In celebration of International Women’s Day 2023, we asked strong leaders from across our network what #EmbraceEquity means to them:
“EmbracingEquity means progress – a set of diverse views will no doubt lead you to make a more informed and better decision. It means inclusion – creating an environment that all would feel comfortable regardless of gender, race, language or religion.”
Charlotte Stewart
Head of HR
SC Ventures & Innovation
“EmbracingEquity to me simply means coming every day to a happy workplace. DEI is a foundation of positive employee experience and is critical to organizational success. It also means to be intentional about inclusion and think proactively if what we do means the same to everybody. Finally, it is about holding myself responsible for amplifying that quietest voice in the room.”
Elena Chipalova
Director, Human Resources
South Asia Pacific Region Carrier
“Promoting equity starts with awareness and an appreciation that everyone’s differences should be embraced. This involves driving transparency and an inclusive culture, where everyone can bring their full selves to work. As one of the top ten diverse Venture Capital firms globally, B Capital places great emphasis on values, using culture as a differentiator to drive high performing teams.”
Sandi Sadek
Partner & Chief People Officer
B Capital
“Embracing equity to me means that each one of us should have an equal chance to pursue our dreams irrespective of our background or identity. To achieve this, it is important to keep challenging our own biases, to be open to appreciating different perspectives and be intentional in bridging imbalances.”
Meenal Maheshwari Shah
Group Legal Director, Global
Lemmatree
“EmbraceEquity to me means giving equal opportunities and providing a fair level playing field for everyone. We are all guilty of hiring people that are like us and making assumptions driven by background and gender. Let make it a point to examine our bias, overcome them and promote diversity and inclusion at the workplace!”
Tancy Tan
Chief Operating Officer
HSBC Singapore
“In the realm of food, women are no longer only in the kitchen cooking delicious meals; they are also shaping the future of food production, distribution, and consumption. Kemin empowers women like me to take up leadership roles, paving the way for us to solve global food challenges and sustainably transform the quality of life for our communities.”
Michelle Lim
President
Kemin Food Technologies Asia
“#EmbraceEquity means to forge a positive change in the workplace in making and supporting level playing fields, inclusive of everybody within my own influence, or those who would want to rely on it.”
Lai Ching Yap
CIO HVAC, South Asia Pacific and Middle East
Carrier
“To me, embracing equity means ensuring that we create a culture where everyone, regardless of their circumstances or characteristics, is ensured fair treatment, access, equality of opportunity and advancement. In doing so, we must also recognise and remove the barriers that have prevented certain groups from fully participating and, to tackle this, we need to understand the root causes of such disparities in our workplaces, in our homes and in our communities.”
Lakshanthi Fernando
Partner
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang (Singapore) LLP
“Embracing differences and creating a welcoming, affirming and inclusive environment for everyone to make sure every single person feels valued and supported, irrespective of gender, nationality, and personal needs. Differences and equity fuel innovation and growth.”
Sylwia Kulesza
Executive Vice President, Head of Innovation & Digital Strategy cum Head of Digital Sales & MarTech Stack
Techcombank
“Embracing equity means everyone contributing together to create an equitable and inclusive society by taking action to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and unleash their full potential. It also involves creating opportunities where people from different backgrounds, races, identities and genders can thrive as themselves.”
Mayda Lim
Head of Regional Development Centre
OCBC Bank
“Personally, I believe that to embrace equity, one should first acknowledge that inequity exists. While redressing this imbalance, we should not be extreme in our approach and always ensure fairness in everything we do. Fairness is not about closing gender differences alone. Fairness is about being objective. So, to me, embracing equity is first by having objective and open mindset to act, react and be inclusive.”
Jenny Tan
President
ISACA Singapore
“#EmbraceEquity means creating a culture where we brew curiosity. We offer the tools, the environment, and the support for you to make your unique contribution and get the most out of your experience. In each moment, you can grow your skills, your career, and some part of yourself and at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, the opportunities for you are endless.”
Sehr Ahmed
Global CHRO
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
“Embracing Equity means to actively promote equity and recognise that we are all beautifully different and unique.”
Lyn Lee
Head of Group Legal
OCBC Bank
“Embracing equity means proactively creating equal opportunities for everyone. Professional development is curated for all, and the role goes to the right person, regardless of gender. We cultivate an inclusive and diverse workplace to complement individual talent, so that every employee is empowered to perform to their highest potential.”
Melita Teo
Chief Customer and Digital Officer
AIA Singapore
“Equity means to me: advocate and amplify marginalized voices, create safe spaces to speak truth and embrace the difference with no judgement.”
Tina Peng
Vice President, Global HR Leader, Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers
Cargill
“Embracing equity means being cognizant about the needs of others who are different from oneself and making an effort to support those needs. It is also about challenging the conventional assumptions and stereotypes, and having the courage to do what is different.”
Soh Siew Choo
Chief Information Officer
Metlife Asia
“Embracing equity to me means recognizing and valuing the diversity of people and their experiences, and ensuring everyone is given the support they need to succeed and reach their full potential. And drawing from my own experiences, this means creating a fair and inclusive environment where everyone has a chance to thrive, regardless of their gender, background, identity, social status etc.”
Inez Ngian
Executive VP, Group Head of Finance
Lazada
“Inclusion, openness, and embracing diversity lie at the heart of all we do and stand for.”
Jenny Leong
Director, Human Resources and Internal Comms (Greater China and Singapore)
Inchcape
“Diverse teams are more successful and that is why the Group Data Office at OCBC Bank has 22 different nationalities with 40% being women. The rich tapestry of backgrounds boosts creativity, which enables us to create a much wider variety of solutions to business problems.”
Donald MacDonald
Head of Group Data Office
OCBC Bank
“When thinking about equity, many people may instantly associate it with concepts relating to gender. For example, I still get asked the question, “As a female partner, what are your views on …”. I wonder if my male contemporaries are asked the same sort of question. I doubt it. In conjunction with IWD for 2023, I hope that together with my friends and colleagues, we can and will broaden that discussion. Equity is not just about gender, or race, it is about all other aspects of society. The concepts of fairness and justice are central to the theme of equity, and we should be ensuring there is a pathway towards the same opportunities for all those who need it.”
Kimarie Cheang
Partner
Watson Farley & Williams LLP
“Embracing equity means progress – a set of diverse views will no doubt lead you to make a more informed and better decision. It means inclusion – creating an environment that all would feel comfortable regardless of gender, race, language or religion.”
Joan Lim-Casanova
Partner
K&L Gates Straits Law