HRM 13.1

hrm ISSUE 13.1

AkzoNobel’s collaborative work culture Building a talent pipeline at LVMH Reaching the C-suite

WWW.HRMASIA.COM

TRAILBLAZERS HR leaders to watch in 2013

HRM 13.1

Contents EDITOR Sumathi V Selvaretnam

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JOURNALIST Shalini Shukla-Pandey ASSISTANT JOURNALIST Vivien Shiao Shufen TRAFFIC MANAGER Azimah Jasman SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Amos Lee GRAPHIC DESIGNER John Paul Lozano REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR Evelyn Lim SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Yogesh Chandiramani

Trailblazers: HR leaders to watch in 2013 The brand new year heralds both new opportunities and fresh challenges for HR as it strives to become a strategic partner. In this special cover story, we pay tribute to a group of HR superstars whose resilience, courage and strong business acumen have enabled them to constantly add value to the business

ACCOUNT MANAGERS Natasha Vincent Charlene Lim Rebecca Ng GENERAL MANAGER Kaveri Ayahsamy REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR George Walmsley MANAGING DIRECTOR Richard Curzon

IN THIS COVER STORY

“HR should recognise the need to go beyond just being people-oriented, and leverage on tools such as data management and HR analytics to better understand trends and emerging issues” – TIMOTHY SEBASTIAN, GROUP DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCE, AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Frank Pinckers Photography Rory Daniel Photography PRINTED BY Times Printers Pte Ltd PUBLISHED BY Key Media Pte Ltd 121 Telok Ayer Street #02-01 Singapore 068590 Tel: +65 6423 4631 Fax: +65 6423-4632 Email: info@keymedia.com.sg

MICA (P) 137/07/2012 ISSUE 13.1

ISSN 0219-6883

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HRM 13.1

Contents

12

Check out HRM online:

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hrmasia.com

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FEATURES 12 | AkzoNobel: Bringing colour to people’s lives

44 | Investigating the corporate creative crime scene

Famously known as the parent company of Dulux, AkzoNobel is all about injecting fun and colour into people’s lives. Jeremy Rowe, Managing Director, AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, Southeast Asia and Pacific, explains how he adds life to the organisation

Adopting the same approach to everyday work processes can kill creativity. Author and HR Summit speaker Andrew Grant provides some tips on how to boost innovation in such environments.

30 | Selling the dream

Knuckling down and soldiering through the economic turmoil will come down to one key factor: retention. In this special report, HRM looks at four key ingredients to retaining happy, productive employees

Luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) has set its sights on the Asia-Pacific region, opening a new talent development centre in Singapore. HRM caught up with Chantal Gaemperle, Group Executive Vice President, HR and Synergies, LVMH Group to find out more

34 | Reaching the C-Suite

Getting a seat at the executive table is not an unreachable goal for HR, say experts.

However, organisations need to change their mindset and HR needs to be more businesssavvy to be seen as a strategic partner

38 | Asia’s biggest and most popular HR event of the year is back!

Packed with invaluable take-home strategies and best practice case studies ideal for everyone from C-level executives to senior HR and business leaders, STJobs HR Summit 2013 is set to engage the region’s HR community yet again this year

48 | Get Sticky

52 | The case for executive education In a fast paced world, more business professionals are seeing the value of MBAs to boost their careers as it stimulates problem solving skills and critical thinking. HRM finds out what are some of the latest programmes offered by top institutions

60 | Passion to serve

Park Hotel Group’s motto “Discover Love” aims to inspire employees to have a heart for service. HRM speaks to Mohammed K Rafin, Senior Vice President of the Park Hotel Group, about how the company’s learning and development programmes achieve that

60 REGULARS 3 | Analysis 4 | News 10 | Leaders on Leadership 60 | MICE 64 | Resources 66 | Talent Ladder 67 | In Person 68 | Talent Challenge 69 | Twenty-four Seven 70 | Talent Feature 79 | Executive Appointments

CONTACT US: Read something you like? Or something you don’t? Perhaps there’s some insight we haven’t considered? Have your say on HRM’s news, features, and contributions by emailing: info@keymedia.com.sg 2

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ANALYSIS

Workplace harmony

Handling employee grievances right Recent strike by a group of SMRT bus drivers a wake-up call for HR

By Sumathi V Selvaretnam The importance of effective employee grievance handling was thrust into the spotlight recently, when close to 200 SMRT bus drivers from China held an illegal strike, disgruntled over their salaries and living conditions. The workers had refused to board a shuttle that was to take them to work from their dormitory. Four workers who instigated the strike were eventually prosecuted.

The incident prompted the Singapore National Employers’ Federation (SNEF) to issue a five-page advisory on handling employee grievances.

“It is unfortunate that SNEF has to make use of this incident to highlight to employers the importance of having proper employee grievance handling procedures and processes,” said Stephen Lee, President, SNEF, in a press statement. He added that good employer-employee relations at the company level were the foundation of strong and effective tripartism. “Without responsible employers, it is not possible to have sustainable industrial peace and harmony, which is Singapore’s hallmark.”

In addition to the advisory, SNEF recommended that employers: go beyond the symptoms to analyse root causes of grievances; be proactive in seeking employee perceptions of workplace issues; and promote positive workplace cultures. Lee called upon employers to review their employee engagement processes to strengthen employer-employee relations.

The illegal strike also pointed out the importance of harmonious labour relations. “The strike should not have happened. It happened because management, union and workers did not work closely enough,” said a spokesperson from the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) in an email response to HRM’s questions. The incident could have been avoided if all three partners worked together, but now that it has happened, we all learned the right lessons, he added.

“Employee grievance handling is important and it is crucial to handle it well and properly so that work performance is not affected but more so, the person who is aggrieved can have access to the proper channels to bring the case up for management’s notice,” said the NTUC spokesperson.

Ho Meng Kit, CEO of the Singapore Business Federation said that HR has an important role to play. “In a tight labour

market, it is in companies’ best interest to uphold enlightened and fair HR policies and practices to retain talent. It is also incumbent on employees to use proper channels to raise their work grievances. A harmonious employer-employee relationship fosters trust, loyalty and benefits for all.”

The incident has served as a wake-up call for employers.

Han’s Food and Beverage plans to share the SMRT episode as a case study to all staff during its next operations meeting, said its deputy general manager Gan Yee Chin.

“The HR department will send more staff, especially outlet managers, to attend a Tripartite training workshop to improve their skills in handling unhappy staff. We will also be conducting employee perception surveys regularly to gauge our work climate.”

Employee unions are also stepping things up. “We definitely want to increase our awareness of what the unions can do for foreign workers. To engage this group more proactively, we will step up our recruitment efforts to get more to join the unions,” said the NTUC spokesperson.

The NTUC plans to ask unions with a large number of foreign workers to share their best practices. “We will also want to beef up our labour-management relations and get employers to do their part too – to see the union as their partner and work with us to ensure that all workers, be they local or foreign, get fair terms and treatment,” the spokesperson said.

Recommendations by SNEF • Adopt or adapt the various employee grievance handling models and examples referred to in the Advisory (see: SNEF website).

• Ensure the procedures are easy to understand and have easily accessible contact points.

• Provide timelines for resolution, avenues for appeals, and alternative third party channels for advice, conciliation, mediation, or arbitration.

• Communicate the procedures to employees in languages they understand.

• Ensure all involved, especially HR, supervisors and line managers, are given adequate training to deal with employee grievances.

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NEWS

Asia ASIA

INDONESIA

Pressure on for staff in 2013 The majority of executives around the globe are budgeting for breakthrough performance gains of at least 20% from their employees this year. According to the Corporate Executive Board’s (CEB’s) Executive Guidance for 2013, executives in Asia are asking for the biggest jumps from their staff, with local leaders hoping for gains of 29% on average.

Since only 32% of executives plan to hire more staff to meet their 2013 goals, companies will need to develop and transform existing workforces to achieve higher performance and greater productivity, the report noted.

“Organisations must understand the dramatic shifts underway in the new work environment and equip employees with the skills and competencies that enable them to be successful,” said Conrad Schmidt, Global Research Officer, CEB. “With 67% of executives reporting continued pressure to lower costs despite increasing revenue expectations, the corporate bottom line is increasingly dependent on achieving greater labour efficiencies,” added Schmidt. “In order to overcome new workplace challenges and facilitate increased employee productivity, executives will need to organise and manage their workforce differently.”

TABLE 1

Asia being required to put in the most work UK

15.76

Hong Kong

21.28 29.52

Japan

30.64

India

32.16

Singapore Republic of Korea

34.33

Philippines

34.67

0 10 20 30 40 Additional performance needed (%)

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Source: LinkedIn

One-quarter of Singapore adult learners believe degree qualifications will lead to a salary rise of

50%

or more Source: 2012 JobsCentral Learning Rankings & Survey

44%

of CFOs in Singapore say they have gained productivity improvements through investing in technology

of organisations have a high level of demand for bilingual professionals

19

China

“creative”

60%

18.86

Australia

The Number 1 most overused buzzword in LinkedIn Profiles globally, as well as for professionals based in Singapore is

Source: Robert Half

16.21

US

Indonesia leads Asia in gender diversity

Source: Michael Page 2013 Salary & Employment Forecast for Japan

The first comprehensive study of gender diversity in Indonesia’s boardrooms has found that women held 11.6% of seats in 2011, making the country a leader in boardroom gender diversity in Asia.

According to the inaugural Indonesia Boardroom Diversity Report, published by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School’s Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations (CGIO), in partnership with Indonesia’s GlobeAsia magazine, the Southeast Asian archipelago is ahead of countries and territories such as Hong Kong (with 10.3% of boardroom seats held by women), China (8.5%), Malaysia (7.3%), and Singapore (7.3%).

In Indonesia’s two-tier system, women are better represented as directors than as commissioners. Thirteen per cent of all directors are women, while 9.9% of commissioners are female, the report found. Women are best represented in the finance and trade, services and investment sectors, making up 14.2% of board members in those industries.

Women were underrepresented in board leadership positions.

Only 8.5% of the 411 President Commissioners and 6.5% of the 413 President Directors were women. Dr Marleen Dieleman, Associate Director, CGIO, NUS Business School remarked that gender diversity in the boardroom was increasingly being used as an indicator of good corporate governance. “If board members are open to diversity and able to avoid the pitfalls of group-think, they can collectively support their firms well and ensure equal opportunities at the same time,” she explained.

HONG KONG

Statutory paternity leave advances Hong Kong’s Labour Advisory Board will support a plan for statutory three-day paternity leave, requiring private-sector employers to pay 80% of a worker’s average daily pay. This is in line with current maternity leave regulations.

Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, welcomed the Labour Advisory Board’s endorsement of the paid holiday for the city state’s new dads.

Cheung told China Daily: “The three-day paternity leave is a good start. It takes into account the capacity and competitiveness of small and medium enterprises, and also considers family-friendly employment practices”.

Eligible government employees currently enjoy five working days of paternity leave on full pay on each occasion of childbirth.

The Labour Secretary is now drafting the necessary legislation.

NEWS

Asia SINGAPORE

ASIA

Sea of change needed High performing organisations are much more likely to decentralise their operations to compete in the global business environment, says a new Ernst & Young report. It reveals that more of these organisations are granting greater decision-making freedom to direct reports (49% of “high performers” compared to 35% of low performing organisations surveyed) and redefining roles in more open-ended and flexible ways (46% compared to 34%).

Still, the survey found that there was a general lack of investment in talent management in most companies. While high performing companies were reaping financial rewards by investing more in building talented teams and decentralising operations across the globe, less than half (45%) said they were effective at investing in talent management to meet financial targets.

This falls to 36% in low performing companies.

Furthermore, even though 91% of respondents worked for a multi-market organisation, only half (51%) of those organisations were seen to be creating opportunities for employees to work in different countries.

Companies across the board are struggling to prepare their managers for future leadership positions by giving them exposure to different businesses and cultural environments. Only half of

the high performing companies surveyed (54%) say their company has a strong pipeline of future leadership talent, compared with 43% of the lowperforming companies.

“Few companies have done enough to adapt their approach to meet the complexities of the current global economic and market environment,” said Peter Matthews, Chairman of Global Learning, Ernst & Young. “Businesses are on the brink of a leadership crisis and nothing less than a ‘paradigm shift’ – a fundamental change in thinking – is required to tackle the talent shortfall.”

Possible solutions to talent management problems: • Align and integrate talent management across the business • Rethink approaches to international mobility and re-integration • Create the right blend between global and local talent management • Use analytics to identify talent gaps and gain a better understanding of workforce behaviour • Take a long-term approach to developing the next generation of leaders

SMEs can claim up to

70%

of the associated costs to embark on the CultureSAFE programme, subject to a cap of $30,000 Source: Singapore Workplace Safety and Health (WSH)

Come

1 January 2013,

the minimum wage rate for the Malaysian peninsula will be fixed at RM900 (US$295) per and RM800 (US$262) per month for Sabah and Sarawak Source: Malaysia’s Minimum Wage Order 2012

84%

of Asian professionals spend more than 30 minutes preparing for a job interview Source: Robert Walters Global Web Poll

Money talks in fast-growing markets Salary is the top recruitment driver in fast-growing markets in Asia.

According to the Towers Watson Global Talent Management and Rewards Survey, the factors that motivate employees to take a job or switch organisations are very different.

In fast growing markets, base pay is ranked as the top driver by employers, whereas for developed markets, base pay is ranked in the eight position among a series of attraction factors.

For developed markets, the top driver is “challenging work”.

“This variance throws up a worrying trend – employers in developed markets do not understand the needs and preferences of their employees compared to fast-growing markets,” said Dhritiman Chakrabarti, Asia-Pacific Leader of Rewards at Towers Watson.

For developed markets, the top three drivers of attraction are: “challenging work”, the potential for career advancement, and job security. For fast-growing markets, the top drivers are base pay, career advancement, and job security.

Both developed and fast-growing markets share the same top three drivers of retention: base pay, career advancement, and positive relationships with supervisors.

SINGAPORE

STJobs to partner with HR Summit for the first time Asia’s most anticipated HR event of 2013 is partnering with ST Jobs and is now the STJobs HR Summit 2013.

Held on 24 and 25 April next year, the STJobs HR Summit 2013 promises to be bigger and better than ever, with a stellar line-up of speakers making exclusive presentations on today’s most important HR issues, challenges and opportunities.

As Asia’s premier forum for HR and business leaders, there will be high-calibre 6

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presentations and case studies from worldclass organisations including Walmart, UNICEF, Philips, Starbucks, CapitaLand and many more.

A new addition to the summit next year will be an exclusive CEO panel discussion on Building a Global Workforce featuring some of the top business leaders in the region.

“While STJobs has the tools, expertise and unrivalled platform to bring qualified leads, a dynamic pool of candidates and high brand

visibility, the HR Summit – a definitive must-attend event for every HR professional and business leader in Asia - provides an ideal platform which will help raise our profile amongst our core audience,” says Steven Wong, Director of Marketing & Business Development, ST701.

“This pivotal partnership of STJobs, Singapore’s leading online jobs portal, and the HR Summit will certainly create a dynamic impact on its audience.”

NEWS

International US

UK

Talent management not top priority for all Only half of large corporations regard talent management as a top priority, according to a survey

by Right Management, the talent and career management arm within Manpower Group.

The survey found that 13% of organisations believed talent management was a secondary priority, with 38% not finding it a priority at all.

Respondents were asked to cite the core elements of their organisation’s talent management strategy, if applicable. The following ranking was the result: • Leadership development • Talent acquisition • Employee engagement • Individual and team development • Organisation effectiveness • Outplacement and workforce transition “Leadership development seems to be central to everyone’s idea of a talent management strategy,” said Owen Sullivan, Right Management CEO and President of Manpower Group Specialty Brands. “Clearly this is the key pressure point for most organisations. Most seem to agree about the goals… to retain high-value talent, to insure future leadership, and to plan and manage succession.”

He added that leaders and HR professionals needed to rethink work models, people practices, and sources for the right talent due to the unprecedented political, social, economic, and workplace changes now underway.

“Investing in building a talent strategy is the most strategic way to create competitive advantage,” he concluded.

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Entry-level salaries stagnate

Effective from

1 December,

companies listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange have had to disclose the gender breakdown of their officers and directors The number of people arriving in the UK for work reasons dropped to

177,000

last year, from 194,000 in 2011 Source: UK Office for National Statistics

The average pay for clerical and entrylevel executive roles in the UK stagnated in 2012, and actually went backwards in real terms after higher-than-expected inflation is taken into account.

According to a report by Towers Watson, these workers averaged pay rises of between zero and one per cent, which translated to a pay cut of 2.8% and 1.9% in terms of actual buying power.

Those stuck in the middle also suffered a fall in spending power. Middle managers received an average nominal pay rise of two per cent, which equated to a real wage reduction of nearly one per cent.

However, experienced professionals still benefited from growing salaries, enjoying an average pay rise of six per cent – far above the inflation figure.

Not all news for entry-level professionals was bleak, however. The report also showed that variable pay structures, such as bonuses and long-term

incentives, grew significantly for entry-level professionals, who received an increase of nearly 60% in these forms of compensation over the previous year.

Carole Hathaway, Rewards Practice Leader for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Towers Watson explained: “Variable pay provides a way for organisations to protect themselves against increasingly high fixed payroll costs. This is a popular option in uncertain economic climates as employees can be rewarded once the organisation has a firm picture of its own financial performance and stability.”

EUROPE

Workers turn a blind eye According to a study by the Institute for Business Ethics (IBE), although 28% of continental Europeans were aware of misconduct, only half actually reported it.

While stealing remained the most frequently-mentioned type of misconduct, the IBE also found there has been a significant increase in the number of employees witnissing discrimination at work.

“Attitudes of indifference (‘It’s none of my business’) and the belief that no corrective action would be taken (can) deter employees who are aware of misconduct from raising their concerns,” said Simon Webley, IBE research director, in a report by People Management.

“Businesses need to work harder at communicating the importance of speaking up, and supporting staff who do.”

The survey also found a significant rise in the number of organisations that

have basic ethics policies in place.

These include written standards on ethical business behaviour, anonymous mechanisms for reporting misconduct, in-house training on ethical standards, and an information helpline for staff concerned about ethical issues.

But while growing, the total number of these firms remains low.

Just 53% of employee respondents said their organisation had written standards on ethical business behaviour in place, and only 31% said their organisation had an anonymous “speak up” mechanism.

Peter Cheese, CIPD chief executive, commented: “HR professionals need to take a lead in ensuring trust and ethics are maintained, and create an environment in which wrongdoing can be reported. In the wake of recent business scandals, it is up to HR to engage with business leaders.”

LEADING FROM ASIA

LEADERS ON LEADERSHIP

Employee engagement

Getting buy-in

What are some of the obstacles you have faced in getting buy-in from your people on your ideas and how did you overcome them?

Vicky Skipp

Regional Director, Southeast Asia, Adobe Systems

As a technology company that deals with digital content creation and digital marketing, Adobe encourages a culture of creativity, collaboration, and community in the organisation. We value great ideas and innovation throughout the company.

The key factors leading to adoption of new ideas in the workforce will be open communication from the management team, setting clear goals and objectives, active engagement, skill development and recognition for performance. For instance, Adobe is making a gradual shift away from selling traditional software licenses to a new subscription-based business model. To ensure buy-in from every level, we constantly engage with our employees through various internal communication channels to help them understand the rationale behind the new business model. We set up helplines and collaboration spaces allowing employees to have their concerns addressed. At the same time, clear measurable goals are set and rolled out together with regular training so that everyone on the team is moving in the same direction. It is also very important to share successes by high-performing teams and individuals to encourage acceptance of new initiatives.

As one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” for the past 13 years, we see people as our greatest assets and want to ensure our employees are deeply involved in our ongoing journey to be ahead of the curve and connect new ideas with business realities.

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Rob Bratby

Managing Partner, Olswang Asia

I moved to Singapore in 2010 to set up Olswang Asia, Olswang’s first office outside Europe.

As an international law firm, we consider diversity as a business imperative and our office contains talented people from many different nationalities, with different working styles.

To be effective and successful it has been important to build strategic consensus and help everyone to value the respective contributions of their colleagues.

To overcome this issue and get the buy-in needed from employees, we have adopted a number of initiatives, but I am most pleased with our corporate social responsibility programme as it has enabled us to promote engagement across our entire workforce.

A concrete example was a morning where the whole office spent chopping vegetables at a local soup kitchen. As well as giving back to society it broke down hierarchical barriers.

Everyone is equal with a potato peeler in their hand and everyone was able to make friends and realise that ‘the boss’ is not so scary – especially when he or she needs tuition on how to chop vegetables.

We have also adopted, counter-culturally for law firms in Singapore, an open-plan working environment. Whilst this has not been without its challenges, it has made a material contribution to teamwork, collaboration and communication. As we evolve from a new firm to become part of the legal establishment in Singapore, it will be a big challenge to keep the open communication and culture of an entrepreneurial start-up.

Steve Melhuish

CEO & Founder, PropertyGuru

I must say I’m fortunate to have a team who understands the company DNA; who in fact forms part of that DNA. They understand what we are trying to achieve here at PropertyGuru, and that unity is a big reason why we’ve come this far in just six years. I can’t stress enough the importance of appointing the right people from the get-go.

That said, whether you’re a two-man tagteam or a 200-strong company, disagreements and disputes are inevitable.

Everyone wants to be heard and thinks they have a better idea but at the end of the day, you don’t get to win by default just because you are the big boss. We keep our focus squarely on what’s best for the company, which means no room for egos — including mine.

As a leader, it pays to keep your mind and ears open, because the winning idea I’ve learned, often turns out to be the sum of the best parts from a collective pool of shared ideas. That’s why we have an open-door policy and hold regular meetings to brainstorm on how we can improve things, or create new ways on how we can reach that common goal.

It’s all about communication, cultivating a good working environment and earning your team’s trust and respect by putting your money where your mouth is. Autocracy is not our style. It’s all about being on the right track and taking a leap of faith to depend on the people who have made PropertyGuru the place it is today.

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LEADERS TALK HR

AkzoNobel

Bringing colour

to people’s lives Famously known as the parent company of Dulux, AkzoNobel is all about injecting fun and colour into people’s lives. Jeremy Rowe, Managing Director, AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, Southeast Asia and Pacific, explains how he adds life to the organisation

By Vivien Shiao Shufen A Global Fortune 500 company, AkzoNobel is one of the world’s largest paint and coatings manufacturers and also a major producer of specialty chemicals.

With over 55,000 people spread across more than 80 countries, AkzoNobel has a history of mergers and acquisitions that has resulted in a unique collection of very different businesses. But Jeremy Rowe, Managing Director, AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, Southeast Asia and Pacific, says there is now a common thread. “We have taken all the businesses we have got and brought together a common culture,” he says.

The end result is coined “One AkzoNobel”. Rowe describes it as a set of values shared across the diverse businesses: qualities such as “the courage and curiosity to question”, as well as “diversity and inclusion” are all important parts of this common culture.

“We have a high participation rate of women in management, and a high rate of non-Western

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executives in the management team here in Asia,” says Rowe. “There are few expats in the company here. Out of the 1,500 staff, I can count the number of expats with one hand. Our regional team reflects the diversity of the countries we run.”

He highlights that the company’s mission is to brighten up people’s lives, beginning with its own employees. “Our company’s mission is more than selling paint – it’s bringing colour to the world,” declares Rowe.

Drawing talent “In the emerging market, the key is to get the right talent as there is keen competition,” says Rowe. “It remains our key concern, especially when we are trying to grow. Businesses don’t grow – people grow businesses. So unless you have enough of the right talent, businesses won’t grow.”

LEADERS TALK HR

Bio brief AkzoNobel acquired Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) Paints in January 2008. Just over a year later, Jeremy Rowe was brought into the company to lead the team as Managing Director for Decorative Paints in Southeast Asia and Pacific.

With his extensive experience in growth and strategy, Jeremy’s top priorities then were to extend the organisation’s leadership in the marketplace and advance the team’s strategic thinking and organisational development. He also worked on steering the team to focus on customer expectations and the need for self-expression.

Prior to joining AkzoNobel, Jeremy provided strategy consulting services, first with Accenture and later as an independent serviceprovider to an extensive list of clients including Unilever.

Born in Farnham, Surrey in the UK, Rowe graduated from the University of Southampton with First Class Honours in Cosmology, Astronomy and Quantum Physics. He later attained a Masters of Business Administrations with a distinction in Strategy, Finance and Marketing from the London Business School.

Married with two children, Jeremy and his family are now permanent residents of Singapore. His interests include the visual and performing arts, literature, and popular science, as well as fitness, golf and others sports. He plays the piano for relaxation amidst what is generally a hectic schedule.

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LEADERS TALK HR

AkzoNobel Me-myself-I

• I love: Colour • I dislike: Grey • My inspirations are: Art, science, and nature • My biggest strengths are: I trust people to do the right thing. I am also a strategic thinker.

• My weaknesses are: Sometimes I empathise too much with others. Aside from that, ice-cream, chocolates and cakes!

• In five years’ time: I believe that if you do good work, it will take you to interesting places.

But AkzoNobel’s mission to add vitality into its people has been helping to attract talent into the company, notes Rowe.

Through activities such as community painting programmes and heritage building painting projects, its mission is slowly being carried through to the public. Over time, the business then attracts people who like colour, and have an interest in decorating and painting, says Rowe.

He says AkzoNobel has a unique offer for potential recruits. “Not so much compensation and benefits packages, training and development, good pay packages and so on.

They are important and of course we provide those, but that is not the differentiating factor,” he notes. “It’s about who the company is and what it stands for, and whether that is in tune with your own personal values and goals in life.”

One key factor that he looks for in its candidates is passion. “Aside from whether their attitudes and whether they can do the job, I personally look for people with a certain passion and excitement. Are they going to pour their hearts into what they do? Because that’s what is going to help them do a better job – frankly, we want them to enjoy their work as well.

“Ultimately, it’s finding a fit between the individual and the company,” he explains. “We always keep in mind that there are hundreds of companies a candidate can join, so we have to ask ourselves what we are offering that others don’t.”

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Grooming leaders For AkzoNobel, it’s not enough to attract simply talent. It is equally important to develop its people to reach their fullest potential.

The company’s “Leadership Journey” is a passage of self-reflection that involves every single person in the Decorative Paints division. According to Rowe, it is typically a three to five-day activity where people have the time and space to question what they want in their lives, what they want in their careers and how they want to take themselves forward.

“It’s about self-leadership and self-management – it’s not a typical leadership course as it’s not so much about teaching you skills. It’s about getting in contact with yourself and managing yourself. It is based on the principle that if you can’t manage yourself, you can’t manage anybody else.”

The Leadership Journey usually starts with a form of community service, such as painting orphanages, and takes up to a day. The next few days involve self-reflection, group sharing, personal logging and decision making.

“It ends with people writing themselves a letter of what they want to do differently after three days. It can be work, it can be personal – it doesn’t matter,” says Rowe.

Although there is some time spent talking about the business and each participant’s future work plans, it is not a major part. More important is the team camaraderie that the Leadership Journey builds.

“One curious thing about workplaces is that most of us don’t know our colleagues that well. The journey allows people to share their life experiences as much as they want.

It’s amazing if you know just a few facts about your colleagues, you will see them in a different light and understand them much better. It is a small investment in time, but it pays greats dividends in people’s collaborative ability to work with each other.”

It has also resulted in better engagement and retention rates, notes Rowe.

“People need to be in tune with themselves, both mentally and physically. We have now proven statistically that people who have gone on the Leadership Journey have high engagement scores which I am sure leads to better retention,” says Rowe.

“Especially in the emerging market, retention is always a challenge as there are so many opportunities in the market place,” he adds.

Working together One aspect that Rowe firmly believes in is the value of a collaborative work culture.

“If we want to solve the biggest problems in the industry, people need to work together for that. It is about making sure people are not constrained by conventional silos at work and ensuring that our people are able to collaborate across functions (and) across businesses. As management, we need to create a supportive environment for that,” he says. However, he also notes that that being collaborative is more time-consuming.

LEADERS TALK HR

“The quickest way is to be directive, where you tell people what to do and they do it. The slowest way is to put a group of people together in a room and find a solution,” explains Rowe, “The thing about the second solution is that it is better. The second thing is that it would be easier to implement as people have already bought into it. It takes longer, but it results in a better quality solution.”

Because of this belief, Rowe says that staff in the region often fly to meet together and collaborate. Giving employees space to work together and come up with solutions is also Rowe’s personal leadership style.

“My view is that most people do their best work when they are given a broad scope to work with, and the freedom, tools and resources to come up with their own solutions,” he says. “I try to give people a lot of space to do their work, and mentor and coach them along the way. In principle, I try to direct as little as possible to get the best out of people.”

As a leader, Rowe also sees it as his duty to remind people of the big picture. “People work very hard on their day-today tasks and sometimes they lose sight of where they are heading. It is my job to remind them of where they are going and where they are. It is more of a mentorship style rather than (that of) a director.”

He also used the example of AkzoNobel’s history of mergers and acquisitions to show that a collaborative work culture is not just talk.

“We started off as independent countries, but there is a desire to build more collaboration across the region. We did not do that by centralising everything. We did that by sitting down and talking about what are some of the similar traits each country had, and coming up with something that was the same across the region,” says Rowe.

The road ahead Despite the work involved in building a collaborative work culture, Rowe believes that it is all worth it in the end.

“It takes a lot of time talking to people. By the end of the day, I have 500 e-mails and things I haven’t done. It’s making sure I use time wisely both guiding and talking to people, while finding some way to do the tasks that the business demands of you,” he explains.

“It is quite challenging to juggle people, time, and getting through the administration. However, I know that if I spend enough time talking to people in the day, I can be safe in the knowledge that my people are looking after the business.”

Most people do their

best work

when they are given a broad scope to work with, and the freedom, tools and resources to come up with their own solutions

Vision | Analysis AYP Associates is a leading provider of Executive Search and Human Resource Consultancy Services in the Asia Pacifc region that is committed to delivering the finest talent.

Coming from diverse industries, our team of professionals understands the needs of you your business. With our global network and database, we can connect you to the best-fit talent across the region.

AYP Associates Pte Ltd

Singapore

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www.aypassociates.com Tel: (65) 68 200 300 Hong Kong | Melbourne | Jakarta | Shanghai

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Leadership

TRAILB HR leaders to 16

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Leadership The brand new year heralds both new opportunities and fresh challenges for HR as it strives to become a strategic partner. In this special cover story, we pay tribute to a group of HR superstars whose resilience, courage and strong business acumen have enabled them to constantly add value to the business

By Sumathi V Selvaretnam and Vivien Shiao Shufen Imagine creating a HR function entirely from scratch. Or dealing with staff morale after firing most members of your leadership team for ethical and safety violations. These were some of the challenging circumstances faced by the exceptional HR leaders featured in the following pages.

Finalists of the Robert Walters Award for Best HR Leader at the HRM Awards 2013, each of these 11 individuals stand out for their strategic thinking, business sensitivity and implementation of significant HR initiatives. They are also leaders of organisational improvement and champions of change and innovation.

Based on the interviews conducted for this story, a commonality observed among all of the finalists is their strong conviction in tying HR objectives with the

organisation’s business goals. This calls for good data management and analytics. “You can earn a seat at the table if you focus on metrics that impact the business,” says Madan Nagaldinne, HR Director, Facebook Singapore.

Another point of congruence was their open and collaborative leadership styles. “I give my staff as much free rein as they desire and within their capability. And I make it clear to them that as long as they work ethically and professionally, they have my full backing,” says Gloria Chin, Director, HR Division, National Environment Agency.

Read on to find out their thoughts on what areas HR can improve on as well as their hopes and aspirations in the new year.

Finalists at a glance

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Name

Designation

Company

Sonia Cargan

Vice President HR – Asia

American Express

Timothy Sebastian

Group Director, HR

A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research)

Geraldine Fraser

HR Director – Asia Pacific

Diageo

Madan Nagaldinne

Head of HR – Asia Pacific

Facebook

Pauline Chua

General Manager – Human/Organisation Resource & Development

Fuji Xerox Singapore

D N Prasad

Director & Head, People Technology & Operations

Google Asia Pacific

Angela Ryan

Chief Global Talent Officer

GroupM Asia Pacific

Joseph Chu

Director of HR

Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium

Tan Ai Sim

Director of HR – ASEAN

Lenovo

Gloria Chin

HR Director

National Environment Agency (NEA)

Goh Chor Lim

HR Director

Sonoco Asia Management Company

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Joseph Chu Director of HR, Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium Number of years in HR: I started my career as an Industrial Relations Officer for three years before embarking on a career in HR. To date, I have accumulated 18 years of experience in HR in the hospitality industry with another three years of experience in industrial relations.

Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: Talent attraction and retention i.e. finding the “right� people to do the job. The tightening of employment of foreign workers has made it increasingly difficult to find people. The Hotel has been proactive in the implementation of various productivity initiatives and has yielded pockets of success through innovative ways of working such as automation and the emphasis on hiring of locals to be in line with the changing trends and manpower legislation. We dare not rest on our laurels despite such successes but continue to leverage on our productivity initiatives towards greater successes.

What HR can do better: HR can become a better business partner and assist business to prove that people initiatives have positive and sustainable impact on the company’s bottom line. This can be done by connecting HR measurement to business metrics.

Your proudest moment and biggest achievement: When the Hotel achieved a great employee engagement score of 81.7% for 2011 and was awarded a certificate of Excellence for fabulous employee survey results.

Your leadership style: I am an achiever and set stretch targets for my HR team and I to achieve. I will engage my team regularly through brainstorming and quality meetings to ensure that they are in tune with the targets that I have set out for them. I am a strong believer in a consultative style of management as it ensures that I get the buy-in from my team members for any people initiatives. I know that I can only be as effective as my team members. If I do not coach my team members and show interest and ownership for their personal development, my team members will not see the need to support me to achieve my targets as well.

What are you looking forward to in 2013: My goal is to attract new talents into our fantastic hospitality industry, which has since evolved over time into one with a myriad of specialised functional career opportunities. I would like to continue coaching aspiring individuals to realise their potential in the HR field to become the next generation of outstanding HR leaders.

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Leadership D N Prasad Director and Head, People Technology & Operations – APAC, Google Number of years in HR: 14 years Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: I believe in looking forward. Having said that, it is important to string together learning from past opportunities and experiences. I hope to continue to play a role and contribute to the People agenda at Google that makes it a great place to work.

This is an ongoing challenge that I will look forward.

What HR can do better?

I have heard a couple of really respected HR leaders say that the best HR team is one that no one knows about – a team that makes it all happen without fanfare. I cannot agree more. So, in addition to making things happen in a seamless and almost “uneventful” way, the next level of value HR can add is to be a true business partner (as clichéd as it might sound) and help business leaders design their organisations and run their businesses. Towards this, HR leaders and members of the team should really understand how the business works and enable data- driven people decisions. Leadership development and coaching therefore becomes really key. Building and sustaining a strong company culture irrespective of size and geographical spread will be another huge contribution that HR can make to an organisation.

Your proudest moment and biggest achievement: I cherish building teams and functions. Each and every experience in my career so far, where I have contributed to building a team or a new function, however small, whatever geography has made me proud.

Three of these opportunities that I fondly remember are: • The global Entry level and campus relations’ teams that I built and helped grow, in my previous organisation, an Indian IT consulting giant • The first team I built in Google, a Pan-India team, responsible for Employment Branding and Talent Outreach • The present team that I have built and oversee in APAC (Singapore) - one of the three global hubs for the People Technology and Operations team, a services and programme management team for People Operations for Google.

Undoubtedly, leading, coaching and mentoring my teammates, helping them achieve their potential and enabling their professional (and, personal) successes are what I consider my biggest achievements.

Your leadership style: Strategic and collaborative, with a fierce focus on execution excellence. As a leader of people, I strongly believe in a coaching and mentoring style of leadership that will help the individual realise their potential. In this role, I believe in offering perspectives, challenging them to think broader and making informed decisions.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Never a dull day at Google! Looking forward to my team and I continue to contribute to the people Agenda and make an impact with our work, in finding, growing and keeping brilliant Googlers!

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Gloria Chin HR Director, National Environment Agency (NEA) Number of years in HR: I have been in HR for almost 20 years.

Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: In 2009, I was appointed as HR Director of Jurong Health Services (JHS), a new healthcare cluster. As a HR Director for the group, I had to build the HR function in this cluster. I hired and developed a HR team and worked to put in place all the necessary policies and processes required for an effective and efficient HR system system. At the same time, there was also a tight labour market for healthcare workers. However despite such challenges, we managed to recruit 1,200 staff for this new cluster. In August 2010, JHS successfully took over the management of Alexandra Hospital. It was personally a very challenging time for my team as we worked hard and long hours. I still recall not getting to see my youngest child, who was then three-years-old, for 72 hours despite being in Singapore!

What HR can do better: In a 2012 HR Competency Study, HR experts Dave Ulrich and Wayne Brockbank identified six competencies that HR professionals must demonstrate to be personally effective and positively impact business performance. Of the six competencies, I feel that the hardest competency domain to attain is that of being an effective change champion i.e. the ability to initiate and sustain change at the individual, initiative, and institutional levels. This is also why we have hired psychologists into the NEA HR team to help build up this competency within HR and at NEA’s leadership level.

Your proudest moment and biggest achievement: I chose HR as a career because of the way we are able to impact lives in our areas of work. And a lot of these happy moments happen behind the scenes, unapparent to most people. For instance, in the earlier part of my career, I recommended that we give a second chance to a young officer who was not completely honest in her employment application.

She went on to become a committed and high-performing employee in company.

I also once counselled a middle-aged employee who lacked the courage to upgrade himself, having left school for many years. He went on to further his studies part-time and eventually took on a bigger role within the organisation. These have been truly rewarding moments for me.

Your leadership style: I give my staff as much free rein as they desire and within their capability. And I make it clear to them that as long as they work ethically and professionally, they have my full backing. I can always trust my staff to do their best because they know that I will stand by them. I believe good leaders are unafraid to be hands-on, and also have the courage to make important and difficult decisions when there is a need.

What are you looking forward to in 2013: The 3,700-strong staff in NEA works tirelessly every day to transform Singapore into a clean, green and livable city. My wish for 2013 is that members of the public will continue to appreciate the hard work done by our employees. As part of the NEA transformation effort, HR will be expected to play a critical role in shaping a culture of excellence amongst our people. As for my HR team, I hope that they enjoy their work and recognise the importance of their contributions in building that professional and motivated workforce for NEA. ISSUE 13.1 HRMASIA.COM 21

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Leadership Pauline Chua General Manager, Human/Organisation Resource & Development, Fuji Xerox Singapore Number of Years in HR: 20 years in HR Consulting & Corporate HR Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: The biggest HR challenge that I had to overcome was during my time at Wildlife Reserves Singapore. It was a tragic incident where a contract cleaner was mauled by white tigers after entering their exhibit at the Singapore Zoo. Together with my HR team, we were on hand to provide support to our employees including extending our Employee Assistance Scheme to a 24-hour helpline service. We assisted the family and helped out with investigations.

What HR can do better: HR can play a key role in contributing to the change agenda to meet evolving market needs. It helps to be able to demonstrate commercial acumen together with a deep knowledge of the culture and performance of the organisation. I also believe that HR can provide better HR metrics to track our contribution and performance.

Your biggest achievement: Making the successful switch from HR Consulting to Corporate HR 11 years ago. I spearheaded the recruitment and organisation development function at the Sentosa Leisure Group and recruited more than 300 new employees. It was exciting to contribute to Sentosa’s rebranding and transformation into one of Singapore’s foremost and exciting leisure destinations for tourists and locals.

Your leadership style: I think it’s important to really get to know the people you lead well first, what they enjoy about their work, their aspirations and even their family. It makes work so much more enjoyable when rapport is built and you are all working towards a common goal. I have more of a consultative leadership style and often involve my team in key decision making processes; empowering them to lead and drive projects. I leverage on the strengths of my team and get great fulfillment in seeing them grow and take on greater responsibilities.

What lies ahead in 2013: For 2013, I will be focusing on growing our flexible workforce and even greater engagement of our employees. I am looking forward to working in line with contributing to the growth of the business. In Fuji Xerox Singapore, we aim to be a holistic Employer of Choice and focus on building a sustainable organisation that not only does well but does good for its people and the community.

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Madan Nagaldinne Head of HR – APAC, Facebook Number of years in HR: 18 Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: Guiding leaders on how to lead in APAC – the uniqueness of the region, varied culture and language differences call for a different mindset that leaders need to adopt in order to succeed. A leadership style that works in the West may not necessarily be the right one in APAC, and even within the region one needs to make mindful changes when leading people in APAC. What works for Singapore many not work for Japan, or Korea or India.

While people have gotten quite good leading global teams over the last 20 years, the next decade is about leading locally and harnessing talent and innovation at the local level and making the HQ model eventually less relevant when it comes to products and people. And HR needs to lead this change.

What HR can do better: You can earn a seat at the table if you focus on metrics that impact the business. For this, HR should understand how work gets done in an organisation and how redesigning aspects of this can significantly impact key business metrics around revenue, profitability, innovation, cash flow etc. HR needs to start looking for new organisation models that bust bureaucracy, create strong competitive advantages, create a culture of innovation with small and lean teams and improve effectiveness of managers. HR needs to embrace how social technologies can impact work and organisation. By effectively utilising employee social networks and integrating them with customer, product, engineering networks within and outside organisations, HR can retool how work gets done in the firm and create a strong advantage for the company.

Your proudest moment and biggest achievement: I have had the opportunity to work for a few great companies in my career. Among them, Amazon and Facebook stand out for their strong culture and focus on people – it is central to their success. These firms take a unique approach to people – they lead with their culture and create a great work environment where people want to come to work every day. HR as a function is core to their success and it feels great to be a part of this incredible journey.

As I learn and grow in my career the biggest achievement is no more about this HR intervention, or a new global project etc. What is more important for me is to coach and mentor budding HR leaders both within my current organisation and within my network. I feel a sense of pride when I see some of my direct reports leading HR functions in companies like GE, Amazon, Towers Watson, Hewitt etc Your leadership style: Collaborative for most part and directive when needed HR in 2013: This could be the year where we transition from global to local, powered by digital and mobile technologies.

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Leadership Tan Ai Sim Director of HR, ASEAN, Lenovo Number of years in HR: 18 years Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: Lenovo in the early years of its formation after the IBM acquisition faced many challenges.

The business direction and integration of two seemingly different entities translated to a lot of pressures to the HR team at every level. This included basics such as payroll and HRIS accuracy, recruiting as well as attracting and retaining the right fit of candidates.

Some of the HR services were performed by outsourced vendors which further tested the team in terms of quality and management. During this period of change, managers and employees would keep HR at arm’s length. The team put a lot of hard work into fixing these fundamentals step by step. It has been a journey for me as I worked together with the team in achieving a more ‘humane’ side to HR, one where people can feel free to walk up and have a chat with us. Today, we are a trusted partner of the business.

What HR can do better: Riding on one of Lenovo›s core values, which is being a pioneer. I think all of HR needs to have this pioneering spirit. Pioneering is not just limited to those who are involved in design or creation. In HR, we can embrace pioneering by asking the right questions, observing the world more and adopting the “outside-in approach”. New Age HR is no longer just about dealing with internal customers. We can do our part by networking for diverse ideas, connecting them and embracing better ways of doing the same thing. When we are able to demonstrate this to our internal stakeholders, we reinforce our value and raise the stakes in a business discussion. We no longer just take instructions and execute on decisions that are made. We are able to participate actively in the discussion to help our leaders better organise and utilise our assets in terms of people and their talents.

We need to be trusted advisors to the business and not merely administrators.

Your proudest moment: My proudest moment was building a cohesive and forward looking HR team valued by the business. Some members of the team came from non-HR backgrounds but today they are subject matter expects in their own area of specialisation.

Being able to make that difference in their career and seeing them develop into professional HR practitioners is the greatest achievement in my HR career.

Your leadership style: Participative, affiliative (people first, build relationship) and coaching.

I adopt a combination depending on the aptitude of the employee and the situation or issue at hand.

I also constantly engage in introspection and give the benefit of doubt.

I have benefited richly from the experiences of my previous managers and mentors. I saw in them the deep business acumen and understanding they possessed which added value to the business. This has influenced me in the way I think and lead. I focus on empowering my team to work closely with the managers. I hope that through this experience, they will also see the value of their ‘real work’ and sharpen themselves in their skills whether it be in recruitment, HR operations or training and development etc.

Your HR wishlist: There is a scarcity of good HR talent within South East Asia. I hope to see more senior HR practitioners taking in fresh graduates or those who are keen to pursue a career in HR to help groom and build the talent pool. We need to take the lead to show the new workforce that HR is not about paper shoving but it is a role that can make a real difference in someone’s career and life. Some people think that the point of entry to a HR profession is very low. However, the kind of talent that can go far in the HR profession is one who has both the heart and the mind of customers. It is a person who genuinely wants to do good for people and the organisation, and has the mindset to constantly value-add to the changing demands of the environment and business.

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Goh Chor Lim HR Director, Sonoco Asia Management Number of years in HR: 23 years Biggest HR Challenge that you had to overcome: There have been many lessons in my career but a recent challenge that comes to mind is where the company had to let go of most of the leadership team in a China plant due to ethics and safety violations. This had a major impact on business performance and left a big leadership void. We had considered different approaches including managing timing of departure but decided to take swift action. It sent a clear and unequivocal message to all employees about compliance to our Code of Conduct. We also did employee communications and tightened internal controls. It took many months before business results start to trend in the right direction.

What HR can do better: The HR scene has changed a lot from the days when I first started. The HR function has evolved and more practitioners are partnering with their line leaders to drive initiatives that support business goals, beyond tactical and operational excellence matters. However, I believe we need to better understand the business. This includes understanding the drivers and enablers of good profit and loss results.

Your proudest moment: I get a lot of satisfaction guiding and coaching co-workers through work and career matters. It is fulfilling to see the person develop professionally and move on to take bigger responsibilities. I am still very much in touch with many of my excolleagues and we have become good friends.

Your leadership style: My leadership varies depending on the audience and the urgency of matter at hand. As my work requires me to work through people, I typically adopt a participatory style where I engage stakeholders early and solicit their inputs in the decision making process before I make a final decision. When I delegate projects to competent teams, I take a more Laissez-Faire approach where they have the freedom to do their work. I also ensure that they have the resources to do their work and help them to overcome barriers. I conduct regular project reviews and manage based on milestones and scorecards.

Your HR wishlist: This may sound like a clichĂŠ but People Build Businesses.

Having good leaders in every business and every function is critical. And we do not have enough. My wishlist is to be able to clone good leaders.

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Leadership Angela Ryan Global Chief Talent Officer, GroupM Number of years in HR: Seventeen in total, the last six have been with GroupM in Asia Pacific.

Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: Creating an HR function literally from scratch, twice now for two different large media organisations. Greenfield sites are wonderful opportunities but I have learnt over the years that you need to be very comfortable with ambiguity and take your job but not yourself seriously. When managers have no context or expectations for HR other than payroll and contracts then everything becomes a change management exercise. The pleasure of looking back though and seeing how effectively the function has transformed outweighs the heavy lifting and sense of humour sorely needed in the first few years.

What HR can do better: Truly own the professional talent management space, too often I read about non-talent/ HR people moving across a business to lead the function. I think as a profession we have to continue to work towards the trusted advisor & partnering model which is hard in many organizations where HR has to do everything and doesn’t always get a chance to shine. A core skill for HR has to be internal communications, not only for the day to day work but to also showcase our contributions and the value we, with our professional expertise bring.

Your proudest moment and biggest achievement: I have two, close to my heart is our annual CSR initiative in APAC called the “Power of One day”, each year 7,000 people across APAC stop work for one day and give back to their community. We have raised over USD$500,000 for some deserving charities but we also physically contribute so our people have built children’s libraries, cleaned beaches and installed water play pumps in Africa amongst other wonderful efforts. In Singapore, through our MediaMasters programme, a graduate programme also open to non-graduates we have hired some fabulous young talent who were unable to complete a tertiary education but have so much to offer.

Your leadership style: My team is here to deliver talent for our media agencies so I simply hire brilliant practitioners, agree their outcomes and then give them the tools, space, trust and encouragement to do their best work. We have an eclectic and creative team who really deliver work we can be proud of.

What are you looking forward to in 2013: 2013 will be an interesting year given the macro-economic global environment and will require HR to step up and innovatively future-proof in uncertain times. My team have come up with some terrific initiatives planned for next year including new leadership development programmes and some interesting work in the digital space to enable us to better connect with talent in other industries. I am looking forward to seeing these brought to life.

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Timothy Sebastian Group Director, HR, Agency for Science, Technology and Research Number of years in HR: I have 25 years of work experience both locally and internationally. Thirteen of those years have been in leadership positions in HR-related functions. I have been extremely fortunate to work in two top public sector organisations, namely the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: A*STAR has a complex, varied and globally competitive knowledge-driven talent environment. We have over 5,000 employees. They include research scientists and engineers, technologists, research technicians, industry development and commercialisation executives as well corporate staff. There are a large number of international talent from over 50 different nationalities working at A*STAR. The management and development of this diverse range of talent is certainly a challenge, as well as a tremendous privilege.

What HR can do better: HR Departments and HR managers should focus more on the strategic nature of HR and put in place the right culture, systems and processes to reinforce the right behaviors, build up talent pipelines, drive performance, enhanced skills sets and capabilities, develop potential, and plan for succession. HR should recognise the need to go beyond just being people-oriented, and leverage on tools such as data management and HR analytics to better understand trends and emerging issues.

This will enable HR Departments to be strategic partners within their organisations and be more pre-emptive rather than reactive to HR issues.

Your biggest achievement: For me, a key role of HR is to build and sustain a talent community for the organisation. I have been fortunate to be in organisations like A*STAR which focuses on talent development. I have been involved in putting in place a comprehensive career development structure at A*STAR that will help to identify, nurture and develop the potential of staff from the early career stage to the point where they can succeed into senior leadership positions. Developing such a system in A*STAR is a truly rewarding experience. I was also involved in the development of a similar career development system at EDB over 12 years ago, and I’m extremely proud to note that a number of the young EDB talent that we’ve nurtured through that system are now holding senior positions within the organisation.

Your leadership style: I focus very much on being performance and outcome driven. Every initiative that we embark on must start with an end in mind, and this end must link up with the broader objectives of A*STAR. In terms of my interaction with my staff, I try to develop each and every one of them as a total HR professional. This means that he or she should not only develop core vertical HR skills, but they should also have a breath of capabilities in terms of HR knowledge and exposure.

What are you looking forward to in 2013: I would like to see the various initiatives that we’ve put in place in A*STAR, such as the career development and succession planning models, core competency training, leadership development framework, HR analytics and the talent recruitment pipelines to name but a few, continue to take shape and grow in 2013.

A*STAR will always be a work in progress. We are on a fascinating HR journey and I’m delighted to be asked along for the ride.

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Leadership Sonia Cargan Vice President HR - Asia, American Express International Number of years in HR: Hard to believe but my HR career has spanned 20 years Biggest HR challenge that you had to overcome: I think my biggest HR challenge is one we always need to be conscious of; it’s all about where business growth and talent come together. Specifically, my role as a HR leader is about having a future-focused view of the business and a point of view with respect to how that shapes the talent agenda.

What HR can do better: We have a unique place in any organisation with insights and influence that, when targeted and honed play a pivotal role in business success. I would encourage all HR professionals to leverage this differentiator and play the role of business enabler.

We must constantly be asking ourselves, our team our business, how do we use our human capital knowledge to enable the business to address key business objectives? A mentor and coach recently said to me that my role is about ‘changing the course of the river’ and to be courageous in my pursuit of this. I think that’s good advice for many of us.

Your proudest moment and biggest achievement: Having the opportunity to lead the HR team for American Express across South East Asia, Japan and Greater China. The past three years have seen some of my most challenging and professionally fulfilling moments in my career. The chance to work with a very dynamic team in a vibrant part of the world is truly engaging.

You learn a lot about the art of your profession when you’re asked to challenge yourself, and deliver results in unfamiliar territory.

Working across cultures , seeking to understand a broad spectrum of diverse views, to deliver win -win solutions, may not always be easy, but I have found it extremely rewarding both personally and professionally.

Your leadership style: I like to consider my leadership role as that of a facilitator. Enabling those I work with to meet their aspirations to be the best they can be, and enhancing the leadership effectiveness of those I partner with. You have to leverage many tools in your leadership toolbox to deliver against this. Being prepared to listen, seeking to understand a multitude of perspectives and giving people the space they need to grow. I am by no means a perfect leader, and as Marshall Goldsmith so very eloquently says ‘leadership is a contact sport’, you need to continuously hone your skills, practice and commit to improve.

What are you looking forward to in 2013: I’m feeling very optimistic about 2013. I look forward to the continued evolution of the HR function here in Asia, and driving outstanding employee experiences. We’ve got some great work underway in the space of Talent, Leadership, Learning and Wellbeing. One example of this is an initiative called ‘Asia Connect’, which is bringing employees together across multiple countries to enhance cross market collaboration and invest in building the knowledge and capabilities, to help further realise the extraordinary potential of our people. Having the chance to influence and shape the agenda which enables our business and employees to achieve their potential, is always something to look forward to.

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Geraldine Fraser HR Director – Asia-Pacific, Diageo Years in HR: 22 years Biggest HR challenge had to overcome: Diageo decided to move to a shared service model about 10 years ago, and this meant establishing a site in Budapest, transferring and hiring employees, developing training and induction interventions, as well as outsourcing components of Intermediate System support. This was a big exercise and shift in our ways of working. I led everything from the industrial relations issues to risk management, the value proposition to outfitting the office. This was a huge challenge as we were working in a new location with no existing network, and needing to hire hundreds of people quickly, train and reward them.

Alongside that we wanted to create unique working environment that would make a mark in Budapest, and be sustainable for us in the longer term. We continue to have a shared service centre in Budapest, servicing our global business, and have gone on to win several awards for our employment proposition there.

What HR can do better: Better diagnose people and organisation issues and challenges, leading to more effective solutions. Often HR folk react to what managers want, rather than think about what they really need.

HR managers are susceptible to wanting to deliver quickly, and this can compromise the quality of their work and their thinking.

Proudest moment: It was when Diageo created our new region of Asia Pacific in 2006, of which I had worked on the structure and implementation. My biggest achievement is now working within the region with one of the best HR teams I have had the privilege of working with. I say this because we work well together, share ideas, and want each other to be successful. We also experience a lot of change which requires a lot of emotional energy so being there for one another is very important.

Your leadership style: I like my team to manage their work, feel ownership and pride in it and so I tend to act as an escalation point rather than direct what work they should be doing. I provide context and create the environment for their success, and my responsibility is to do this in such a way that they are liberated in their role.

In 2013 I’m looking forward to: Preparing for new HR technology in Diageo (Workday) that will change the way HR interacts with the business. It will be fantastic, and a great opportunity for us in HR to up-weight our capability. We will have better, faster access to people and organisational data. This will give us a stronger feel for the shape, size, cost and shifts in the organisation, and so will our managers. I’m sure this will impact our performance positively and boost the credibility of our HR function.

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HR INSIDER

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HR INSIDER

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Group

Selling

the dream Luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) has set its sights on the Asia-Pacific region, opening a new talent development centre in Singapore.

HRM caught up with Chantal Gaemperle, Group Executive Vice President, HR and Synergies, LVMH Group to find out more

By Sumathi V Selvaretnam

It is boom time for the luxury goods market in Asia, where well-heeled shoppers do not mind spending US$2,000 on a handbag. Some 27% of the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) Group’s revenue of nearly ¤24 billion (US$31.6 billion) in 2011 came from the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan.

About a quarter, or 23,000, of the LVMH Group’s 100,000 employees are based in Asia-Pacific. In 2011 alone, the Group hired some 7,300 employees here, making it one of the highest growth regions in its portfolio, says Chantal Gaemperle, Executive Vice President, HR and Synergies, LVMH Group.

Riding on this potential, the LVMH Group recently set up its AsiaPacific Talent Development Centre in Singapore – its first such facility outside of Europe. Located at Ngee Ann City along the busy Orchard Road shopping belt, the centre aims to grow Asian talent and boost research in luxury brand management.

Singapore was chosen because of its ability to open doors to Southeast Asia, its good infrastructure and quality educational institutions, says Gaemperle. “The plan is for this research to enhance not only our understanding and the content of our development programmes, but to increase our employer brand desirability and thus attract new talent and contribute to the wider growth of the luxury sector in Asia.

“It is extremely important in a decentralised Group like ours to provide a platform for connection for our executives,” adds Gaemperle. “If you work

At a glance Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Group • Number of employees in Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan): 23,000 • HR priorities: Succession planning, training and development, boosting the number of females at board level

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HR INSIDER

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Group

“It is extremely important in a decentralised Group like ours to provide a platform for connection for our executives” – CHANTAL GAEMPERLE, GROUP EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, HR AND SYNERGIES, LVMH GROUP, ON THE NEW ASIA-PACIFIC TALENT DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

for a small brand here, you would be very happy to connect with your colleagues in another sector. It is very motivating, fosters a group culture, and helps circulate best practices and raise our profile locally.”

The customers for luxury goods in Asia are also becoming more sophisticated, and the company is eager to help staff raise service standards to meet those rising expectations, says Gaemperle. “When you buy a piece of luxury you, you buy a piece of history and a piece of the dream.”

Part of the talent challenge in Asia is helping staff understand the history of the brand so that they can transmit that dream to customers. Mastering attention to details, is one area that can be improved on, says Gaemperle.

Reaching out to talent In a highly competitive market, the LVMH Group believes in capitalising on the staff already working within its different brands. “We believe it is very powerful when talents are able to identify themselves with real people who have made the jump to work with us. We partner with them and

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speak to students at various events, offering specific journeys into our brands. “ LVMH also brings in professors and subject experts for its recruitment talks to explain how branding works, share brand stories, and emphasise the importance of effective communication strategies. “It provides them with a mini-working session that is concrete and facilitates dialogue with managers within the company. It gives them a real feel of what it is like to work within a luxury group,” Gaemperle says.

Building talent ecosystems Developing a strong talent pipeline is a top priority at LVMH. Supporting this ambition is FuturA, an international programme that aims to recruit and develop high potential executives. After a rigorous selection process, successful candidates are groomed over a five-year time frame to take on key positions within the Group. Specific reviews are conducted to track their success and help them grow, and this is critical in ensuring a full talent pipeline, says Gaemperle.

HR INSIDER

Only $699 for two days Early bird expires 15 January

CONGRESS SERIES

Efforts like this have already begun to reap rewards. Today, two-thirds of key positions in the organisation are filled by internal placements, says Gaemperle. However, achieving this was not an easy feat, as it called for a change of mindset across the whole company. The Group’s different brands had to come forward and share their succession plans, says Gaemperle. They had to learn how to anticipate future talent gaps and propose potential talent movements. “Isn’t it better to lose a talent to another brand within the Group, rather than to a competitor?”

HR heads and presidents from each of the brands meet up every three months to discuss talent mobility issues and identify which employees are in need of a change, or who the company is at risk of losing. The Group is supportive of cross movements across the different brands. “For example, the president of (travel retailer) DFS today was ‘number two’ at Louis Vuitton,” Gaemperle explains.

When Gaemperle first joined the company four years ago, one out of two jobs did not have a successor identified. Today, 80% of positions have a successor, she says. As the different brands are beginning to see the effectiveness of this talent management strategy, they are also more willing to come forward and share their experiences, she adds.

2nd Annual

INNOVATION IN HR CONGRESS: Leading Change for the Future Workplace

Mandarin Orchard Hotel, Singapore | 23 & 24 January 2013 The 2nd Annual Innovation in HR Congress is packed with forward-thinking people strategies, practical case studies and new insights to help drive organisational growth and performance. Over two action-packed days, ideas-driven organisations will share how you can better integrate innovation and creativity into your operations and company culture.

Hear from leading experts including:

Women at work The LVMH Group works in an industry where product buys are heavily influenced by women, and it has launched a number of initiatives to support its female employees. “It is a business imperative to make sure that our Group is taking care of promoting women where they need to go.”

While three quarters of LVMH employees are women, only 36% of executive board members are female. Gaemperle aims to increase that ratio to at least 40% by 2015.

Supporting this goal is EllesVMH, an internal networking group that was started in Paris and is now running worldwide. It gathers women around senior leaders who share their stories and experiences. For example, the president of Pucci recently hosted one of the networking sessions.

The Group’s different brands also pursue many initiatives of their own, in line with the culture of their brand. Champagne producer Moët et Chandon has an internal taskforce that addresses parity.

There are day nurseries at Sephora and another champagne house, Veuve Clicquot organises the annual Business Woman Award. Initiatives like these offer young women role models that they can aspire towards, Gaemperle says.

While three quarters of LVMH employees are women, only

36%

Anouk De Blieck General Manager Human Resources, International & Institutional Banking ANZ

Johan van Vuuren Director, People & Culture (AP) DIMENSION DATA

Peter Allen Vice President of Human Resources and Organization Development AGODA

David Lim Senior Director, Staffing, Asia Pacific QUINTILES

Rachael Fitzpatrick Director, HR APJ AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES

Linda Lim Head of People & Culture AIRASIA EXPEDIA

Gen Mckenzie Vice President, Human Capital SILVERNEEDLE HOSPITALITY

Pete Baker HR Director, Asia Pacific MAERSK LINE

Angela Koch Founder and Chief Ideas Facilitator INVITRO INNOVATION

of executive board members are female.

PLUS Interactive Group Workshop: Hands on Innovation Experience Innovation Challenge Definition Ideation Sharing how we can all become Innovators

PLUS Case Studies:

Innovative human capital strategies at Agoda Communicating the importance of change in Dimension Data Building and promoting innovation at AirAsia Expedia

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+65 6423 4631 www.hrmcongress.com

FEATURE

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FEATURE

Leadership

Reaching the

C-Suite Getting a seat at the executive table is not an unreachable goal for HR, say experts. However, organisations need to change their mindset and HR needs to be more business-savvy to be seen as a strategic partner

By Priya de Langen “The discipline I believe so strongly in is HR, and it’s the last discipline that gets funded. Marketing, manufacturing – all these things are important. But more often than not, the head of HR does not have a seat at the table. Big mistake.” These words were once uttered by Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks.

As Schultz mentioned, not many organisations have given their heads of HR a seat at the executive table. The report, Navigating the C-Suite: Leadership Imperatives for HR, that discussed strategies HR could use to earn a seat in the C-Suite, revealed that most high-performing organisations have the head of HR reporting directly to the CEO. Experts say that it would be productive for HR to be involved in executive decisions but many organisations have yet to change their mindset when it comes to HR in the C-Suite. Besides mindset, they advise that HR has to break out of its “silo mentality” to be involved in the business aspects of the organisation and be treated as a strategic partner.

Minding matters In Harvard Business Review’s, The New Path to the C-Suite, the authors discussed that HR has largely ISSUE 13.1

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FEATURE

Leadership

“All CEOs in the future will learn it the hard or soft way that you have to bring in professionals as discussion partners to manage the human resources” – ECKART E. JENSEN, VICE PRESIDENT, HR SOUTH EAST ASIA, DAIMLER

been seen as an administrative role. The discipline still has to gain clout in the C-Suite. Moreover, even in forward thinking companies, the HR leader has largely been relegated to managing policies and cultural initiatives.

Experts warn the perception of HR plays a major role. Gary Lai, Managing Director of Southeast Asia, Charterhouse Partnership, says: “HR always plays a supporting function because profit-and-loss falls under different business units. In certain organisations, HR has the supporting role and in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), HR and administration are tied in one.”

However, he does add that larger multinationals are starting to recognise HR. “They pay decent money when it comes to HR to help increase their skills. However, SMEs need to (also) recognise HR plays a strategic role and have to help expand and increase skills for their HR.” Employers also say that organisations ,and CEOs in particular, need to understand the importance of HR in the C-Suite. Eckart E. Jensen, Vice President of HR in Southeast Asia, Daimler, says his organisation is a technology-driven company, but it is the people who make the difference.

“Our cars are developed, produced and sold by people. All CEOs in the future will learn it the hard or soft way that you have to bring in professionals as discussion partners to manage the HR,” Eckart says.

Lai adds that another major obstacle for HR reaching the C-Suite is that the function is not seen as revenue-generating. “HR Directors have profitand-loss responsibilities but they are different from business perspectives.”

Earning the way to the top The New Path to the C-Suite also noted that organisations are increasingly filling their Chief HR Officer positions with leaders from functions on the business side, such as law or operations. As such, the authors concluded that CHROs need to have an understanding of the commercial or business functions of their organisations before earning that promotion.

Employers say trying to change mindset begins with HR making the effort to learn more about the business so that it can be seen as a strategic partner in discussions. Lai explains that key people understand the business. “People within HR need to understand that they can’t be working in a silo, they need to know what the business is doing.”

For instance, Lai says that Microsoft demands that staff from all business units also support its core software operation. Those that are not able to straddle that line are unlikely to be promoted to the most senior roles, including HR professionals.

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Eckart says that it is a must to understand the business. “If you don’t understand the challenges the business has, what the customers want, and the impact of the business, you will never be an equal discussion partner and you will just be a listener.”

In Daimler, the HR team is given a big role to play when it comes to the business. Eckart says: “We have certain CEOs in the organisation who headed the HR function in the past. Even our board member was the head of Executive Development Management for several years.”

Eckart says that management and HR can do something to improve HR skills in order to be treated as an equal partner at the executive table.

Daimler has some initiatives to ensure that its HR builds its business acumen. In Daimler Australia, the organisation hosts “lunch bites”. “The respective supervisors of line functions give input to all employees during lunch breaks. They talk about the market development, and how to look into a balance sheet, so employees can get familiar with the business stuff,” explains Eckart.

The Singapore team conducts “lunch bites” for its financial services division. He adds that Daimler does not have barriers between functions, so employees can always approach a colleague from a different division and ask them about their function.

He adds that HR can also get training at the Daimler corporate academy, take part in job shadowing, and get information from town hall meetings.

Lai says that management can also give opportunities to HR to move or work with different areas of the business. “Management can move high potentials to different business units to increase their skills, such as through a management trainee programme. Also, the HR Director can bring a potential manager to discussions and meetings.

Ultimately, HR needs to understand the business that is run and you cannot put this in a classroom,” explains Lai.

Management and HR

CAN DO SOMETHING to improve HR skills in order to be treated as an equal partner at the executive table

Requirements for the Chief HR Officer • Possesses business or commercial acumen • Acts as an internal advisor or consultant to the CEO and the board • Possesses change management skills • Able to “market” the CHRO position to the CEO and the board

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STJOBS HR SUMMIT 2013

HR Summit

Asia’s biggest and most popular HR event of the year

Packed with invaluable take-home strategies and best practice case studies ideal for everyone from C-level executives to senior HR and business leaders, STJobs HR Summit 2013 is set to engage the region’s HR community yet again this year

By Shalini Shukla-Pandey

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The biggest and most affordable HR event in the region is back, and promises to be even bigger and better than last year! STJobs HR Summit 2013 returns on April 24 and 25 this year with a stellar line-up of speakers and exclusive presentations focusing on today’s most important HR issues, challenges and opportunities.

As Asia’s premier forum for HR and business leaders, expect high-calibre presentations and case studies from world-class organisations including: Walmart, UNICEF, Philips, Starbucks, CapitaLand, GE, and many more.

STJOBS HR SUMMIT 2013

is back!

Emcee extraordinaires Blue stream: Strategy & Leadership D N Prasad Director & Head, People Technology & Operations, Google Asia-Pacific

Each of the five tailor-made conference streams and price bands will be hosted by a renowned HR professional (see box). And while the different sessions presented during the STJobs HR Summit 2013 are a learning experience for all delegates, local HR professionals will also be sharing their views and personal anecdotes as session hosts, paving the way for further discussion beyond the speaker sessions.

Also, you can look forward to giveaways and games at various booths and free daily conference sessions during the Summit’s free Expo. Look out for more information on the free Expo in the coming weeks.

Grey stream: Performance & Productivity The special

PRICE PLEDGE

means you benefit from the best speakers addressing the hottest topics – at the lowest prices

William Chin Director Staffing – Asia-Pacific, Qualcomm

Green stream: Learning & Development Michael Blanding Manager – Employee Engagement, Intercontinental Hotel Group

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STJOBS HR SUMMIT 2013

HR Summit Plenary sessions Plenary sessions are the highlight of the event. They feature outstanding HR leaders and thinkers from across the world. This year’s plenary sessions feature one of India’s most influential business leaders, Vinita Bali, Managing Director and CEO of Britannia Industries.

She is credited with turning around the ailing food company. In just seven years, she more than doubled the company’s market capitalisation to $1.1 billion. In 2008, Bill Gates cited Britannia Industries as one of the eight examples of “creative capitalism”. Forbes named Bali as one of Asia’s 50 Power Businesswomen in 2011.

In this Asia exclusive presentation, Bali will share her views and strategies on how investing in people can generate long-term returns for competitive advantage.

The plenary sessions also feature an iconic leader in Singapore’s business world, Claire Chiang, Chairperson of the Employer Alliance and Senior Vice President of Banyan Tree Holdings.

She serves on numerous public and private boards and has won national and international awards for her advocacy on social and community issues. Under her leadership, Employer Alliance has developed comprehensive resources and capabilities for companies to implement flexibility strategies. As Banyan Tree’s Senior Vice President, she plays an important role in the company’s business and human capital development.

Delegates attending this exclusive presentation have the opportunity to better understand why a confluence of leadership, organisational culture, HR practice, and business productivity is necessary for flexibility to become a competitive advantage in businesses and organisations.

From the western hemisphere, STJobs HR Summit 2013 also features Anja Foerster, an international speaker representing a new generation of European-based management thinkers.

The German-born bestselling author and management consultant works with leading business enterprises and is among the most influential voices on the European speaking circuit today. Her book Anything But Ordinary also won the Business Book of the Year Award at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

In this presentation, Foerster will leave the audience with exciting, and deeply relevant ways to think about both their leadership strategies and their own long-term careers.

CEO and panel sessions A new addition to the event this year will be an exclusive CEO panel discussion with the theme of “Building a Global Workforce”, and featuring some of the top business leaders in the region.

This panel discussion will highlight how CEOs are adapting their workforce strategies to fit the new talent landscape, and the ways multicultural integration can be the key to successful business outcomes.

The CEO panel discussion comprises Helene Auriol, Managing Director of Microsoft Singapore; Eric Teng, CEO – Property and Hospitality, The Straits Trading Company; and Kensaku Konishi, President and CEO, Canon Singapore.

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STJOBS HR SUMMIT 2013

Another panel discussion delegates can look forward to is titled “Productivity Improvement - Doing More with Less” and is in the Performance and Productivity stream.

Improving productivity without having to rely on external resources is something almost every organisation aspires to achieve. By engaging existing manpower and using systems more strategically, organisations can uphold an efficient and productive workplace. This panel discussion outlines the merits of an engaged workforce and will give audiences an insight into how to do more with less.

The panel comprises Tommy Ng, General Manager – Group HR, GuocoLand; Goh Ban Ping, Head of Regional HR, Sennheiser Electronics Asia; Gaurav Hirey, Regional HR Director, GroupM Asia-Pacific; and Ang Gey Wee, Head of HR, Maersk Singapore.

Bringing the region together STJobs HR Summit 2013 not only brings speakers from within Singapore together, but also those from around Asia. Delegates can hear about companies based in Indonesia, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and other countries – all at one place.

For instance, Daisy Dai, Vice President of HR at Walmart eCommerce China will share the retail giant’s unique people challenges, strategies and practices in China in the Strategy and Leadership stream. Aadil Bandukwala, Talent Acquisition Advisor – Social Media and Community Professional, Dell India on the other hand, will talk about boosting one’s social hiring and employer branding appeal in the South Asian markets.

HR gurus like Ron Kaufman and Professor David Clutterbuck will also make a comeback in the Learning and Development stream.

All in all, STJobs HR Summit 2013 promises to be full of the latest trends, take-home strategies and best practice case studies. You’ll never leave empty-handed!

Why attend?

• Asia-exclusive presentations and case studies • Price pledge - the best value and ROI of any HR event • Hear from renowned international speakers and HR leaders • Best practices from some of the world’s leading organisations • The best HR networking opportunity of the year in Asia

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24 - 25 April 2013

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

Join us at Asia’s biggest and most popular HR event of the year Aligning HR Strategies with Business Goals Daisy Dai VP HR, Walmart eCommerce China

HR and Senior Management: A Strategic Partnership Ven Raman Managing Director, Carl Zeiss and Carl Zeiss Vision, Southeast Asia

Case Study Harjit Gill CEO, ASEAN & Pacific and Chairman, Philips Electronics Singapore

GE Leadership Philosophy Michael S G Boey Executive & Talent Development Leader (Asia Pacific), GE Healthcare

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Lynn Leahy International Speaker & Business Coach

Lead With 2020 Vision- Building the Workplace of the Future Today Cheryl Cran Entrepreneur, International Speaker & Author

Successful Implementation of Your HR and OD Strategies John Murphy VP HR & OD, PANDORA Productions

In Pursuit of Great Performance: Astra on Grooming Leaders F.X. Sri Martono Vice President & Chief Corporate Human Capital Development , PT Astra International Tbk

CapitaLand’s DNA - Building a Strong Company Culture Tan Seng Chai Deputy Chief Corporate Officer, CapitaLand Group

Hiring and Inspiring the Right Talent for Success - The Coca Cola Way Gaurav Sharma OD / Learning & Talent Acquisition Lead, Coca Cola Singapore Beverages

All Change: Building an Effective Talent Pipeline in Asia Cecile Diversy VP HR Asia Pacific, Danone Asia

Bridging the Disconnect Between Asian and Western Managers Stephen Krempl International Speaker, Author & Coach

CEO Session: Building a Global Workforce - The Benefits of Multi-Cultural Integration Eric Teng CEO, Property & Hospitality, The Straits Trading Company Ltd

Jan Smits CEO Asia, Middle East & Africa, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)

Kensaku Konishi President and CEO, Canon Singapore Pte Ltd

Khoo Seng-Thiam Managing Director, FedEx Singapore

Helene Auriol Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore

Productivity Panel - Doing More with Less Tommy Ng General Manager, Group HR GuocoLand

Goh Ban Ping Head of Regional HR Sennheiser Electronics Asia

Gaurav Hirey Regional HR Director GroupM Asia Pacific

Ang Gey Wee Head of HR Maersk Singapore

hrsummit@keymedia.com.sg | (65) 6423 4631 Naming Rights Partner:

Premium Gold Sponsors:

Official Venue:

ve Sa * % 60

Vinita Bali

CEO of Britannia Industries and one of India’s most influencial business leaders. Named as one of Forbes’ ‘50 Power Businesswomen’

Anja Foerster

A provocative and inspiring voice on management and innovation. Represents a new generation of Europe’s management thinkers

Claire Chiang

An iconic leader in Singapore’s business world.

Social activist, multi-awarded entrepreneur and Chairperson of Employer Alliance

Boosting Productivity Through Successful Work-Life Strategies James Foo Director of Human Resources, Mövenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa

Boosting Productivity at 3M: Business Execution Process to Align Resources and Drive Change Joy Roman Head of HR, Southeast Asia Region, 3M

Unleashing the Power of the R Factors!- How Organisations are achieving Greater Performance, Productivity & Profitability Jonathan Low Trainer, Coach & International Speaker

Personal and Organisational Transformation to Drive Innovation and Positive Outcomes Laura Goodrich Global Workforce Innovator & Author

Integrated Performance Management - The HR Imperative Jaroslaw Pawlowski Compensation & Benefits Director

Make Difficult People Disappear: How to Eliminate Conflict and Reduce Stress in the Workplace Monica Wofford International Speaker, Author & Coach

The Five Stages of Focused Leadership Development Liz Weber The Dragon Lady of Leadership Accountability

Effective Mentoring - Tips & Techniques: The Barclays Experience Lim Fang Chien HR Director, Barclays

Developing Employee Skill-Sets

by Tapping on Young Minds Gabrielle Tourelle Global Talent Development Director, Text 100

Successful Employee Integration: On-boarding at UBS Moira Roberts Head of HR & APAC Head of Talent Development, UBS Singapore

Actionable Service Education Or Customer Service Training Ron Kaufman International Speaker & Customer Service Expert , UP! Your Service

Creating Coaching Cultures in Work Teams Professor David Clutterbuck International Speaker, Author & Management Thinker

Surviving The Crisis Test: The Role of HR in Crisis Management & Organisational Sustainability Preparedness Marc Ronez MD & Master Coach, Asia Risk Management Institute

The Starbucks Approach Paul Lam Head of Partner Resources, Starbucks Coffee Asia Pacific

Who Killed Creativity? Rebuilding Organisational Innovation Andrew Grant Creative Thinking Expert & Author

Tan Ai Sim Human Resources Director, Lenovo ASEAN

Managing & Engaging Gen Y, Millennials and Linksters Ragi Singh Vice President HR, Southeast Asia, Viacom International Media Networks

Boost Your Social Hiring & Employer Branding Appeal Aadil Bandukwala Talent Acquisition Advisor, Social Media & Community Professional, DELL India

Managing Change in a Non-Profit Organisation Liza Thomas Regional Chief of Human Resources, East Asia Pacific Region, UNICEF

Case Study Ajit Nambiar Head of Compensation, APAC & EMEA, Google Asia Pacific

Session Hosts

5 streams & price bands

D N Prasad Director and Head, People Technology & Operations Google Asia Pacific William Chin Director Staffing, Asia Pacific Qualcomm Michael Blanding Manager, Employee Engagement IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group)

Strategy & Leadership Talent Management & Engagement Performance & Productivity

Our special Price Pledge means that you, your team and your organisation benefit from the best speakers addressing the hottest topics at the lowest possible price. The 2013 event offers you the best value and ROI of any HR event throughout the year.

PRICE PLEDGE

Learning & Development People Strategies

* Early bird discount expires on 21 March 2013. Please note that early bird rates are not applicable to vendors/service providers who are welcome to attend at the normal price

www.hrsummit.com.sg Gold Sponsors:

Official Lanyard Sponsor:

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

HR Summit speaker profile

Investigating the

corporate creative crime scene Adopting the same approach to everyday work processes can kill creativity. Author and HR Summit speaker Andrew Grant provides some tips on boosting innovation in such staid environments

Imagine you’re walking towards a park bench to eat your lunch. Suddenly your phone buzzes with a secret ring tone, alerting you to the fact that you are about to sit next to a registered sex offender, or maybe even a murderer. This is not a scenario from a horror or science fiction movie.

The technology has been around for a while. It’s already possible to download an iPhone/android app that tells you how many criminals there are within a set radius of where you are. In the UK, a group called Charity Crime Stoppers has compiled a map of ‘hotspots’ where Britain’s most hardened criminals live, and they have found that perhaps unsurprisingly, the busy cities are the top hotspots. Police use these stats when deciding where to allocate resources and focus on prevention and education programmes.

In the same way, as described in our book Who Killed Creativity?... And How Can We Get It Back? we have identified that there are creativity ‘killers’ – blocks to creative thinking or disablers - that can lurk in different areas of the organisation. It may be time to identify where these crime scene ‘hotspots’ may be so that we can adequately deal with them. Where creative thinking is shut down, it’s difficult to consider new ideas, but if it’s encouraged, a culture of innovation can readily be established. One financial institution we have worked with, for 44

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

example, has publicly stated they are keen to change the way their organisation functions. As identified by the programme architects, the types of inf luential values that will set these behaviours and establish a positive cultural change include trust, transparency, accountability and empowerment. Where these values are not encouraged, or where destructive competition and distrust dominate in the organisation, creative thinking cannot survive.

Through surveying up to 10,000 of our seminar participants over a number of years, we have identified some of the potential creativity killer crime sites – and how creative thinking can instead be rescued in these locations:

Potential crime scene 1: The Boss’s Office CEOs and other high-level managers are generally struggling to keep up with increasingly volatile and complex business environments, and they need to focus on bottom-line business issues. A recent IBM study has revealed that fewer than half the 1,500 global CEOs surveyed believe their organisations are prepared to handle the massive shifts in the way business needs to be run. Creativity is undoubtedly needed here at the leadership level, but with the need to conform to such broad expectations there is often simply no room and no incentive to think creatively.

To rescue creative thinking in the Boss’s Office: Leaders need to learn to make clever decisions fast, and this involves disciplined creative thinking. The top-performing organisations are 54% more likely to respond swiftly with new ideas to address the deep changes affecting their organisations, so this is a critical leadership quality needed for the future.

Potential crime scene 2: Accounts/Finance ‘Accounting’ and ‘creative’ are not often used in the same sentence. The accounting department must be ‘precise’ and rigorously ‘correct’, so it must follow rigid systems and procedures within set guidelines.

And it must diligently serve the key purpose of profit.

Creative thinking is need in all areas of the organisation, including in accounting - where there always needs to be creative thinking about how things are done. And yet the expectation is that thinking should be ‘correct’ rather than ‘creative’.

To rescue creative thinking in Accounts / Finance: The Accounts or Finance department needs to move away from simply being the number crunchers of a number of years ago – they need to focus on thinking about how they can proactively align with the organisation’s strategy to ensure it is supported by the right resources.

Potential crime scene 3: Executive Offices As the corporate culture is often shaped from the top, it is important that creative thinking is encouraged at this level. Executives can end up being exclusive in language and approach, and as a result can alienate others in the organisation and can end up being out of touch with what is really needed in the organisation.

Their constant busyness and perceived need to focus on the ‘urgent’ over the ‘important’ can also meant they may unwittingly block creative thinking.

To rescue creative thinking in the Executive Offices: In all organisations, the executive offices will need to acknowledge, embrace and actively promote creative development – particularly considering their language and approach. They will also, in turn, need to be adequately supported to ensure that they have the time and the space to be innovative themselves.

Potential crime scene 4: Research and Development We expect the R&D department to be an incubator for creativity (and sometimes even that it will be the only place creativity thrives). But disablers such as apathy and insulation can still easily strike here. One problem with keeping R&D as a separate department is that it can be divided into the ‘rainmakers’, who come up with most of the creative ideas, and others not assigned this role, who can be overlooked and not encouraged to develop creative ideas.

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

HR Summit speaker profile To rescue creative thinking in Research and Development: To build a truly creative environment in the R&D department, the R&D team will need to have the opportunity to follow through on innovative ideas and see them to completion – and they will need to be open to input from other areas of the organisation. Innovation cannot be occasional or erratic; rather, it needs to be systematic and purposeful.

Potential crime scene 5: Sales and Marketing S&M are often creative in their sales approaches and marketing ideas, but time and time again they hit a brick wall when it comes to execution. When the finance department puts the pressure on to meet financial targets or to cut spending, inevitably the enthusiasm in S&M is dampened and creative ideas die.

To rescue creative thinking in Sal es & Marketing: Creativity has the opportunity to thrive in the S&M department. The S&M team need to learn how to work with others effectively to sell their creative ideas internally. They can certainly start by using their skills and a persuasive and integrated process to sell the need for creativity within the organisation!

t Catch Andrew Gran ‘live’ at the HR Summit 2013 Andrew Grant is the CEO of Tirian and co-author of the breakthrough new book Who Killed Creativity?... And How Can We Get It Back?

Delegates attending his presentation at the HR Summit will be taken through an interactive game-based ‘crime scene investigation’ where they can test their ideas against the latest neuro-scientific and psychological research to discover how creative thinking and innovation can be killed at all levels throughout the organisation. They will also discover that it’s possible to rebuild an innovative culture in the Asian context, and learn how this workshop game can be used back at the workplace to get critical traction on this topic.

In his role as a keynote speaker, Andrew has been in high demand internationally including delivering the opening keynote at the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Global Leadership Conference, and sharing the stage with other internationally recognised names such as Stephen Covey and Jonas Ridderstrale. Andrew has co-authored over 30 corporate educational resources, simulations and programmes that are used by Fortune 500 companies and are sold under license worldwide. He has been featured in a number of international media including BBC, Reuters and ABC TV, Fast Company and the Wall St Journal.

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Potential crime scene 6: The Training Room The traditional linear ‘training’ approach can kill creativity because people stop searching as soon as they have found the ‘correct’ answers. So the curiosity that should spark an ongoing love for learning is quickly snuffed out. Like an old house that has been gathering mementoes for years, our minds will become cluttered with useless information, and we will not have the mental space or energy to break out and explore new ideas.

To rescue creative thinking in the Lecture Room: Where organisations continuously transform themselves through wisely facilitated open learning opportunities, individuals benefit and the organisation flourishes. Learning to focus on ‘intelligent failure’ (learning from setbacks, and growing through them) rather than being ‘correct’ will motivate people to learn and propagate creative thinking for life.

What are the potential ‘creative crime scene hotspots’ in your organisation, and how can creative thinking be rescued there?

ta B bl oo e/ k se yo at u s r no w

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TIMES SOFTWARE

FEATURE

Retention

Knuckling down and soldiering through the economic turmoil will come down to one key factor: retention. In this special report, HRM looks at four key ingredients to retaining happy, productive employees

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The penny has finally dropped. Business leaders globally are starting to realise that talent is the last remaining source of competitive advantage. And just like Australia’s mining resources, culled from a finite reserve in the earth, finding and retaining the best people will only become more difficult as time progresses.

The power balance has shifted towards employees.

According to a Right Management survey, 56% of the 1,400 CEOs and HR professionals surveyed feared other employers were looking to recruit their best talent. Some 47% expressed doubts about maintaining their middle-level management pipeline, and just 27% said their company has a sufficient number of qualified internal candidates who were ready to assume senior management or executive roles.

In terms of business sustainability, it’s that last stat that has business leaders most concerned. “CEOs and HR staff are right to feel enormously vulnerable and many are stressed seeking ways to hold onto their rising leadership,” said Michael Haid, senior vice president of Right Management, on the release of the report.

FEATURE

Haid warned that no organisation can consider itself immune from needing effective retention strategies or offering the most competitive recruitment packages.

The end of loyalty So what can employers do? Clearly the notion of having the same job for life and a high sense of loyalty towards employers is a quaint concept that is long gone.

In an article published in the Financial Times, workplace specialist Lynda Gratton wrote that loyalty, a virtue prized in personal relationships, has disappeared altogether in the workforce due to the globalised high speed economy.

The result, she said, is “shortening contracts, outsourcing, automation and multiple careers”.

Wendy Phaneuf, managing director of consultancy firm The Training Source, added that what bosses perceive as employee loyalty is often really nothing more than services rendered in exchange for their paycheck and some job perks.

“In the past, you worked for a company for life, and you’d do anything for the company, including sacrificing your family life,” Phaneuf said. “True loyalty means going the extra mile when it’s needed, and many employees today are unwilling to do so unless they’re compensated for their extra effort.”

Further, workforce consultant Tammy Erickson said in her Harvard Business Review blog that the concept of loyalty has been replaced with trust, and this is actually a more complex value to manage.

David Helvadjian from workplace consultancy firm Gallup says that if you really want loyalty and trust to prosper, engagement is the key.

For companies looking to reignite loyalty, he says it is paramount that employers clearly communicate the mission and purpose of their company, as well as clearly communicate employees’ roles.

“When we look at different businesses, if engagement is high, turnover is low. If people are engaged, they will feel valued and a part of something they can remain loyal to, and they can therefore learn and grow. If employees feel that management doesn’t listen to them, they will go elsewhere to have those needs met,” Helvadjian says.

“The organisation will provide interesting and challenging work. The individual will invest discretionary effort in the task and produce relevant results. When one or both sides of this equation are no longer possible – for whatever reasons – the relationship will end,” Erickson says.

The concept that companies need to actively foster trust is a position backed by Australian workplace consults. By talking to employees about what they do well, turnover will be reduced, Helvadjian assures. “We did a study of 65,000 employers, and those who provided feedback had 15% greater retention. By sitting down and talking about their strengths, [employees] will feel valued,

TO-DO LIST Gallup consultancy works from a list of top tips which they claim is the key to increasing loyalty and decreasing turnover: • At least bi-annually ensure someone at work has talked to your employees about their individual progress.

• Ensure employees know what is expected of them at work.

• Ensure employees have the materials and equipment to perform their job description.

• Encourage employee development.

• Genuinely care about employee’s opinions and make them count when they are given.

• Make sure your company’s mission or purpose is clearly communicated while making employees feel their job is important.

• Create an environment where the workforce is committed to quality work.

and like they’re in an environment where they feel they’re being told what they’re doing well instead of focusing on their weaknesses.”

Letting personalities shine through While there will be naysayers who claim it’s impossible – and not desirable – to retain everyone, Andrew WarrenNicholls, a freelance trainer and facilitator with Epilogue Training Solutions, suggests that an employee’s personality is the key to their engagement and retention.

The key is to let them use it.

The simple fact is most humans are only good at being themselves, so Warren-Nicholls recommends using that fundamental truth to get the best out of people. He suggests asking two key questions: • Are you encouraging your staff to use their own personalities at work?

• Are they allowed to work in a way that suits them best?

“Allow your employees to be themselves as much as possible and engage them in achieving specific goals and tasks, which you establish together,” he says.

Danger points In the last six months, have you been approached by external sources (eg recruitment companies, other organisations, etc) with new job opportunities?

No 57%

YES 43%

Baby Boomers (aged 48-67)

No 46%

YES 54%

No 49%

Generation X (aged 34-47)

YES 51%

Generation Y (aged 18-33)

Source: Australia’s Skills Gap, Australian Institute of Management

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FEATURE

Retention Warren-Nicholls outlines six key areas affecting your employees’ experience – and what you can do about it.

1

Define your culture, where it is and where you want it to be.

You have a culture already. The question is whether that is the one you want. It’s not just the fun stuff; it’s the job, and the achievement of going home satisfied. A good culture is being able to tell your friends you like what you do at work.

Small steps are great; start with the boss and work down. Get an external facilitator, run a new pulse survey or blow the dust off your current one. Establish where your culture is, where you want your culture to go and what actions you need to take to get there.

2

Have values and hold people to them.

Establish what standard of work, behaviour and values you want and then outline what is considered unacceptable.

With people of so many diverse backgrounds in workplaces today, don’t assume everyone has the same values; be open, define them and champion them.

“There is nothing worse than people watching others cross a line at work or not knowing themselves if they have crossed one, the result being someone feeling threatened and powerless.

Facilitate a session to determine what you as a company place value in. It’s key to have this conversation, but keep them separate, values are important,” Warren-Nicholls says.

3

Do you have clear goals and recognition?

What do you need to achieve today and what recognition, praise or incentive will you get for getting there?

Be very specific about the individual targets, the team goals and the company goals. Don’t tell people how to work, tell them what to accomplish and help them achieve it.

4

Trust the person to do the job you pay them for.

It’s their job; you hired them to do it based on experience, skill set and fit within your company. Have faith in your decision and trust them to do the job. Judge people on what they do, not necessarily how they do it.

“Your managers should be supporting and helping their teams to achieve their goals. Support your managers and encourage them to step back and allow your employees to do what you pay them for. In light of this, your managers should have more training, trust and support than anyone,” Warren-Nicholls says.

5

Understand each other’s style.

There will always be tensions at work, we all work in different ways and it takes a long time for any relationship to find its groove. Sometimes it never does. Find out what everyone’s personalities are, get them out in the open and use the information to do things better as a group of people.

“Behavioural profiling is a perfect place to start, as it identifies how we like to work,” Warren-Nicholls says.

“It’s essential to find out styles, as it empowers people to be themselves, starts worthwhile conversations and helps us understand the way others think and act, which is a powerful thing.”

6

Communication.

Speak plainly. Communicating well and reaching complete understanding should be vital in every conversation, email or meeting. Our resumes say we are great communicators, but how much time do we spend practicing or checking ourselves to see if what we say makes sense?

“There is an endless array of training in this area,” Warren-Nicholls says. “Do it by discovery as a team, plan exercises based around what you do. Have training regularly, not when something is deemed to be broken, so your team is always learning and interacting together.

Have a simple activity at the end of your weekly team meetings and build from there.”

The age-old issue Research from SageCo, assembled from the opinions of 2,500 workers aged 50+, has indicated that older employees want to stay employed, but under flexible working conditions – such as non-fixed hour working weeks, part-time or under flexible work scenarios.

To enhance engagement of mature age workers, SageCo recommends the following:

1

Have ‘the conversation’: It’s important to equip leaders with skills and capabilities to have conversations with older workers about their career path intentions. There is a fear amongst leaders about addressing the topic, but it’s important to stress future working intentions, not retirement. These conversations should be taking place regardless of age.

2

Improve flexibility: Flexibility means something different according to each individual. 49% would be happy to work full-time hours but want more autonomy on how that will play out. For example, 38 hours constructed in a different way. 59% want to work part-time or part-year. For example, 3-6 months in the peak time period.

There is also a lot of interest in mobile work options, so this should be investigated.

3

Look at job re-design: Working differently doesn’t just refer to working hours.

Older workers really want to focus in on their areas of expertise. They may want to get back into their original areas of interest, ie. Why they went into particular lines of work in the first place.

4

Share their skills: SageCo said it has discovered that the older generation wants to have opportunities to share their skills, experience and knowledge.

Ways to do so do not have to be complex, and can be very simple. For example, a knowledge sharing breakfast. Or, simply putting 10 minutes on the agenda for specific input at meetings. Some simple knowledge sharing techniques can really help engagement levels.

5

Have processes to assist transitions: Employers know that employees are overwhelmingly underprepared for retirement. Organisations should invest time in helping to plan and act on issues relating to transition. Specific focus areas include, career direction and development, health and wellbeing, improving financial literacy and a work-life plan.

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FEATURE

Corporate Learning

The case for

executive education In a fast-paced world, more business professionals are seeing the value in MBAs. These degrees offer a big boost to their careers as they stimulates problem solving skills and critical thinking. HRM looks at some of the latest programmes offered by top institutions

By Vivien Shiao Shufen 52

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FEATURE

Executive education is one of the few things in life that is unlikely to ever go out of fashion. Its demand has remained strong throughout the ups and downs of the economy, making it one of the classic must-haves to move up in any industry.

This increasing trend of executive education is not likely to abate anytime soon. According to the 2012 JobsCentral Learning Rankings and Survey, 71.5% of professional workers intend to pursue further education, compared to the 69.6% who indicated a similar intention in 2011.

“More professionals are getting MBAs because it helps them get ahead in their organisations,” says Peter Lewis, vice president of Kaplan Singapore. “A Masters or MBA has become the basic requirement for most PMET (professionals, managers, executives, and technicians) in organisations.”

David Pooi, Senior Manager – Corporate Division, Training Vision concurs with that assessment.

“Some 30 years ago, if you had a Bachelor’s degree, you were considered one of the best in the lot,” explains Pooi.

“Now, two in three PMETs already have a basic degree.

The market is extremely competitive – if you want to go up to senior management, most people are looking for someone with a Master’s degree.”

The case for further education Just what is so great about an MBA that makes it so highly coveted by those who aim to scale the corporate ladder?

According to Lewis, there are many benefits to an MBA. “It enables a professional to upgrade his skills, keep himself up-to-date with industry best practices, network with executives from all over the world, and have a solid foundation for a management position,” he notes.

“These give MBA graduates an edge over other professionals, making it possible for them to ask for higher salaries during negotiations,” he adds.

For others who choose to embark on an MBA, it can be used as a vehicle to switch careers.

“Aside from those who wish to ‘upgrade’ themselves , some wish to change careers altogether,” says Nicanor Lazaro Soriano, director of Marketing and Admissions, THE NANYANG MBA, Nanyang Business School. “For example, an engineer may want to become a consultant or a banker. Some may wish to change industry, or even change work location.”

Another advantage of getting an MBA is to enhance critical thinking and problem solving skills that are deemed so valuable in today’s workplace. Such qualities are crucial in bringing about innovation – a resource all companies need to stay ahead of the competition.

“This is what differentiates an MBA from other Master’s degrees which focus on obtaining hard and technical skills,” explains Soriano. “In an MBA, [the emphasis is on] critical thinking, problem solving and innovation, in addition to technical skills. It is more

holistic, and has more to do with management and leadership.”

What’s out there?

For those who are keen on an MBA, a reputable university programme is a must.

The NANYANG MBA is one such programme that is recognised worldwide due to its stringent criteria and quality of course content.

It is a 12-month programme conducted in Singapore, with options for further international exposure. It involves nine core courses, four electives, either an overseas or local business study mission, an industry project, and a leadership module which is spread over two trimesters.

The programme is also starting to place more emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving. Starting from its 2013 cohort, the NANYANG MBA will give participating executives two tracks to choose from. The first is the banking and finance track, while the other is the strategy and innovation track.

The NANYANG MBA with the strategy and innovation track is designed for people who are interested in pursuing specific roles with strong emphasis on strategy and consulting work, as well as roles that allow graduates to create or manage the creation of new products or processes, growing existing businesses or even start up new businesses.

For executives who cannot commit to a full MBA programme which is typically spread over a longer time frame with higher costs, shorter-term executive training is another attractive option. It imparts knowledge and

Programmes for critical thinking The NANYANG MBA is starting to place more emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving. Starting from its 2013 cohort, the programme will have two different tracks: one focusing on banking and finance, and the other looking specifically at strategy and innovation. The NANYANG MBA – strategy and innovation track is designed for those looking to work on business strategy or consulting, as well as those hoping to create and manage new processes or businesses.

Kaplan Professional offers the Strategic Thinking for Business Transformation programme, which provides participants with a comprehensive overview of strategy concepts.

Training Vision offers a programme on Systems Thinking in Problem Solving and Decision Making. It teaches participants the systems thinking approach to assessing business problems, formulating and implementing solutions.

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FEATURE

Corporate Learning CONGRESS SERIES

skills in a shorter time period that may appeal to the busy executives of today.

To stimulate critical thinking, Kaplan Professional offers the Strategic Thinking for Business Transformation programme, which provides participants with a comprehensive overview of strategy concepts.

“The programme also helps them to enhance their overall strategic thinking skills and become innovative business leaders, which is what many organisations are looking for,” says Lewis.

Training Vision also offers various training programmes for executives to sharpen their problem solving skills.

Its Career Ascent managerial courses are suitable for professionals, managers and executives, and are certified by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.

One programme offered is Systems Thinking in Problem Solving and Decision Making. This short course teaches participants to apply systems thinking strategies to assess problems, and formulate and then implement solutions that address the sorts of organisational issues usually encountered by those in managerial roles. For the time-pressed manager or executive, this programme may be ideal as it is only 16 hours long, compared to the usual one year commitment of an MBA.

Hot trends in exec education to watch in 2013 • Advanced IT courses will become more popular • MBAs will continue to be in demand • More Chinese students will come to Singapore to study Business English • Marketing, finance and leadership modules will also be in favour • Programmes that aim to boost productivity will be a new emerging trend

Coming up next When asked to look in the crystal ball to examine what will be some of the executive education trends in 2013, most experts agree that MBAs will continue to be high in demand.

“Advanced courses in information technology will (also) become more popular, in light of the technological advances made in many Southeast Asian countries,” predicts Lewis.

For Low KT, Principal Consultant of Training Vision, programmes that aim to boost productivity will be more popular than ever, thanks to the Singapore government making this a priority.

“Productivity is always a big challenge to any company.

When you measure your productivity, your output is in the numerator. Your costs are in the denominator. Costs, like labour and material cost, keep going up. So if your sales stop growing, and everything else stays on trend, your productivity immediately turns down. It’s a very sobering thought,” says Low. “There is a need for constant measurement of productivity, and continuous improvement in processes. The government is making productivity a key focus by subsidising such programmes.”

Soriano meanwhile, believes finance, marketing and leadership modules will continue to be hot in executive education this year.

“This is because these are the traditional skills necessary to bring the companies to higher levels of performance. However, this also depends on what industries need too,” he notes.

With the positive outlook of MBAs and executive training, it is safe to say that such programmes will remain relevant and valuable in the workplace for years to come.

HR IN EMERGING ASIAN MARKETS CONGRESS 2013

Hilton Hotel, Singapore | February 27-28, 2013 HR in Emerging Asian Markets is a two-day event which aims to discuss HR’s valuable role in setting up and growing businesses in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh.

Learn various approaches to a successful HR strategy including labour regulations and tax compliance; local talent acquisition and foreign talent deployment; and employee engagement and retention.

Hear from leading experts including:

Dr. John Vong Director of Post Graduate Studies JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY

Nirvaan Gupta Transactional Lawyer DUA ASSOUCIATES

June Cho Director, Global Talent Acquisition SYMANTEC ASIA PACIFIC

Drew Fernandez HR Director - Thailand and Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia & Myanmar) UNILEVER ASIA

Anna Stennett Head of HR – Vietnam & Greater Mekong, International & Institutional Banking ANZ BANKING GROUP LIMITED

Jennnifer Lee Business HR Leader CARGILL TROPICAL PALM HOLDINGS

Winnie Lam Head of Group Business Development & Marketing KCS

Shahwar Nizam Senior Associate; Country Partner DFDL BANGLADESH

David Doran Partner & Chairnan; Managing Director DFDL THAILAND

Rashed Idrees Partner Cambodia, Singapore and Bangladesh; Managing Director DFDL SINGAPORE AND BANGLADESH

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Only $699 for two days Early bird expires 14 February

Andi Zulfikar Managing Partner, Mataram Partners Associate of the DFDL Network DFDL INDONESIA

Plus more speakers coming soon

+65 6423 4631 www.hrmcongress.com

FEATURE

Corporate Learning Case Study

Passion

to serve Park Hotel Group’s motto “Discover Love” aims to inspire employees to have a heart for service. HRM speaks to Mohammed K Rafin, Senior Vice President of the Park Hotel Group, about how the company’s learning and development programmes achieve that Vivien Shiao Shufen

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FEATURE

The best hotel is not necessarily the one with the most luxurious décor, or the one with the most impressive facilities. More often than not, it is the one that provides the best service.

Park Hotel Group is one organisation that understands the significance of customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry. That is why it has taken on the challenge to train its staff and ignite a fire within them to serve guests. It is inspiring them to live up to the group’s brand promise: “Discover Love”.

“Love is the core of our philosophy at Park Hotel Group, and we believe that true hospitality begins with service delivered with passion,” says Mohammed K Rafin, Senior Vice President of the Park Hotel Group.

“We want to build a workforce that takes pride and care in what we do and finds joy in giving our best to all.”

Park Hotel Group’s approach towards training goes beyond just talk, and its efforts in that respect have been widely recognised. The company was awarded the Workplace Skills Qualification (WSQ) Training Excellence Award in the Hotel and Accommodation Category twice in 2010 and 2012, and the WSQ Most Supportive Employer (Hotel Category) award in 2011.

As a further testament to its commitment to staff development, the group’s CEO Allen Law was also presented with the WSQ Advocate Award in 2012.

certified with the WDA-accredited Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment, Park Hotel Group has one of the largest pools within the hospitality industry.

“We see staff training as an investment,” says Rafin.

“Therefore, the group accords much attention and allocates a significant amount of our yearly budget to staff training and development, which includes enhancing the capabilities of our Park Hotel Academy.”

Leadership development At Park Hotel Group, developing talent is another key priority, as the organisation aims to groom leaders that will take it to the next level.

It has an 18-month Management Trainee Programme which prepares and identifies talents with flair for hospitality service and an aptitude in leadership and management. This is conducted through intensive traineeships in the hotels, with a long-term view for succession planning.

The programme comprises of three semesters, each lasting six months. It provides the management trainees with an immersion experience in each of the three main divisions of the hotel operations – namely housekeeping, front office, and food and beverage.

A combination of core on-the-job, generic skills training and assessments, as well as selected external

Sowing seeds With all the accolades received, it is clear that staff training is serious business in Park Hotel Group.

In 2009, the business was accredited as an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), and certified to provide an array of WSQ programmes to its staff.

To further enhance its learning and development initiatives, the Park Hotel Academy was established last year as the official training and development facility within the Group.

“The Academy sets out to motivate our employees to grow and advance in their competencies and skill sets, thereby enabling them to continually exceed guest expectations with exceptional service,” explains Rafin.

The Park Hotel Academy offers a full syllabus of both corporate and customised programmes including lessons on “Orientation and Induction”, “Corporate and Brand Philosophy”, as well as a wide range of WSQ modules under the Tourism, Food and Beverage, and Service Excellence frameworks.

“Aligning our training programmes with industry accreditations lends credibility to both employee capabilities and the company’s competitiveness,” explains Rafin.

In addition, the group has developed a team of Adult Educators, which forms the pillar of its training structure. With more than 20 in-house trainers, all

About Park Hotel Group Park Hotel Group manages, owns and develops Park-branded hotels around the Asia-Pacific region.

Established in Hong Kong in 1961, the group moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2005.

Its regional portfolio consists of eight properties across three countries and six cities. In Singapore, it operates the Grand Park Orchard, Grand Park City Hall, and Park Hotel Clarke Quay.

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CONGRESS SERIES

The HRM Congress Series provides a platform for HR and business professionals to share their expertise and address pressing challenges with practical, real-world solutions. Our upcoming events include:

January 2013 2nd Annual Innovation in HR Congress 23 & 24 January

Learn innovative people and talent strategies from world-class organisations and gain competitive advantage

Performance Management & Employee Appraisals 31 January

Enhance organisational capabilities and drive productivity through effective systems and tools

February 2013 HR in Emerging Asian Markets 27 & 28 February

Learn about HR challenges and solutions in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia and how HR can succeed in these territories.

Plus: Insights on HR practices in India and China

March 2013 Engaging a Diverse Workforce 6 March Effectively manage and engage your multi-generational workforce

HRO Congress 27 -28 March

Identify the challenges and solutions of HR outsourcing and increase business processes efficiency

May 2013 2nd Annual Global Talent Mobility Congress 15 & 16 May

Groom tomorrow’s global leaders today by linking mobility with career development strategies

June 2013 2nd Annual HR Analytics Congress 5 June

Gain better understanding of business strategies and human capital planning through analytics

6th Annual Employment Law Congress 26 & 27 June

In-depth discussions and practical solutions focused on the changing dynamics of labour laws

July 2013 7th Annual Compensation & Benefits Congress 17 & 18 July Features today’s most important challenges in compensation, benefits, rewards and recognition

August 2013 4th Annual HRM Awards Best Practices Congress 14 & 15 August Exclusive sharing of best HR practices from award-winning organisations and HR leaders

3rd Annual Annual Social Media in HR Congress: Digital Communication Strategies for Today’s HR 13 & 14 March

The biggest HR social media event returns covering the latest issues with speakers from Facebook, Google, Microsoft and more

+65 6423 4631 | www.hrmcongress.com

FEATURE

Corporate Learning Case Study training programmes serve to orientate, induct and educate, with the eventual aim of allowing management trainees to take on critical responsibilities and decisionmaking roles at the mid-management level.

Exceptional employees may also be identified for continuous fast-track development, and groomed for a senior management appointments after four to five years with the group.

Park Hotel Group also has a Hotel Operations Specialist Team job-redesign scheme that focuses on employees’ multi-skilling in the front office, food and beverage, and housekeeping departments.

Under the model, even the most junior-level rank and file employees, through continual training, can rise up the wage ladder to command $1,600 per month as a supervisor, more than $2,000 as an assistant manager, and more than $3,000 as a manager.

This scheme has been so effective that it was adopted by the National Trade Union Congress’s Hospitality and Consumer Business Cluster for implementation of a new progressive wage model for Singaporeans working in the hotel sector.

Training targets New employees, regardless of the departments they belong to, are encouraged to complete three internal programmes and five WSQ courses within six months of joining the organisation. Thereafter, each employee undergoes at least 40 hours of training annually.

In addition, Park Hotel Group also supports its staff on both part-time advanced diploma programmes as well as full certifications in disciplines directly related to their field.

Despite this impressive track record when it comes to training staff, Park Hotel Group has no intention of resting on its laurels.

In the road ahead, Park Hotel Group aspires to deepen and widen its “Executive Development and Growth for Excellence (EDGE)” training for professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) within the organisation.

Initiated by WDA, EDGE training develops the capabilities of PMEs beyond their existing technical expertise, allowing them to better contribute to organisational growth and productivity.

To further enhance staff skillsets, Park Hotel Group is also taking steps to include programmes that involve the sharpening of analytical, conceptual and evaluation skills, job safety skills, interpersonal skills, personal management and development skills, as well as productivity and innovative skills.

Bearing fruit With all the effort and investment put into sowing seeds in its staff, Park Hotel Group is starting to see the fruits of that labour.

“Love is the core of our philosophy at Park Hotel Group, and we believe that true hospitality begins with service delivered with passion” – MOHD K RAFIN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PARK HOTEL GROUP

“With staff training and development as our core initiative for retaining talent, one of the tangible benefits is declining turnover rates,” says Rafin. “We also find greater camaraderie amongst employees, and between management and staff, undoubtedly due to the increased interaction during training class.”

He added that the satisfaction of staff at the workplace is naturally reflected in their outward attitudes towards guests, who in turn, have given positive feedback on their service standards.and on them being truly being able to “Discover Love”.

Newly launched Career Service Centre In July this year, Park Hotel Group launched a Career Service Centre (CSC) on the premises of its Grand Park City Hall on Coleman Street.

An extension of the Park Hotel Academy, the CSC is a resource centre equipped with brochures and videos, allowing employees to learn more about the various training programmes offered.

To guide employees on their career progression, the CSC provides them with access to information and advice on Career Development roadmaps. Helping employees assess their career options and plan for career transition is one of the strategies implemented to enhance the value of human capital within the Park Hotel group, increase staff responsiveness to market changes, lower attrition levels, and strengthen employee engagement and productivity.

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MICE

Corporate dining

Season of prosperity

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MICE

The Chinese Lunar New Year is upon us once more. A time of feasting and celebration – it is a fantastic opportunity for organisations to have a party or dine together to usher in some good luck. HRM checks out some of the latest venues to hold that festive meal

As the Christmas trees are being put back in storage, it’s time for HR to start planning for the next big event in 2013 – Chinese New Year.

Known as the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year celebrations are a must for most offices in Singapore. In addition to a feast where yusheng, a quintessential Teochew-style raw fish salad, is served, some companies even organise a display of the traditional Lion Dance to usher in good fortune and wealth.

“Chinese New Year is a very important festival, especially in an Asian culture,” says Noel Hawkes, Vice President, Channel Development and Attraction Sales, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS). “Many companies use it as an occasion to thank their clients and staff and to kick-start the new year with renewed hopes. It is also well believed that celebrations during Chinese New Year will bring prosperity and usher in an auspicious lunar new year ahead.”

Aside from the emphasis on luck, Chinese New Year is also about reunions – celebrating the bonds of friendship between colleagues. It is a great way for firms to build team camaraderie.

With both local and multinational corporations placing so much significance on the celebrations, it is important that HR starts planning for the event in advance. Chinese New Year begins in February, and restaurants are already taking reservations for the season.

Flavours of Spring

Feng Shui Inn - New Year Treasure Pot

One destination to consider holding the Chinese New Year feast at is RWS. With so many venue options available, companies are spoilt for choice in this particular resort.

Aside from Chinese restaurants such as Feng Shui Inn, RWS is extending corporate dining to its other restaurants as well, including contemporary Chinese cuisine with bold new flavours at Forest restaurant, helmed by well-known Singapore celebrity chef Sam Leong.

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MICE

Corporate dining Top tips for Chinese New Year There are many ways of spicing up the traditional Chinese New Year Party. Here are some suggestions from HRM: • How about coming up with a theme?

Asking staff to dress up in Chinese New Year colours can get boring. But a theme Hollywood China Bistro - yusheng like Shanghai Nights, or Flower Power may add some punch to the party • Book a restaurant venue early – this cannot be emphasised enough • Plan a programme that will be enjoyed by everyone. Don’t forget to include your expatriate or non-Chinese staff in the organisation process • If the yusheng is going to be held in the office premises, make sure there are plastic sheets covering the tables, or be prepared for a really arduous clean-up session. You have been warned • Surprising staff with little gestures like oranges, and even an ang bao, may do wonders for employee engagement

Empress Jade

out ride and dine packages for guests. This means that employees will get the opportunity to ride some of the theme park’s exciting attractions before indulging in a Chinese New Year feast, making the celebration a multisensory experience that everyone will remember.

Special “Prosperous Fortune Packages” will also be rolled out for corporate dining, starting from S$738++ per table, with special dining venues that include The Maritime Experiential Museum, and banquet rooms in the Equarius Hotel, set amidst lush greenery on top of the Resorts World Convention Centre.

Restaurants across the resort will be offering special menus, with special dishes just for the occasion. Some exceptional dishes include the Giant Gold Ingot, which envelops a tantalising mix of abalone, fish maw, scallops, sea cucumber and other premium ingredients, at Feng Shui Inn. There is also a special twist on the traditional yusheng dish, with an assortment of special creations such as the Flambe Salmon Lo Hei, Japanese Top Grade Sea Cucumber Lo Hei, and Imperial Bird’s Nest, Fish Maw and Salmon Lo Hei, also at Feng Shui Inn. “A must for everyone is the tossing of yusheng, while shouting out auspicious greetings,” says Hawkes. “It is believed that the higher you toss and the louder you shout, the more prosperous the following year will be. It is often that competition ensues between tables, but all this is in the name of fun.”

Hidden jewel

The Maritime Experiential Museum 62

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For companies that are keen on a quieter affair close to nature, one of the restaurants in The Jewel Box should be high on the list for consideration. Nestled in lush surroundings atop Mount Faber, it is located just 10 minutes away from the city and houses four restaurant venues: Black Opal, Sapphire, Empress Jade, and Moonstone. In addition, there is also a Diamond Palace Ballroom and the Singapore Cable located in the same area.

One big plus for organisating your Chinese New Year event there is the serenity and views the venues offer.

Situated at the edge of the hill at 105m above sea level, one can see the magnificent ocean and hear the gentle rustling of the trees and chirping of birds.

MICE

For companies that prefer a semi-formal setting, Empress Jade has a contemporary mix of East-meetsWest, serving delightful Cantonese delicacies, presented in the perfecting setting of long tables with a touch of traditional jade accessories that make it quite appropriate for a Chinese New Year meal.

Firms that prefer a touch of luxury might look to Black Opal, which offers a fine dining experience and provides the perfect setting of a sleek and lavish décor set against the lustrous backdrop of Singapore’s harbour, the city and Sentosa Island. Black Opal showcases ornate furnishings and table settings that exude a toned opulence that will please the fussiest of employees.

To further impress employees and give them a night to remember, arrangements can be made for travel to The Jewel Box via Singapore Cable Cars. The cable car experience presents an inspiring and fun way to travel up in style. Alternatively, coaches and valet services are also available.

Any restaurant can be booked ahead of time, and even the entire Jewel Box can be reserved exclusively for corporate functions.

The Jewel Box - Aerial

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RESOURCES

Book Reviews

Bring out the best in every employee It is easy to complain that employees are underperforming or just “Average Joes”, but few employers are capable of bringing out the best in their workforce. A new book by workplace performance experts Don Brown and Bill Hawkins shows readers just how to capture the full potential of talent.

The book, Bring Out the Best in Every Employee is an essential road map for any manager who wants to elevate capacity and drive growth, without adding headcount. With employee dissatisfaction at an all-time high and job security more uncertain than ever, most may find it challenging to motivate their employees.

According to the authors, driving growth is possible by targeting and empowering the right people. Most managers devote so much time to either high-potential or high-problem employees that they neglect the critical mass at the top of the bell curve. This can mean the difference between surviving and thriving, say the authors.

The book is likely to appeal to managers who want to identify and target the core of their team, discover what the “silent majority”

actually want, create a personal, actionable engagement plan for every employee, and master the techniques to develop the capacity of “solid citizens”.

Most importantly, readers will be able to learn what drives today’s workforce and what employees want from you as a manager in order to perform. The authors surveyed more than 6,000 workers around the world in order to receive feedback on what leaders ought to do to help employees be effective.

The book is divided into easy-to-digest chunks for managers to read and process the valuable information within. Unlike many other books that are deeply theoretical and full of jargon, Bring Out the Best in Every Employee is an engaging read that is guaranteed to provide plenty of food for thought for all leaders who want to make the most of every moment.

Title: Bring Out the Best in Every Employee Author: Don Brown and Bill Hawkins Publisher: McGraw-Hill Cost: $34.78

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Knowledge, Attitude, Action 3 essential keys for an outstanding leader

Looking for a programme that draws on current research trends in positive psychology and cultivates outstanding leaders? This article lends insight into 3 essential qualities for an outstanding leader

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Knowledge – Tap on Strengths, not weaknesses

An outstanding leader focuses on the strengths of the people. The typical approach in organisations is to focus on the gaps or the weaknesses inherent and then devise various strategies to overcome them. The end result is fatigue in problem solving and a culture of blame, as each employee takes on the ‘it wasn’t me’ attitude. Tom Rath, author of Strengths Based Leadership, has found that being a more effective leader involves knowing your strengths and investing in others’ strengths, getting people with the right strengths on your team, and understanding and meeting the four basic needs of those who look to you for leadership.

2

Attitude – Be Authentic

An outstanding leader needs to know that for people to follow and trust in their leadership, they need to be authentic. In Bill George’s book Authentic Leadership, he found that authentic leaders demonstrate a passion for their purpose, practice their values consistently, and lead with their hearts as well as their heads. They establish long-term, meaningful relationships and have the self-discipline

to get results. In short, they know who they are and they lead with their genuine self. Before reaching out to employees, such leaders welcome ongoing feedback, participate in reflection and take action to understand the needs of their staff. As a result, authentic leaders gain trust from their employees and better know how to respond and work with them.

3

Action – Nurture high quality connections

An outstanding leader needs to know that people are the greatest resource within the company and focus on nurturing the relationships with and between people.

Jane Dutton, professor at the University of Michigan, believes that leaders need to focus on building high quality connections – life-giving connections between people that are built on a foundation of trust. Dutton argues that low quality connections are marked by distrust and disregard of others’ worth which subsequently corrodes innovation, loyalty and commitment. In contrast, fostering high quality connections through the four pathways of task enabling, respectful engagement, fun and trust can generate and sustain energy, equipping people to be happy and productive.

About the author Sha-En Yeo is the Founder of education consulting firm Positive Education. She is a lecturer and academic board member of The School of Positive Psychology.

Yeo is very active in the education scene and serves as consultant for top educational institutions in Singapore such as Raffles Institution & Hwa Chong Institution. Her expertise lies in Positive Leadership, Positive Education, Curriculum Design and Workshop Facilitation.

Website: www.positiveedu.com Email: shaen@positiveedu.com

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TALENT LADDER

New appointments Lee Jin Hwui

Deputy Director, Human Resource Development, Land Transport Authority Lee Jin Hwui has recently moved up the ladder to take on the role of Deputy Director, Human Resource Development at the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore. He is overseeing the Employee Engagement, Learning & Development, as well as Talent Development functions.

Jin Hwui has more than 12 years of HR experience, comprising a unique combination of Human Resource Business Partnering,

Human Resource Development and Industrial Relations across the public and private sectors.

Prior to joining LTA, Jin Hwui was the HR Business Partner for Supply Chain Operations for the South and Southeast Asia cluster of Tetra Pak Asia Private Limited. He also held the concurrent appointment of Education & Training Pillar Leader with Tetra Pak Jurong. He has worked in various industries including the Civil Service, Banking

and Finance as well as Fast Moving Consumer Goods.

His latest achievement in the HR industry was his big win as Best HR Manager in this year’s HRM Awards, beating six other talented finalists for the title.

Jin Hwui is currently working on several new initiatives and is looking forward to leading his team in building up LTA’s human capital and fulfilling its vision of a PeopleCentric Land Transport System.

Tan Kwang Cheak

Director, HR and Talent Development, MOH Holdings Tan Kwang Cheak has recently been appointed as the Director for HR and Talent Development at MOH Holdings.

Prior to this, he was the Assistant Executive Director at the Singapore National Employers Federation. His work experience spans over 13 years in both the private and public sector, of which eight years were spent on strategic and operational

HR leadership roles. Tan spent more than a decade in the Singapore Administrative Service, serving in the public sector in various appointments in the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Manpower and JTC Corporation.

His last appointment in the public sector was Director, Manpower in the Singapore

Ministry of Defence. He was also previously the Senior Director for Operations, Brand Extensions, Business Planning and Human Resources at McDonald’s Singapore.

In his new role, Tan is looking forward to leading the full range of HR functions as a strategic partner to the whole organisation, as well as, driving talent development for the Singapore public healthcare sector.

Naresh Kapoor

Director of Human Resources, Singapore Marriott Hotel Naresh Kapoor is the new Director of HR at the Singapore Marriott Hotel, overseeing the entire spectrum of HR. Before joining Marriott in September 2010, he was working at Amara Singapore as Training Manager, heading all training aspects of the hotel.

His previous job with Amara Singapore was a great learning experience for him as he was given the opportunity to design and

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develop various training programmes for the hotel, which reaped great success. He was also involved in the process of getting the ‘Singapore Service Class” certification for the hotel.

Kapoor started his career in the hospitality industry in 1984 and has worked in food and beverage operations for 18 years in various roles. His keen interest in conducting training and development programmes for his

fellow associates saw him move into the training function of HR. At Marriott, his current areas of focus revolve around associate welfare and their career development.

“My many years of experience in hospitality operations allow me to empathise with all levels of associates and understand their daily business challenges. I love and attest to Marriott’s culture of putting people first and I’m very proud to be a part of the family.”

IN PERSON

HR talent Sanjeev Kumar

HR Leader ASEAN and ANZ, Cisco Systems

Years in HR? 16 years of international HR experience across Singapore, USA and India in different facets of HR Why HR? The decision to join HR was made very early in my career since it aligned well with my passion for solving complex problems involving people in a business environment. I believe the true IP of any organisation resides in people and an opportunity to explore it is extremely satisfying.

Why Cisco Systems?

Cisco Systems is a young and vibrant company which has proudly maintained a leadership position in the industry we operate in. It’s a great place to build a career of your choice, grow as a professional and work with passionate and driven colleagues. This makes every day an enriching and fun experience.

Biggest achievement?

I count my biggest achievements as those when I was able to assist employees during their difficult times.

It’s a humbling experience when given our roles – we

are able to make a difference by going that extra mile.

It’s a huge part of our culture at Cisco.

Biggest challenge?

I think the biggest challenge of my career came with my first international role. It required partnering with a diverse group of senior executives and HR colleagues and I had to adapt to new ways on the job. I was very fortunate to have a supportive manager and colleagues which made the whole experience smooth and enjoyable at the end.

Family?

My family lives in India. Once every other year we try and visit them during holidays. My wife and son are here in Singapore. My wife is also a HR professional!

What happens after hours?

I love spending time with family and friends. We love watching movies as a family over the weekends. Above all I enjoy the time I get with my eight-year-old son – I try and maintain a healthy balance of being the guide and a friend. The role of father to imbibe best human values in my son keeps me on my toes.

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TALENT CHALLENGE

Performance management

Retaining talent

What can HR do to retain star performers within the company without alienating your other workers?

Brendan Toomey

Vice President of Human Resources - Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide

Employees will stay in companies that have a healthy growth trajectory, great leadership, fantastic culture and opportunities for career advancement.

This is why we emphasise rewarding performance based on merit and inspiring personal development across every level.

More recently, we have commenced the roll out of an exciting new initiative called “Career Conversations” in Asia Pacific to ensure we have a true picture of future roles our talented workforce are interested in and that they are correctly mapped against their needs and those of the company.

When young talent join us, we provide them with rigorous industrial training across many job functions through our award-winning e-learning facility at the Hilton Worldwide University. We also groom and fast-track talented employees into senior roles through a structured succession planning programme. We have the Pro-Active Leadership (PAL) and SHINE Career Development programmes that offer mentorship guidance and leadership training for advancement to general manager and director levels.

At the end of the day, the best way to retain talent is to nurture individuals who are passionate about the industry and create an internal culture that supports and inspires personal growth.

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Michael Shau

Vice President for People and Administration, Cebu Pacific

Our talented employees are sought after by many other airlines. We believe that taking small, non-monetary steps can make a huge difference in talent retention.

First, we provide open communication channels and ensure our leaders can be approached anytime. Even our office layout supports this and we make sure communication travels fast so it reaches the people who need it and when they need it.

We offer opportunities for career progression, where no one gets the advantage just because of seniority. This way our employees recognise that they have the opportunity to advance in their career as they constantly improve themselves.

Cultivate a challenging work environment where no one becomes complacent and continuously find ways to do things better and smarter. This helps make their work even more meaningful and they become engaged. We celebrate even the smallest victories to show employees how much they are appreciated and valued.

Lastly, we maintain our culture of family and fun. Make work enjoyable by hiring the people who are passionate about what they do and those who embody what Cebu Pacific stands for.

Hiring the right people helps maintain this culture we have.

Candice Lim

Director of Human Resources, Ramada and Days Hotels Singapore at Zhongshan Park

The key to driving and retaining good performance ultimately lies in our ability as HR professionals to align employees’ needs to company’s goals in terms of: • Designing a career development system that meets associates’ professional needs and personal fulfillment at all levels of performance • Implementing an effective performance system that sets clear deliverables and recognises contributions and behaviours that are in line with corporate values Apart from that, it is also necessary to continuously develop star performers through ongoing positive coaching opportunities and celebrating their successes.

We have created and implemented the ‘ME LEAP!’ programme for those who aspire to develop a career as hoteliers. ‘ME LEAP!’ is a comprehensive training and development road map designed to look at each individual’s career needs and advancement prospects. Assessments are conducted at each stage of the training to determine an associate’s performance and aspirations so that a personalised plan may be developed to aid career progression.

HR ought to take the time to develop individualised development plans for every team member, align rewards to performance, create recognition platforms and set clear benchmarks so that all contributors will benefit and be motivated.

TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN

HR at work 7.30am I arrive at the office and start the day with a cup of coffee after watering the pots of greenery at my work station. I commence by checking my emails and follow up on any outstanding issue from the day before. At this time, there is peace and quiet so I am at my most productive. I also attend to queries from early-bird colleagues, if any.

Jasmine Lee

Senior Manager, HR, Canon Singapore

8.30am I officially kick-start the day by reviewing offers to be made to selected candidates. I also attend the CEO breakfast session on a weekly basis.

This is a communication platform initiated to enable staff of all levels and divisions to interact with the CEO. 10.30am I attend meetings with various stakeholders pertaining to all HR operational matters such as handling of grievances. Occasionally, I also conduct interviews for critical positions.

12.45pm I head off for the long awaited lunch at one of the nearby food courts and catch up with

colleagues from other business units. Lunch is mostly spent chatting away with colleagues about everything under the sky, except work of course!

1.45pm I head back to office for meetings with external parties related to HR services.

3.00pm Meet up with business units for a discussion on impending changes, initiatives to be rolled out and exchange of opinions 4.30pm Update the “to-do� list to ensure that I have cleared all outstanding issues 5.00pm Discussion with my team members on HR operational issues such as recruitment matters, etc.

5.30pm I finally settle down to reply to any outstanding emails and review documents related to HR operational issues 7.00pm Back to home sweet home.

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TALENT FEATURE

JobsDB

The digital employee (and how to reach him)

As mobile smartphone usage becomes more prevalent, it is becoming critical for hiring managers to look beyond traditional mass media to engage and attract fresh talent into the organisation, says Angeli Beltran, Managing Director of JobsDB (Singapore and Malaysia)

Angeli Beltran Managing Director of JobsDB (Singapore and Malaysia)

The last few years have seen the evolution of the mobile device from luxury to necessity. An increasing number of consumers are relying less on their home PCs and more on their mobile devices to stay connected.

According to a Nielsen report published in June 2012, 72% of phone users in Singapore are using smartphones as their primary means of communication. A recent Black Box survey among 500 Singaporeans yielded results of 88% smartphone ownership, and found that 92% of those aged 25-39 are smartphone owners.

The spectacular rise of mobile device users and the corresponding mobile technological advancements have given rise to a new type of worker – the Digital Employee. This is the Singaporean who relies heavily on his mobile devices to manage almost every aspect of his life, including organisation, communication, entertainment, and fairly recently, job-hunting.

This significant development calls for companies to re-assess their methods of searching for new employees. Reaching the Digital Employee through mobile is now not only an option. It is a mandatory.

Consider the following: • Mobile is a critical part of the marketing mix.

Priyanka Bhattacharya, Editor at Digital Market

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Asia, states that consumers in Singapore spend more than 23% of online time on mobile devices, yet only 1% of advertising spend is allocated to mobile media.

Given the current mobile landscape, there is clearly a need to put more money into mobile advertising.

• Mobile is a mass medium. According to Rohit Dadwal, managing director, Mobile Marketing Association, Asia Pacific, “Mobile… complements other media in engaging the consumers.” Mobile presents a targeted, cost-effective means by which businesses can reach a wide base of consumers instantaneously. In time, it may prove even more effective than traditional mass media.

• The future is mobile. The trends indicate that mobile will continue to grow exponentially. It is estimated that within three years, tablets will replace PCs and smartphone usage will increase threefold. Dr. John Sullivan, HR Practitioner and writer at ere.net, stresses the importance of not only being aware of current trends, but knowing how to build on them: “If you merely identify and copy current trends, by the time your firm implements them, you will have fallen behind.” Bambos Kaisharis, Head of Consumer Goods, Google, Singapore says that ‘search,’ a very basic activity among PC users, “will move from home to the streets. People will slowly stop using the search capability on their home PC and use mobiles to search location- based information whether for a service or shopping.”

The mobile playing field is vast, simply because not many are playing. The Digital Employee is out there, looking for a job. And the best part is, reaching him is not difficult at all.

For more information, please visit http://jobsdb.com.sg Tel: 6861 1000

A successful 2012.

Here’s to 2013.

Frazer Jones would like to thank our clients and candidates for supporting us during 2012, our first year of operation in Asia. We have successfully expanded into Singapore and Hong Kong and look forward to building and continuing relationships in the region throughout 2013 and beyond.

frazerjones.com

Our Asia-based teams work closely with our established offices in London, Dubai, Sydney and Melbourne, with 40 consultants worldwide.

We are now the only independent specialist HR recruitment business with a truly global footprint working with HR professionals all over the world.

For further information about Frazer Jones please contact Theresa Hall on +65 6420 0516 or at theresahall@frazerjones.com

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Human Resources

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(Foreign MNC) HR Director

VP, Human Resources

HR Business Partner

Country Role

Major Asset Management Firm

Pharmaceutical Industry

MNC Environment

Strong Asian Focus

Newly Created Role

Salary Circa S$150k

Continued Growth

Salary Circa S$150k - S$180k Base + Bonus

Our client is an established company in energy efficiency with a strong global footprint. An opportunity now exists for a seasoned HR to join them in this director role.

Our client is a major asset management firm with an established brand name in managing regional and global mandates for institutional clients, as well as in mutual funds. It has a strong Asian focus, and ambitious growth plans.

Our client is a leading player in the pharmaceutical industry. Due to exciting growth and HR initiatives planned, there is now an opportunity for a high calibre HR Business Partner to further deepen their HR function in the region.

Working with a team of professional and energetic colleagues, you will report to the VP HR for East Asia and be responsible for effective and efficient delivery of the entire country HR functions in Singapore. This includes providing strategic and tactical advice to business leaders in the areas of learning and development, general C&B and talent management. You will partner closely with business to create a better workplace, competitive workforce and high performance culture. You will also support business in change management. You will collaborate with SEA HR business partners to provide end-to-end HR programs and services and support critical business needs.

As Head of Human Resources reporting to the CEO, you will drive the people agenda and contribute to the alignment of the business and employee objectives through utilizing appropriate HR interventions and change management tools. As a generalist and strategic business partner, this broad ranging role encompasses both strategic initiatives and daily HR operational matters. You will manage all aspects of HR functions including policies, payroll, compensation, benefits and recruitment.

You will challenge the status quo, reengineer processes, benchmark strategies and policies against best practices, and manage change.

Reporting to the Head of HR, you will partner the business in generalist HR activities. This encompasses and is not limited to talent management, performance management, succession planning and C&B. You can be expected to partake in strategic HR initiatives as well as, to get involved in operational day to day matters where necessary.

You are HR qualified and have worked a minimum of 12 years in a progressive multinational. You have great organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize and anticipate the needs of multiple clients groups.

You are hands on, have strong knowledge around local employment practices and are overall, an excellent team player.

You are degree qualified with relevant experience gained in financial services, preferably in asset management firms. You are commercial in your approach and are able to provide innovative HR solutions in addressing complex business and human capital challenges.

You possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, are proactive, hands on and a lateral thinker.

You are HR qualified and have worked a minimum of 10 years in a progressive and dynamic MNC. Prior experience in business partnering and talent management is critical for this role. You are strategic in mindset, and operationally hands on. You are a strong team player and possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

To apply, please submit your resume to Yolanda Yu at yy@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number YY4862\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Audrey Chan at ac@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number AC4848, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Cecelia Koh at ck@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number CK4824\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

Financial Services I Commerce I Human Resources I Technology I Legal I Sales & Marketing 76

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Business Registration No: 200307397W I Licence No: 03C4828

Returning the Human to Resourcing

(European MNC) Head of Talent Acquisition, SEA

FMCG HR Business Partner

Senior Recruitment Manager

Industry Leader

US MNC

Regional Bank

Excellent Career Opportunity

Supporting Sales & Marketing

Newly Created Role

Salary Circa S$140k-S$160k

Salary Circa S$100K

Salary Circa S$130K

Our client is a leading MNC in energy efficiency industry. As a result of internal career progression, here now exists an opportunity for a high potential individual to join them as Head of Talent Acquisition for South East Asia.

Our client is a global FMCG company and is seeking to recruit a dynamic Business Partner for Singapore. Singapore is the strategic hub for the Group's operations in the Asia Pacific region including manufacturing, supply chain, distribution, and sales and marketing activities.

Degree qualified, you have at least 10 years’ relevant experience ideally gained in a major MNC or bank. Alternatively, you are in a major recruitment consulting firm and wish to progress your career in a corporate role. With strong communication and presentation skills, you thrive in a fast paced environment and are commercial in your approach.

You will have at least 5 years of experience with a solid track record in business partnering and developing initiatives to support business goals. You have excellent in depth knowledge of the full range of HR policies and procedures.

Prior experience supporting Sales & Marketing will be preferred. You are confident in supporting the business independently. You have an inquisitive, curious mind and a natural ability to question when relevant, and the willingness to work in the Eastern part of Singapore.

Our client is a major regional bank with an established presence in Asia Pacific and is continuing to expand into new markets. Due to continued growth and migration of key global support functions into the Singapore market, there is now an exciting opportunity to head the recruitment team.

As a successful candidate, you partner with the HRBPs in fulfilling the business' talent requirements and oversee end-to-end recruitment process. You will be developing innovative sourcing and selection strategies.

You will manage the offer process, including salary recommendations and offer letter generation. Playing an active role in developing and maintain Bank’s preferred vendor listing.

This also includes driving graduate recruitment, talent management initiatives and responsible for internal secondments and permanent transfers.

You will have at least 8 years of progressive recruitment experience within financial services, preferably with at least 2-3 years in a supervisory role. You come with excellent understanding of the Singapore recruitment market with successful track record of recruiting at all levels. Excellent written and verbal communication skills with high level of initiative with a positive, "can do" attitude will be required.

To apply, please submit your resume to Yolanda Yu at yy@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number YY4894\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Priscilla Chen at pc@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number PC4916\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

To apply, please submit your resume to Priscilla Chen at pc@kerryconsulting.com, quoting the job title and reference number PC4940\HRM, or call (65) 6333 8530 for more details.

Reporting to the Head of Shared Services and managing a team, you will be responsible for the overall recruitment function for the region.

You will develop and champion the recruitment and branding strategies, policies and best practices, and align the recruitment activities with the business objectives. You will attract talent to support the growth of the organization in a timely and cost-efficient manner. You will attract talent to support the growth of the organization. You will participate in talent retention programs so as to ensure internal mobility through strategic moves within the organization. You will manage preferred vendors in driving the service levels and efficiency.

Reporting to APAC HR Director, you will partner with the management and staff, supporting their needs in the entire HR spectrum for Sales & Marketing. You will manage manpower planning, employee engagement, performance management and compensation. Other key areas of involvement include the implementation of HR initiatives and programmes in HR information system, organisational development, talent management and learning & development.

Business Registration No: 200307397W I Licence No: 03C4828

6 Best Headhunting awards in Asiamoney Headhunters Poll for Asia since 2009 Expanded Financial Services Practice in Front Office, Middle/Back, Human Resources, Legal, Technology and Sales & Marketing

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Human resources professionals speak to tHe experts regional Hr Business partner Harmonise the organisation

Director of compensation & Benefits provide effective specialist advice to the business

This multinational engineering organisation, providing specialised products and services to multiple industries, is seeking a HR Business partner. Reporting to the Group Head of HR, you will drive and lead a team of HR Managers covering the full spectrum of HR activities for the engineering division. Your key focus will be to lead and maintain robust HR functions, putting in place good HR practices and processes. You will interface with business leaders, playing the role of strategic HR Business Partner to senior management.

A leading financial services organisation is looking for a Director of Compensation & Benefits to provide effective business specific advice on compensation and reward related issues, such as benchmarking, market analysis and intelligence as well as driving the implementation of reward solutions. You must also possess strong relationship building and stakeholder management skills in order to influence key decision makers on compensation issues. With a degree in Finance or a HR related field, you have at least at least ten years relevant experience developing and implementing major reward programs in a large organisation.

regional Head of Hr, apac lead the strategy across 14 countries One of the world’s leading pharmaceutical organisations, with their Asia Pacific headquarters based in Singapore, is seeking a Head of Human Resources to oversee the region. Your focus will be to plan, direct, implement and monitor HR strategies, policies and programs to ensure consistency and compliance with corporate HR policies and strategies.

Reporting to the Managing Director, with a dotted line into global HR, you will add value as a business partner and organise the HR functions to offer optimal support for the company’s business goals. You will act as a communication bridge between corporate HR and the APAC affiliates and represent the APAC region within the wider HR leadership team.

talent acquisition specialist use expertise to meet company needs This well known FMCG business is seeking a Talent Acquisition Specialist to join their HR team in this newly created role. You will take the lead in end to end recruitment for a range of roles across APAC. This will include working closely with the Talent Acquisition Manager to ensure alignment with global and regional processes. Working directly with hiring managers, you will fulfil talent needs and requirements, delivering graduate recruitment campaigns to attract the best candidates and supporting talent management initiatives. A graduate with at least five years experience in talent acquisition, you have a proven track record in sourcing and placing candidates to meet business requirements.

please contact ash russell, thomas Girling, Vargin Yeke or Brylee neyland at hr.singapore@hays.com.sg or +65 6303 0721.

hays.com.sg

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Great people are at the heart of every successful business. It is this belief to invest in our team at Charterhouse that makes it possible for us to provide our clients with professional, specialised and tailored executive search services and the best possible talent for each company.

People are our business

Our client list spans across multi-national companies and global enterprises with a vested interest in people and talent development. These companies are currently searching for HR professionals to develop a rewarding professional career for and to value add to the following professional and executive roles.

HR Manager (Recruitment)

HR Director

Our client is a key player in the manufacturing space, having global presence in Asia and Europe. With plans for expansion, they are looking for an experience HR Manager to spearhead their recruitment and talent management needs.

Our client is a recognised brand and employer of choice with exciting growth plans. They are looking for a HR Director whose responsibility is to front the HR Department and oversee all people-based internal activities.

Responsibilities:

• develop and implement recruitment and selection strategies for positions in APAC • implement and support HR strategies to attract, develop and retain talents through talent management, succession planning and employee engagement initiatives • resolve grievances, disputes and provide guidance to line managers on employee relations • develop and manage relocation policy and programs • ensure all employment matters are in compliance with the region’s regulations

Requirements:

• minimum 3 to 5 years of relevant working experience in similar capacity on a regional level • self-motivated and ability to drive a team to reach the given targets • strong analytical and strategic thinking ability • possess good communications and interpersonal skills

Responsibilities:

• responsible for senior level decision-making for both daily management and strategic direction of the organisation • provide advice to line managers on all HR issues: management of staff, remuneration, etc • review all staff salaries and make recommendations for any increments and promotions • maintain a succession plan for all departments

Requirements:

• must be comfortable working in a standalone environment • able to quickly establish credibility and respect and build strong working relationships • able to solve problems through a pragmatic approach • understand all employment-related legal implications and able to resource plans accordingly

To apply, please email your CV to hr@charterhouse.com.sg.

To apply, please email your CV to hr@charterhouse.com.sg.

OD/L&D Manager

HR Manager (Regional)

Our client is a European MNC listed on Fortune 100. They are looking for an OD/L&D Manager to design and deliver OD interventions to address the root causes of issues to improve organisational effectiveness.

Our client, listed on Fortune 500 is looking for an experienced HR Manager to provide professional advice on developing and recommend HR policies and procedures to compliment both on a localised and regional approach.

Responsibilities:

• act as internal OD subject matter expert and in�luence stakeholders in taking ownership of recommended solutions to drive culture transformation • deliver leadership development programs through coaching and mentorship • partner with business functions to deliver value added service to re�lect business objectives • full spectrum of HR including spearheading HR initiatives in line with corporate objectives • act as employee champion and change agent to provide advisory support

Requirements: • • • • •

a good degree specialising in HRM/Business Management at least 6 years' of relevant working experience in OD function professionalism in maintaining employee con�idential information mature and able to manage people-related issues with professionalism ability to provide good leadership, change management and facilitation skills

To apply, please email your CV to hr@charterhouse.com.sg

Responsibilities:

• implement all HR initiatives within the Singapore of�ice through directing and executing all HR matters related to the Asia of�ice • achieve the organisation’s objectives and targets through the management of human resource and development activities • ensure franchise markets adhere to the organisation’s HR standards through partnership with HR Team, achieving key HR KPI’s • be an employee advocate and a sounding board to senior director, HR and functional heads

Requirements:

• minimum 5 years of experience in a similar capacity • strong in personnel management, salary, bene�its policy development and job evaluation methodology • strong communication skills to work with personnel across all levels • display high level of maturity with sound decision-making skills To apply, please email your CV to hr@charterhouse.com.sg

For more information on your career and recruitment needs, please visit www.charterhouse.com.sg Charterhouse believes in investing in people. If you want to join a company that provides more than a job but a rewarding career call Gary Lai at +65 6435 5601 or email garyl@charterhouse.com.sg.

EA Licence Number: 06C3997

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