After wrapping up a successful, decades-long career in the car industry two years ago, Christer Ekberg could have chosen to spend the rest of his days like many other retirees, putting his feet up and enjoying a well-deserved break.
Instead, the 71-year-old former chief operations officer of Eurokars Group Singapore, who has lived in the city state since 2001, dedicates his time to helping seniors stay strong, fit and active.
A certified personal trainer, Ekberg has always been passionate about health and fitness. Born and raised in Sweden, he rode horses on his grandfather’s farm in the north of the Scandinavian nation.
He wanted to be a professional jockey, but ended up working for global carmakers – including Porsche – in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
Ekberg in Argentina. Growing up in Sweden around horses, he once longed to be a professional jockey. Photo: Christer Ekberg
His stressful job involved frequent overseas travel, yet Ekberg, who is married with two children, says that he always made fitness a priority.
“I travelled a lot in the early part of my career between the 1980s and 1990s. Very few hotels back then had a gym, so I’d work out in my room, doing weight-bearing exercises like push-ups, sit-ups and squats. For cardio, I’d jog or run outdoors,” he says.