Tag Archive for: Singapore

Voice of Experience: Bin Hwee Quek, Vice-Chairman of PwC Singapore and the Markets Leader of PwC Asia

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Bin Hwee Quek“The barriers to success for women in our profession are sometimes ourselves,” says the Vice-Chairman of PwC Singapore and the Markets Leader of PwC Asia Bin Hwee Quek. “We sometimes believe we cannot reach the pinnacle of our career. This is not always true. It is possible for those who desire it. These women tend to embrace change and always keep an open mind.”

In her current position, Bin oversees all industries and sectors, both in Singapore and in the Asia Pacific Region, including financial services, health, technology, infrastructure and government. “I spearhead the markets and industries initiatives to enhance a high-performance culture and propel growth,” she says. “For each industry and sector, we aim to bring the best solution to our clients through our subject matter experts.”

Additionally she sits on the Global Markets Core Leadership Team which is charged with developing client solutions for the future. The Team identifies megatrends and determines how to help PwC win in the market, which is rapidly becoming more complex, transparent, interdependent and subject to continuous and accelerating digital disruptions.

“I feel privileged to work with talented people on projects ranging from statutory audit to restructuring, debt and equity financing and fraud investigation,” she says. “I am most proud when my team pulls together to deliver the best solutions for our clients and whenever our clients acknowledge our contribution to their success.”

As she has ascended through the hierarchy of PwC, she hasserved in various capacities including Asset Management Leader, Government Leader, Real Estate Leader and Human Resource Leader (Assurance).

With today’s rapidly changing world, full of new technology and disruptions, she is interested in how they work together to create new businesses and drive out old ones. In addition, she is intrigued by Big Data. “It has many secrets yet to be revealed,” she believes. “Data analytics will provide hindsights, insights and foresights to enable faster informed decisions for operational excellence and business growth.”

Advice from the Top

As Bin reflects on her career, she sees that she has always been more externally focused, thoroughly enjoying her work with clients and various government agencies. However, looking back, she believes she would have benefitted from spending more time with her colleagues to take advantage of increased opportunities to collaborate.

She encourages women in the industry to put themselves forward for different roles within their firms and in the network, advising that an overseas stint can greatly enhance work experience. And she believes that women should contribute to their community in areas where they are most passionate. “I strongly encourage everyone to make time in their busy schedule to contribute and to give back to our society,” she says. “Each little bit goes a long way.”

A Philanthropic Mindset

She puts that advice into practice, serving on a number of boards herself, including various Singapore Government statutory boards, such as The Housing and Development Board (“HDB”), where she was honored to receive the Public Service Award from the Singapore Government for her contribution to HDB. “It is humbling to know I have made a difference in the lives of my fellow Singaporeans.”

Other boards she has served on are those for Industrial and Services Co-operative Society and The National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, and she currently serves on the boards of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and Health Promotion Board, where she chairs the audit committees, and The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

She also has volunteered her time for the prison ministry for the past 10 years, which stems from her belief that everyone deserves a second chance. Further, as president of the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (“SANA”), she is a firm believer in keeping Singapore drug-free. SANA is committed to empowering the pillars they have identified as the bedrock of a drug-free society: youth, family and the community. “Together, we can work toward creating a crime-free and drug-free Singapore,” she says.

In her remaining free time, she loves outdoor activities, including skiing, trekking, cycling, playing golf and running, having completed a marathon.

Many of her adventures include her husband and three children, who enjoy spending time together skiing, trekking and snorkeling. “I remember feeling a sense of achievement at the summit of Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan and am looking forward to trekking in Patagonia in September this year,” she says.

By Cathie Ericson

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Voice of Experience: Karen Loon, Banking and Capital Markets Leader, PwC Singapore

karen loonWelcome the The Glass Hammer’s “Spotlight on Asia” week! We will be highlighting successful women working in Asia all week long!

Karen Loon, recently appointed as PwC Singapore’s Banking and Capital Markets Leader, knows that making assumptions based on someone’s gender is a mistake. Assumptions based on appearance are often equally misleading. That’s because while some might assume that Loon was born in Asia, she’s actually a fourth-generation, Australian-born Chinese.

That’s why her interest in diversity runs deeper than just gender. “I am passionate about ensuring that both women and those from culturally diverse backgrounds are given the right opportunities to thrive within their organizations,” she says, which makes her the ideal fit to be PwC Singapore’s Territory Diversity Leader.

A Career in Accounting Added up for Loon

Loon began her career after graduating from Sydney University. Her parents were business owners who had business acquaintances who were accountants and encouraged her to consider it as a career.

She participated in vacation internships with other accounting firms, and decided she liked the culture of PwC, which she joined in 1990. She was seconded to PwC Singapore in 1994 when a one-week training in the Netherlands opened her eyes to the possibility of working outside of Australia, coupled with her growing conviction that Singapore was ripe for a booming economy, and decided to stay for the longer term.

The move was less conventional than one would guess, because as Loon says, “Most Australians have a strong affinity for the U.K.” Furthermore, though she is ethnically Chinese, Loon doesn’t speak Chinese. “It’s very difficult to feel like an outsider. I was fortunate to be coached and mentored by supportive people.”

Climbing the Ladder as a Woman

Becoming a partner was not easy to achieve and certainly ranks as one of her proudest professional achievements. In fact she says that though she didn’t realize it at the time, she had never met a female audit partner when she started in Sydney.

“Women partners were few and far between in Sydney,” she says, adding that Singapore was more progressive in this area with some of the women partners having kids. “There is more family support in Asia. The values in Sydney tend toward mothers staying home.”

During a recent two-year return to Australia, Loon reflected on her values and how she had changed — and how other aspects of the firm had changed. “There are now more women partners, but we are still clearly the minority. It made me more passionate about making sure there are opportunities for everyone.”

Diversity Committee Feeds Her Passion

That’s why she finds her work with her Singapore diversity committee to be so satisfying. In addition to her recent appointment as a Territory Diversity Leader, she is also the East Cluster Financial Services People Leader, East Cluster Diversity Coordinator and a member of the Global Financial Services Diversity Steering Committee.

“Being open to diversity is how businesses can retain talent,” she says, adding that the broader issue facing all organizations is how cultural diversity, not just gender diversity, will continue to dominate the discussion.

“Companies have to be cognizant of culture and open to accepting that people come with different values and backgrounds. Companies that continue to focus with a just a western lens will be at a disadvantage. Those who understand different types of clients and environments will be the successful ones. Otherwise it’s so easy to offend someone without even realizing it.”

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