HR Champions: Wong Sze Keed on taking care of staff

Title: CEO Organisation: AIA Singapore Office headquarters: Singapore Company operations: Asia Pacific Industry: Insurance Employees: 1,001-5,000 Coming in as CEO at the height of the pandemic, Wong Sze Keed immediately built on the holistic wellness of her people. The difficult period simply deepened her recognition that, “if they are well taken care of, they can […]
HR Champions: Catherine Lian advocates for women in tech; leadership

Title: Managing Director and Technology Leader, IBM Malaysia Office headquarters: Malaysia Company operations: Global Industry: IT Services and IT Consulting Employees: 10,001+ (LinkedIn) Catherine Lian actively advocates for women in leadership. Prior to her appointment at IBM, she was part of the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network, supporting women in business by providing access to technology, […]
HR Champions: Mharicar Castillo-Reyes’ people-centric leadership

Title: CEO Organisation: Asticom Group of Companies Office headquarters: Philippines Company operations: Philippines and USA Industry: Shared services and outsourcing Employees: 5,000+ When Covid-19 hit the Philippines with a lockdown announcement, Asticom went into a remote setup within 72 hours. Work-from-home essentials were provided to employees, and the leadership team, with Castillo-Reyes at the helm, […]
HR Champions: Anthony Tan emphasises humility for effective leadership

Title: CEO, Grab Office Headquarters: Singapore Company Operations: SEA Industry: Software Development Employees: 5,001-10,000 “Who am I as a CEO? How do I serve our Grabbers? How do I serve our customers? How do I serve our governments? How do I serve society?” These are the lead questions behind Anthony Tan’s principle of servant leadership, […]
HR Champions: Forrest Li’s perseverance on employee morale

Title: CEO, Sea Ltd. Office headquarters: Singapore Company operations: Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Greater China Industry: Technology and e-commerce Employees: 63,800 Addressing employee woes after a huge stock decline last year, Bloomberg reports, Forrest Li said: “This is short-term pain that we have to endure to truly maximise our long-term potential.” His focus remained on […]
HR Champions: Somruedee Chaimongkol’s communication focus

Title: CEO Organisation: Banpu Public Company Office headquarters: Thailand Company operations: Southeast Asia, China, Australia, Mongolia, Japan, and the US Industry: Oil, gas, resources and energy Employees: 3,000 Somruedee Chaimongkol recognises the importance of continuous learning and of riding trends, so it is a combination of digitisation, upskilling, and communication that she aims to implement for […]
HR Champions: Piyush Gupta on finding hidden expertise

Title: CEO, DBS Bank Office headquarters: Singapore Company operations: Southeast Asia, South Asia, and China Industry: Banking Employees: 36,000 Piyush Gupta has had his fair share of regrets and realisations over his 40-year career, including 13 years as the bank’s CEO. He does not shy away from sharing them as lessons. One of these is […]
HR Champions: Nation-building with Ramon Ang

Title: CEO Organisation: San Miguel Corporation Office headquarters: Philippines Company operations: Southeast Asia, China, and Australia Industry: Food and beverages Employees: 70,000 Ramon Ang is dedicated to advancing the welfare of employees, giving back to the less fortunate, nurturing the next generation, and nation-building. He has shared with PEP TV in the past that he […]
HR Champions: Arthur Kiong looks to social impact and values

Title: CEO Organisation: Far East Hospitality Management Office headquarters: Singapore Company operations: Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany Industry: Hospitality Employees: 3,000 Like many in the hospitality industry during Covid-19, Arthur Kiong battled with the idea of opening up Far East Hospitality Management’s establishments as quarantine facilities. He shared with Salt&Light that he […]
The First Word: Beyond the buzz: Unlocking the potential of AI in HR

It’s here. It’s palpable. It’s evolving rapidly. Artificial intelligence is no longer something we’re looking at in the future; it is already touching our lives and transforming the way we work. Generative AI has brought the technology a lot closer to us, enabling people to see up-close the power of AI with AI-driven tools doing […]