Taking Flight 2.0
About The Event
We had the privilege of collaborating with the SYC Young Adults Community and the Singapore Global Network (SGN) to hold our second rendition of Taking Flight: Navigating Overseas Careers and Sector Transitions!
This action-packed evening featured two engaging panels with esteemed leaders and a World Cafe discussion, all aimed at equipping young professionals with the knowledge and skills to navigate overseas careers and sector transitions.
Our speakers shared that embracing uncertainty is key, even with sacrifices. Building bridges with locals is crucial for cultural understanding (active listening and empathy are gold!), and effective communication across diverse styles fosters trust and collaboration. Remember, overseas careers are continuous learning journeys, so build those “growth muscles” to tackle any challenge!
A big thank you to all speakers – Our five SGLN Fellows: Hanisah H., Tan Eng Hwa, Ganesan Arasapam, Yee Theng N., Michelle Khoo, as well as Vanessa Paranjothy, Harpreet Singh, Siok Siok Tan – your valuable stories and contributions are much appreciated!
Speakers
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Hanisah H. Gupta
Lead, Design Excellence, Standard Chartered Bank
Hanisah H.’s career has followed a path starting from the Singapore public service to the banking sector.
With a background in engineering, Hanisah believes in designing meaningful and purposeful solutions that put people at the heart of it. This has given her the inspiration to grow her career in customer experience for more than 15 years, developing a niche focus in banking. She has created many impactful works for organisations, helping them win external awards and recognition in the areas of business and customer excellence.
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Tan Eng Hwa
Director, Business Planning, SMRT
Eng Hwa is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience spanning diverse industries, including defense, IT, and transportation.
He is currently Director of Business Planning in SMRT Corporation and has previously held leadership roles such as Head Strategic Planning in a large Singapore listed engineering company as well as Co-Founder/CTO of an IoT startup.
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Vanessa Paranjothy
Co-founder, Freedom Cups
Vanessa Paranjothy is one of three co-founders of Freedom Cups.
Freedom Cups gets reusable menstrual products to women, working on a buy-1, give-1 model to get sanitation to women from underserved communities. Vanessa also works at a tech company as a Product Policy Manager. Vanessa has been listed on the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list, Tatler’s Generation T list, was awarded the Commonwealth Youth Award for Excellence in Development Work representing Asia. She has also talked about the importance of sustainable periods with 8 different Heads of State, and was selected as one of twelve in the inaugural cohort of Obama Foundation Scholars at Columbia University.
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Harpreet Singh
Regional Director, NUS Enterprise Academy
Harpreet is based in North America and leads NUS’s enterprise and innovation efforts in the Bay Area, California; New York; Chicago; Toronto, Canada; and Santiago, Chile.
He has extensive experience managing programs. Before NUS, he was in the Singapore Civil Service, working in the policy and planning divisions. He is a graduate from NUS, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
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Ganesan Arasapam
General Manager, Public Sector, ST Logistics Pte Ltd
Among his notable achievements, Ganesan has led the development of STL’s award-winning global Supply Chain Control Tower System, SiTadeL and the establishment of STL’s Global Healthcare Distribution Hub in Singapore.
On completing his Master Of Science degree in Life Sciences from the National University Of Singapore, Ganesan spent three years in the Ministry Of Defence (MINDEF) before joining ST Logistics. His various experiences have lent him a wealth of knowledge on career transitions.
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Siok Siok Tan
Founder and CEO, Open Story Pte Ltd
Siok Siok is a filmmaker and innovator whose works explore the nexus of humanity, social change and technology.
Her documentaries and mobile photography have captivated global attention from CNN to The Guardian, from the People’s Daily to the Times of India. Her storytelling transcends mediums, advocating for a future where technology empowers humanity. Her latest work is AI for Humanity (Wiley 2024), an interdisciplinary collaboration with an AI scientist and AI governance expert.
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Yee Theng Ng
Director, Public Health, IQVIA Asia Pacific
As the Asia Regional Practice Lead for Global Public Health at IQVIA, Yee Theng manages partnerships with public health stakeholders in emerging Asia with government institutions and global health donor organizations.
Career transformation is not new to Yee Theng and she has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. Her own mantra is, “it’s ok to not have it all figured out.” With stints in Paris and Brussels, Yee Theng will shed light on the value of going overseas and how to boost career prospects as well.
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Michelle Khoo
Centre Leader, Centre for the Edge at Deloitte Southeast Asia
Beginning her career in Hong Kong as an investment banker with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Goldman Sachs, Michelle spent seven years at the Ministry of Finance, where she headed the social strategy and infrastructure strategy units, rising to the position of Deputy Director.
Michelle now leads Center for the Edge, Deloitte Southeast Asia’s futures thinktank. Michelle’s extensive portfolio has taught her valuable strategies on navigating career transformations and crossing borders to elevate one’s standing in the global marketplace, which she is keen to share about.
Key Moments
About the SINDA Youth Club
Set up in 2010, SINDA Youth Club is youth led and aims to develop leadership capabilities of Indian youths and elevate them to opportunities at a national level. The club empowers youth through various initiatives and enables them to identify and act on the aspirations of the community and the nation. SYC aspires to be an inclusive space for all Indian youth to discover who they are, what they stand for and to grow into their better selves. Their programmes provide opportunities for youth to discover their purpose and strengths and contribute to the causes and communities they care about. More information about SYC can be found on their LinkedIn page here.
