Chng Sok Hui

CFO
DBS

“I built many functions from scratch, and in the process, deepened the capabilities and talent bench strength of the bank.”

“You need balance during different stages of a career. You can’t run at the same pace all the time.”

Teo Swee Lian

Independent Director
Singtel

“There are some situations where you just have to laugh things off and not take it too personally, but you also have to make it clear that you have a firm stand.”

Corporate leaders share their outlook and hopes for 2019

Women share their hopes for promoting gender diversity in the workplace in the new year.

Ee Rong Chong, Group Managing Director, Ogilvy Singapore

Deborah Ho, Country Head, Singapore, Head of SEA, BlackRock

Lily Kong, Provost & Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University 

Dian Rasid, Director, Business Development, Adi Media

Teo Lay Lim, Geographic Unit Managing Director of Asean and Country Managing Director of Singapore, Accenture

Fiona Yik, President, Financial Women’s Association Singapore

Corporate Leaders share the skills needed for future leaders

Hear their views on the skills needed to succeed in an environment marked by rapid change.

Goh Swee Chen, Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore

Lee Yan Hong, Head of Group Human Resources at DBS Bank

Professor Annie Koh, Academic Director, Business Families Institute, Singapore Management University

Women raising the bar for their industries

Hear from women who are taking on sector-wide roles to help shape the future of their industries.

Aileen Tan, Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Singtel

Chng Sok Hui, Chief Financial Officer at DBS Group

Irene Boey, Consulting Director of Integral Solutions (Asia)

Lisa Teo, Executive Director (Corporate Development) at Pacific International Lines

Women shaping the future of their industries

Hear from more women who have taken on sector-wide roles to help shape the future of their industries.

Janet Ang, Vice-President, Industry Solutions & Business Development, IBM Asia Pacific

Simran Toor, Partner, Specialist & Private Client Disputes Practice, WongPartnership

Lynette Leong, CEO of CapitaLand Commercial Management

Women board directors share their view on the benefits of having women on boards

They also share tips on how to get onto boards.

Penny Goh, Chairman of Keppel Reit Management and Co-chairman and Senior Partner of Allen & Gledhill LLP

Christina Tan, Non-Executive Director of Keppel Reit Management and CEO of Keppel Capital

Luo Dan, Non-Executive Director of Yeo Hiap Seng

Jessica Tan, Independent Director of SATS

Senior women executives in STEM

share their views on the gender diversity issue in STEM, especially in leadership roles.

Soh Siew Choo, Head of Consumer Banking and Big Data Analytics Technology at DBS Group

Jackie Ying, Senior Fellow at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*STAR) NanoBio Lab

Patricia Yim, General Manager at IBM Asean

Sze Tan, Managing Director at the Nestlé R&D Centre, Singapore

Angelene Chan

CEO
DP Architects

“For me, design and the creative process is gender-neutral. I have always thought of myself simply as ‘an architect’.”

Kwang Kam Shing

Asia CEO
JP Morgan Private Banking

“Women have to accept that they cannot always do everything alone, if they want to have a successful career and home life.”

Women in Sustainability

Hear from 7 women who are playing a big role in promoting sustainability in the corporate world.

Esther An, Chief Sustainability Officer at CDL

Sara Cheng, CEO of Fuji Xerox Singapore

Tan Su Shan, Group Head of Consumer Banking and Wealth Management, DBS Bank

Yvonne Chan, Director, Corporate Development, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore

Ng Lay San, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Communications and Sustainability, Sembcorp Industries

Fang Eu-Lin, Sustainability and Climate Change Leader, PwC Singapore

Susan Chong, Founder and CEO of Greenpac

Women on boards of MNCs

Hear their views on what women executives from the region can do to raise their profile and get on the radar of corporate boards.

Euleen Goh, Non-Executive Board Director of Royal Dutch Shell

Yasmin Aladad Khan, Independent Non-Executive Director, Digi

Quek Bin Hwee, Independent Non-Executive Director, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation

Jeanette Wong, Independent Director, Essilor International

Tracey Woon

Vice-chairman, Wealth Management Asia Pac
UBS AG

“Women do invest very differently from men – they think not just about generating a financial return.”

Catherine Low

Singapore Country Manager
ING Bank

“I think in most organisations. if you have the will and interest and what it takes to move ahead, you can get it.”

Jacqueline Poh

Chief Executive
GovTech Singapore

“Driving meaningful technology adoption was the greatest challenge… There may be a tendency… to rush into adopting new technologies without having fully thought through their strategies and use cases.”

Esther An

Chief Sustainability Officer
City Developments Limited

“We strongly believe that creating and expanding opportunities for women are fundamental to sustainable growth.”

Pek Lay Peng

Founder, Society A
Executive Director, Shingda Group

“To me, professionalism in whichever strata you are in is an important value. Above that, you need to be reliable.”

Goh Yiping

President
Element Inc

“I emphasise three things: to keep reinventing ourselves to stay relevant, to experiment constantly, and to collaborate widely.”

Christine Lim

Managing Director
San SeSan Global

“We realise that the Singapore market is really small. A natural expansion plan is to get out of Singapore.”

Goh Swee Chen

Chairman
Shell companies in Singapore

“It has always been my belief that it’s important to focus on developing people in order to achieve desired outcomes.”

Sheela Parakkal

Chief Human Resources Officer
Prudential

“I had moments where I questioned myself – could I really have it all? Sometimes I overcompensated to prove to myself that I could do it all.”

Stephanie Keen

Country Managing Partner
Hogan Lovells Singapore

“I think historically, lawyers would just paper an agreement that was done, whereas now we understand a lot of rationales behind the business.”

Joyce Tee

Group Head of SME Banking
DBS Bank

“It makes me happy to see my clients grow and reach new levels in their business. Every decision I take has to make a positive impact and a difference.”

Judy Hsu

CEO
Standard Chartered Singapore

“It’s about the work, the input, but it’s also about the visibility, [women’s] ability to communicate, all those things, so that they don’t lose out.”

Allister Rochstad

Founder
TuffChem

“Through my working experience, it had dawned on me that environmental degradation is a real issue, and that I had a duty to save the environment in my own capacity.”

Adeline Sim

Executive Director
HRnetGroup

“My dad always says that anyone he meets should benefit from that encounter, and that has become a driving philosophy for us at HRnet.”

Young Jin Yee

Managing Director and Market Group Head
Credit Suisse

“I have a passion to help women…. Female colleagues … produce results and are great performers. But they don’t do themselves justice… We need the mind and skill set to increase visibility.”

Ankiti Bose

Co-founder
Zilingo

“There is the feel-good factor of helping people. A Thai vendor told me that Zilingo helped double the size of his business. … It is encouraging to hear such stories.”

Eleanor Seet

President and head of Asia ex-Japan
Nikko Asset Management

“We enable our women employees by fostering an environment that provides the support they need to continue in or rejoin the workforce.”

Chew Gek Khim

Chairman
Straits Trading Company Limited

“”People always think they’re right but when you have to be transparent and accountable, it forces you to think: Is this really right?”

Cynthia Chua

Founder
Spa Esprit Group

“If you want to be a pioneer leading a movement, you have to get used to people telling you that it won’t work. You need to believe in yourself that it will work.”

Ong Yeng Fang

Head
UOB Private Bank

“Managing people, managing them in a different culture and language, … you really learn. That’s why I like bankers with international exposure.”

Jean Teo

Chief Operating Officer
China Aviation Oil

“My driven management style can be confrontational at times. But I have realised this may not necessarily be the best approach, and have learnt to compromise.”

Jocelyn Chng

Managing Director, Sin Hwa Dee
Co-founder, JR Group

“I smelled the business opportunity early, but making it happen was really about persevering through the challenges.”

Huang Shao-Ning

Private Investor
(previously Co-founder JobsCentral)

“So entrepreneurs are the ones who have to carry a lot of stuff. You must have the commitment to build something … the foundation’s bricks have to come from you.”

Grace Ho

Chief Commercial Officer
Singpost

“If you see a road less travelled, but you’re confident that you can do really well, take that plunge.”

Wong Su-Yen

CEO
Human Capital Leadership Institute

Her biggest reward as a director is “the opportunity to have an impact”, a sentiment echoed by many other women directors.

Amanda Chen

Deputy Head of Wealth Management for Asia ex Japan
Nomura

A good attitude is also crucial, especially for someone who is just starting out. “You can’t pick and choose what you do.”

Ivy Ng

CEO
Singapore Health Services

“I am a huge advocate of having a strong family life and never delaying marriage or having children because of work. You just have to embrace it, enjoy it, and then come back and be busy again.”

Chong Ee Rong

Managing Director
Ogilvy PR

“A lot of times, it’s not about not being given the opportunity, but not creating that opportunity for ourselves.”

Rita Soh

Director
RDC Architects

“To be successful, you have to be able to take on different challenges, have the drive to succeed and to push yourself to be the best that you can be.”

Tan Yen Yen

President, Asia Pacific
Vodafone Global Enterprise

“One-way management doesn’t work… it is about delegation and collaboration, and I empower individual decisions through guidance.”

Tan Shu Shan

Managing Director and Group Head of Consumer Banking & Wealth Management
DBS

“Being able to face up to the fact that you don’t know, admitting it and saying, “This is what I don’t know, help me” is not a weakness.”

Ooi Huey Tyng

Country manager for Singapore and Brunei
Visa

“There was a certain point when, even though I liked numbers and analysing them, I started to reflect on what excited me more… it’s about moving out of the comfort zone.”

Charlene Kang

Executive Director
Vault@268

“I feel that every single person must build up trustworthiness, charisma, integrity. … At the end of the day, doing business means you need to be streetwise.”

Connie Wu

CEO
Sunray Woodcraft

She has been looked down on just because she is a woman. She did not lose her confidence, though. “All the people I deal with are men, but I can do whatever they can do.”

Rachel Eng

Deputy Chairman
Wong Partnership

“Every working woman has the same challenges. It’s how we combine the different pieces and work within our limitations that make all the difference.”

Tan Poh Hong

CEO
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore

“It’s about understanding people too, looking at their circumstances, having flexibility and empathy, and seeing what is the best that you can do for them.”