# Damian Sia

> Damian Sia is the Singapore-based founder and executive chairman of Motorist, an automotive technology platform operating in five Southeast Asian markets. A programmer by training and former DirectCars CEO, he built Motorist from 2015 around simplifying car transactions and ownership. Angela Poh succeeded him as CEO effective 2 August 2026.

- **Role:** Founder and Executive Chairman at Motorist
- **Organizations:** Motorist, DirectCars, SeekSquare, Quotations, Suburb
- **Education:** Republic Polytechnic, Murdoch University
- **Known for:** Founded Motorist in 2015 and led its development from a one-person operation into a regional vehicle ownership platform., Received the Spirit of Enterprise Neo Start-up Award in 2018., Listed as an Edge 35 Under 35 2021 honoree on his public LinkedIn profile.

## Career timeline

- **2010** — Founded SeekSquare.
- **2011** — Founded Quotations.
- **2012** — Founded DirectCars; later served as CEO.
- **2015** — Exited DirectCars and used proceeds to found Motorist.
- **2018** — Received the Spirit of Enterprise Neo Start-up Award.
- **2019** — Motorist officially launched its app in March and received angel backing that year.
- **2021** — Motorist announced S$1.2 million in seed funding from an AngelCentral syndicate.
- **2024** — Tokyo Century Leasing (Singapore) invested in Motorist; Angela Poh became deputy CEO in March.
- **2026-08** — Became executive chairman as Angela Poh succeeded him as CEO, effective 2 August.

## Achievements

- Founded Motorist in 2015 and led its development from a one-person operation into a regional vehicle ownership platform.
- Received the Spirit of Enterprise Neo Start-up Award in 2018.
- Listed as an Edge 35 Under 35 2021 honoree on his public LinkedIn profile.
- Motorist received Brands for Good Technology for Good recognition in 2020.
- Republic Polytechnic lists him as an industry mentor.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Motorist announced on 8 September that Angela Poh succeeded Sia as CEO effective 2 August; Sia became executive chairman.
- **2026-03** — Motorist announced recognition among Asia’s fastest-growing companies for 2026.
- **2026-02** — Republic Polytechnic’s industry mentor directory, updated 27 February, lists Sia.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damiansia/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damiansia/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/damian-sia
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22