Leadership Perspectives
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Ooi Huey Tyng: From corner office to boardroom
The independent director and Top Voice on LinkedIn shares insights from her successful transition from executive career to portfolio board career.
A familiar name within the director network, Ooi Huey Tyng is steadily building a portfolio career with board and advisory roles spanning listed, regulated and educational institutions. And she is showing that meaningful board work doesn’t have to wait for retirement.
“The very traditional view is people transition to board roles only after they retire in their 60s. I was even encouraged to do one more executive stint before I considered becoming an independent director,” says Ooi.
But with three decades behind her working at companies the likes of GrabPay, Visa, DBS, UOB and Citibank, straddling banking, fintech and payments technology, she felt pursuing board roles as part of a portfolio career was a natural next step. Not only has she always relished taking on new challenges, in her 50s, she also wanted greater control over her schedule to be more purposeful in the way she spends her time.
“I’ve always had the courage to look for new things,” shares the big proponent of investing in one’s career. “I often talk about not being able to learn in your comfort zone. This is why I immerse myself in new areas. You learn the most in your discomfort zone
Own your development journey
For most of her career, that self-investment focused on growing in her executive roles. “You need to rise to a senior enough position to look at issues from a broader strategic level, not just at the functional level, so that you are able to bring that experience with you [to board roles] and contribute more effectively,” she explains.
With confidence in her abilities and the gumption to ask for opportunities, nominee director appointments came along in 2018, whilst she was a Managing Director at GrabPay. “I reached out to [Grab co-founder] Anthony and said, ‘I’ve been at the front of fundraising. I know the payments space. Why not let me take some of the load off and appoint me to serve on the JV boards?”
As the payment solution’s nominee director to its joint ventures in Malaysia and Philippines, she shares, “I needed to act in a manner where I safeguarded the JV’s interests, not just Grab’s. It was a good learning experience, even if the nominee director role is very different from serving as an independent director.”
Now an independent director with insurer AIG Asia Pacific and Malaysian telco Maxis, Ooi continues to invest in her career. Roughly 30 per cent of her board fees go to courses, whether on emerging subjects or governance programmes at SID, INSEAD or IMD. “You need to own your learning and development journey. Board work is not a retirement career; it’s dynamic. You have to continue to learn and relearn.”
“My value proposition lies in combining financial and tech literacy with strong commercial acumen. But as an independent director, whose role is to guide and ask questions, you also need to know what are the potential disruptive trends and the perspectives to consider,” she says. “That’s why I also make it a daily habit to read and listen to business podcasts to be sharp and future-ready.”
Your network is your partner
Conscious of how lonely the board journey can be – “you are on your own most of the time, only meeting with fellow board members every two to three months” – and passionate about encouraging a more transparent and robust board selection process, Ooi is active in various director networks and associations. Among them, the INSEAD International Director’s Network, where she is its Singapore ambassador, and the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID), as its Nominating and Remuneration Committees Chapter (NRCC) chair.
The recent SID Nominating and Remuneration Committee Seminar she organised, for instance, was attended by over 130 directors for a sharing of insights on navigating the increasingly complex business landscape. From the lineup of speakers itself, one would also have presumed that Ooi intended to make a statement on the depth of talent in Singapore. In addition to the visible 50-50 gender representation among speakers, they were also of diverse backgrounds with deep expertise and proven competence.
“When I organise an event, I want to create connections and for us to learn from each other.” On membership with the association, she adds: “I tell people that when they join SID, to think of it as a learning and networking platform. It will improve your chances of getting a board role, but it is not a guarantee. You still need to cultivate your network and continue to build your boardroom capital beyond SID.”
“Eighty per cent of board roles is filled through familiar networks. Networks are a powerful thing; there’s nothing wrong with that, because when you appoint someone to your board, you want them not only capable and qualified but also aligned with your culture. They should be able to work constructively with the board, even when bringing a different perspective. After all, every board has its own culture,” she explains.
Build credibility, appointed for capabilities
Intentional in how she’s built a board career, and having done so as a woman (globally, women hold just a quarter of board seats), Ooi frequently pens perspectives on board-related matters. Her motivation for posting on LinkedIn, contributing op-eds to the papers, and speaking at forums have been two-fold. One, it enhances her credibility and visibility as a board director. Two, in sharing her journey, she encourages newer or would-be directors.
Asked about the gender diversity lobby, she points out that when a campaign focuses solely on optics, neglecting qualifications, it becomes a disservice to all. Appointments should be made on merit and should complement existing board composition, she says. She wrote as much in one of her op-eds for The Business Times in 2023. “If we keep an open mind in our talent recruitment, cast our net deep and wide enough and commit to a rigorous interview and selection process, we will naturally increase the diversity of our talent pool.”
“This clearly shows up the myth of meritocracy and diversity being values that are at odds with one another and cannot both be achieved simultaneously.”
Read the room to contribute effectively
With four years of dedicated experience as an independent director and with takeaways to fill a full manuscript, Ooi wants new directors to likewise find their footing. “The role of a board director and an executive is different. An executive is operational; you’re used to giving instructions. But a director steers the conversation by asking the right questions.”
“And, as an independent director, you have to have the emotional courage to share your independent view – but you have to do a bit of work.”
She gives one example of learning to raise a differing viewpoint in a manner that encourages consideration rather than ruffles feathers. “In one of my earlier board roles, I was very keen to contribute. So, I did my research, I listened, and I had the courage to share my view. But then I received pushback. I went to read the previous minutes and realised the initial idea was championed by the lead independent director, whom people respect.”
“What I should have done was give credit and then bring up new information. It could be a change in the regulatory environment perhaps. So you’re not questioning the previous decision, but saying with this new information, perhaps we can have a discussion.”
And for aspirants looking to contribute at board-level, her top advice is this: “Understand your why and what you are looking for. If you are very clear as to how you can contribute value, only then can you brand and position yourself for a board role.”
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