Wearing Multiple Hats at SOE: Alan Koh Takes on Book Chairman Role for 2026
Posted on: September 4, 2026
Ten years after receiving his own Spirit of Enterprise (SOE) Award, Alan is taking on a new challenge with the organisation that once recognised his entrepreneurial journey. For 2026, Alan has been appointed SOE Book Chairman, adding another responsibility to the multiple roles he now holds within SOE.
From SOE Award Honouree to giving back
Alan received the SOE Award in 2016, following a journey that saw him leave banking, go through several unsuccessful ventures and eventually build Impossible Marketing from a one-man operation. A decade later, his relationship with SOE has come full circle. Instead of being on the receiving end of the recognition, he is now contributing his time and experience to help support the next generation of entrepreneurs and Award Honourees.
Wearing multiple hats at SOE
Alan first stepped up his involvement with SOE last year by taking on the roles of Chairman for PR and Chairman for Media, helping to strengthen the organisation’s publicity and outreach. In 2026, he decided to take on another challenge: serving as SOE Book Chairman. It means wearing three different hats within SOE, each with a different responsibility but the same objective — helping the organisation and its entrepreneurs gain greater recognition and impact.
A new challenge: chairing his first book
The 2026 SOE Book will be the first book Alan has ever chaired. The annual publication captures the journeys of SOE Award Honourees, sharing their experiences, challenges, lessons and practical advice with a wider audience. Copies are distributed to schools, public libraries and SOE events, allowing these entrepreneurial stories to reach beyond the Awards Ceremony and inspire students, aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners across Singapore.
As Book Chairman, Alan will oversee the development of the publication and help ensure that the stories behind this year’s Honourees are presented in a meaningful way. It is a different challenge from PR and Media, but one that is closely connected to the same purpose: giving deserving entrepreneurs a platform for their stories to be heard.
Why taking on more still matters
Running Impossible Marketing remains Alan’s main day-to-day responsibility, particularly as the digital marketing industry goes through rapid changes driven by AI. Taking on three chairman roles outside the business therefore comes with an additional commitment of time and focus.
For Alan, however, the reason for continuing to contribute to SOE is personal. The organisation recognised his journey as an entrepreneur in 2016, at a time when Impossible Marketing was still much earlier in its growth. Being able to return a decade later and contribute from the other side is an opportunity to give back to the community that once gave him that recognition.
The roles may be different — PR, Media and now the Book — but the purpose behind them is the same: to help SOE create greater visibility for entrepreneurs, preserve their stories and inspire others who may be going through their own entrepreneurial journey.
A new chapter for 2026
At the SOE 2026 Award Honourees and Student Winners Briefing held at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore on 21 August 2026, Alan introduced the SOE Book and shared what it represents for this year’s Honourees. Rather than giving a conventional briefing, he used his own love of comic books, family and personal experiences to tell the story — bringing a lighter and more personal tone to the evening.
The response was immediate. Following the presentation, all available slots for the 2026 SOE Book were fully taken up — a strong show of support from the Honourees and an encouraging start to Alan’s first year chairing the publication.
With the SOE Awards Ceremony and Gala coming up in November, much of the work across PR, Media and the Book will continue behind the scenes. For Alan, taking on the Book Chairman role represents another new challenge — and another way to give back.
Ten years after being recognised as an SOE Award Honouree himself, he is now helping to tell the stories of those who come after him. For someone chairing his first book, it is a fitting new chapter.
