sustainability Leadership and Indoor Environmental Quality is more than an academic achievement or a professional status. It is an inspiration for his little boy, showing him that perseverance will lead you to success when life takes an unexpected turn. 

Jay’s career story

Jay is the founder of  FJ SafeSpace Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based company committed to improve indoor air quality in homes, schools, offices, and industrial spaces. He spent two decades working at Ricoh, a Japanese multinational, where the corporate realm would define his professional identity. He made a major career decision when he was unexpectedly retrenched, and he faced a personal question: “Who do I choose to become next?” 

With this, Jay took the leap and stepped into an industry that only a few people spoke about at that time–indoor air quality. Given that this field was new to him, he rebuilded his career from scratch–learned new knowledge, acquired new skills, and felt a new sense of purpose. Despite all of his uncertainties, he kept on moving forward, knowing that his young son was watching his every step. 

“It has been two years and nine months since I started this journey,” Jay shares. “Many days were difficult, but I kept going because I knew the example I set today would become the story my son remembers tomorrow.” 

Through his company, Jay applies a structured, data-driven approach to indoor environmental quality guided by the SAFE-AIR Protocol™ and the 4M Approach (Monitor, Measure, Mitigate, Manage). His work is supported by real-time monitoring using uHoo Aura devices, listed as RESET Air Accredited Grade B, and complemented by BioZone’s Photoplasma air and surface disinfection technology.

These interventions align with recognised frameworks such as BCA Green Mark 2021 and WELL, translating sustainability principles into measurable, real-world outcomes. 

Acquiring a life milestone 

Acquiring a Professional Doctorate means an individual has real-world contributions, lived experience, and sustained impact in sustainability leadership and indoor environmental quality. For Jay, this doctorate is more than a professional milestone, but a living proof to his son that growth does not stop with age, and that reinvention is always possible. 

“Not for a title. Not for status,” Jay says. “But so my son knows that even when life shifts, we can choose to stand up, rebuild, and keep walking with purpose.” 

He was joined on stage in Kuala Lumpur by his wife and son during the awarding ceremony. The certificate that Jay took home was a testament of his professional experience, but the journey with his family about perseverance and resilience was the lessons that he hopes his son will carry into adulthood. 

“If this moment means anything,” Jay reflects, “it’s that your journey continues even when the chapter changes. Your work still matters, even when no one notices. And the quiet steps you take today may become the story your children remember tomorrow.”