After 6+ years working in KPMG UK, he returned to Malaysia to found a local culinary oil startup

Some people are born with a fiery entrepreneurial spirit that all but pushes them to jump headfirst into starting their own business. Others stumble into it by chance or necessity, then realise that they never want to look back.  

Desmond Chan, now the founder of a kulim oil brand called Oylhaus, decidedly belongs to the latter category.  

Even his major was something that he unexpectedly stumbled into. When deciding on how he should further his education, his parents had just suggested doing his A Levels, focusing on accounting — a safe and sure bet. While he ended up finding accounting to be a bit boring, he quite enjoyed economics, a subject often taken together.  

And the good news was that he scored straight A*s in his A Levels as well. In fact, he would later find that he was the top scorer in economics in Malaysia.  

Having sat for the A Levels, the natural course of actions was to study in the UK, so he did just that and pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in economics at University of Bath.  

Chan studied economics at the University of Bath. Source: Desmond Chan

How to get a job in a Big Four company  

Like many things in his journey, working in the UK for nearly seven years wasn’t exactly something Chan planned on doing. But when the opportunity came around, he decided to grab it by its reins.  

As a student in the University of Bath, Chan got to experience a work placement that saw him interning at an aerospace company as a finance analyst. There, Chan developed a connection with his finance director, who asked if he wanted to join a practice.  

Quite the clueless kid still, Chan replied at the time, “Sure, why not!”  

It was later on that he found out that practice meant an audit firm.

Once again, though, he decided to go with the flow. After graduating, he began to apply for all sorts of jobs, and somehow got into KPMG as an audit associate. 

For those unfamiliar with the industry, KPMG is one of the top four companies in the auditing world, dubbed the Big Four. Landing such a job, especially as an international student, was no small feat.  

Auditing got boring after five years, though. Chan thought he could curb the boredom by moving into the deals analytics department, but that got old too. He wanted a change.  

That’s when another serendipitous moment occurred — a friend reached out to Chan with an opportunity to start a unique business. One that would bring him back to Malaysia – specifically, its dense rainforests.  

Kulim oil is a culinary oil said to be a truffle oil alternative with its rich, earthy flavour. Source: Oylhaus

Burning the midnight oil: Never going back to corporate life  

Started in 2023, Oylhaus is a local brand that’s making waves in the culinary world. It sells just one product: kulim oil.  

While it has proudly Malaysian origins, kulim oil is not something that even locals are familiar with. Kulim fruit is a local produce that’s often dubbed as a “jungle garlic” due to its pungent (or rather, fragrant) scent. Oylhaus leverages this property to create kulim-infused oil that works effectively like truffle oil.  

As one of three co-founders behind Oylhaus, Chan has been working hard over the past two years to promote the business, educating consumers in Malaysia from home cooks to professional chefs about the capabilities of kulim oil.  

Although Chan certainly did well for himself working a corporate job for over six years, now that he’s gotten a taste of entrepreneurship, he has firmly decided to never go back.  

No income for two years? Start another business 

While entrepreneurship certainly pays in satisfaction and fulfillment, it often doesn’t pay monetarily. At least, not while it’s in its nascent stages.  

For the past two and a half years, the profits generated by Oylhaus, which still only sells kulim oil, have been reinvested. That’s good news for the business, but not for Chan’s personal coffers.  

But that’s how DC SY Consulting was born. A boutique finance and analytics firm, it leverages Chan’s technical skills in the finance world to help small businesses make smarter decisions with their numbers

In a way, the business was born out of necessity — but not just for Chan’s pockets. As Oylhaus often works with small businesses in Malaysia, Chan would befriend many business owners who actually struggled with tasks such as bookkeeping, financial planning, and business analytics. Noticing this, Chan began offering his help, and slowly, it went from an ad hoc service to a substantial business idea.  

Leveraging Chan’s educational background and entrepreneurial chops, DCSY Consulting now exists to help his clients and himself have healthier finances.  

How studying abroad changes your whole perspective 

For many, getting to work in a notable firm in the UK — for seven years, no less — is reason enough to study abroad. But for Chan, it’s more about character building.  

Learning how to survive in a foreign country on your own, you become more aware of different things in life, building up independence as well as problem-solving skills. And of course, it’s one surefire way of broadening your worldview, allowing you to experience different environments firsthand. If you’re the entrepreneurial sort, this will be especially helpful as you can get fresh ideas that the local market might not have tapped into.  

Just remember not to squander your time abroad. Even a little bit of exposure can go a long way.  

“If you actually try to do anything, anything at all that you don’t do at home, you will be able to get some new experiences,” Chan says.