Kevin Deisser grew up in a small village, in a farming area in the French speaking part of Belgium. Now he and his business partner are Co-founders and CEOs of Invest Islands, a business brokerage and consultancy for property investors, based in Lombok.

Kevin recently spoke with My Lombok about how the business evolved, its focus on sustainable projects and how the company and its associated charity Foundation are making a difference in the local communities where they operate.

Can you tell us something about your background and your career?

I studied commercial engineering and have a Masters degree in business management. I did part of my degree in the south of Spain, and I stayed there for five years after completing my studies. It was my first experience of living and working abroad and, since then, I have never returned permanently to Belgium. Before arriving in Indonesia, I lived in Spain, Ireland and Mallorca — where I met my business partner, Jack Brown – and in Singapore.

What brought you to Lombok originally?

I came to Lombok on a holiday in 2014, after working in Singapore for a year. After 12 months in a big city, I needed a break on an island paradise, and Lombok fitted the bill perfectly. It matched the type of environment I’ve always felt comfortable with. I love short escapes to big cities, but if I had to choose where to live, I would always pick places with fewer people and more natural surroundings.

What drew you to this type of work?

I have always been interested in investing in real estate because, many times in my early years, I was told it was the safest type of investment to make. I started to explore possible options the first time I visited Lombok, and I was amazed by the potential of the island as an investment destination. I also noticed a definite lack of companies that offered to help overseas investors take the next step in a safe way. I decided to look into it more closely and find a solution for this niche market.

And how did you get started?

Pretty much as I explained. I explored the market, noted what was lacking and decided to create a solution that would appeal to overseas investors. Seven years later, Invest Islands is an award-winning real estate brokerage and development firm with more than 100 full-time staff and offices in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Australia.

What are the key responsibilities and activities in your present role? In other words, what fills your days?

With Jack, I oversee pretty much all of the operational side of the company, focusing on the various departments – sales, purchases, due diligence, marketing, etc. Typically, I start the day at 8am, taking and making phone calls, and answering emails. Then I communicate with each department, about the main activities that have priority. I also coordinate and communicate with our Hong Kong and Australian employees, to keep them up to date with regard to all the important matters. Sometimes, attending to each client can take up to half a day.

I’ve also committed 2 days a week to oversee the operation of our Foundation. In fact I have set a goal: in 6 years’ time, I want to dedicate 80% of my time to the Foundation and 20% to Invest Islands.

What is the most difficult situation you have faced?

It isn’t an easy market to be active in. It is very different from operating a business in our home country. The cultural barriers can be a bit daunting at the beginning, but they’re not insurmountable. The main challenge, though, compared with doing business in the home country, would probably be the bureaucratic ‘red-tape’. Indonesia is also still struggling to make the transition to an open source online system that could exponentially improve the business environment.

Are you concerned about environmental and social sustainability in your buildings? What role does ‘green building’ play into your work?

Sustainability is genuinely at the heart of our business. We try to incorporate elements of renewable energy into all our designs. For example, our award-winning resort, which will be located in Torok Bay, will feature rainwater catchment tanks, systems for the reuse of grey water, and solar roof panels. We also try to use locally sourced materials as much as possible, even if it sometimes involves slightly higher costs. We do that to ensure the survival of local businesses, as well as to reduce our carbon footprint. Right now, we are working on a fully eco-friendly project, and we’ll be revealing more details about that in the near future

You can tell us about any projects you are currently involved in at work?

The Torok Bay resort that I mentioned is currently under construction and, when it’s finished, it will be a five-star resort, comprising around 100 units. It will be spread across 14 hectares of hillside and beachfront land, and managed by a global hospitality franchise.

We’re also working on an eco-village project in the same region. It is likely to feature close to 100 fully sustainable units, and will be surrounded by rice-fields. It will appeal to families who want to relocate, and to digital nomads who are looking for a place to work, and also want to enjoy a healthy lifestyle with like-minded community members.

People, including expats and foreigners visiting Lombok, can enquire about the eco-village opportunities by calling into our office in Lombok. Early bird offers will be soon available. We’ll also be opening the new Bali office soon – probably in mid-April.

Apart from these two major projects, we are also helping individual clients to design and construct their own dream villas or boutique hotels.

What are your hopes and plans for the future?

We expect our construction projects to be completed within their original timeframes. Besides our business, we also intend our Foundation to grow exponentially, so we can reach and help more people in need.

What basic principle or philosophy guides you?

Not to give up too fast. If something is complicated to achieve, then the reward is greater. And that’s exactly the case here in Lombok. Many people want to start real estate companies, for example, but when they start to face unexpected obstacles they decide to give up or — worse still — start bending the rules or lowering their standards.

What I can say, from experience, is that once you learn how to overcome these obstacles, it’s an amazing market to be active in. The competition is small, and the lifestyle we have here is outstanding.

What is your ultimate goal when it comes to your work? What do you want to be remembered for?

We’d like to be remembered as a company that builds iconic real estate projects, but also one that has a positive impact on the lives of the local community – by providing employment opportunities and various training courses, and through our charitable foundation.

Ultimately, we hope we can create a new generation of Indonesian professionals who can one day become entrepreneurs themselves.

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