6 inspiring female leaders in Singapore on equity, diversity and inclusion in today’s world

Being a woman entrepreneur who entered a male dominated packaging industry 20 years ago, equity, diversity and inclusion are topics close to my heart.

Having successfully challenged the status quo, I hope to continue to embrace these values and practices, and remove any barriers and biases that may limit opportunities for individuals from underrepresented groups, such as women, and individuals from marginalised communities. And Greenpac has policies and practices in place that promote equity and inclusion, such as diverse hiring practices and mentorship programs.

When it comes to embracing equity, diversity and inclusion in tech, I believe that we’ve made large strides in accepting that there are issues in the industry that we need to address. The next steps are for us to not just accept but commit to action and practice in creating more equitable systems, providing more opportunities, and narrowing the wage gaps that we see between communities and hierarchies - of course also including the gender wage gap.

One way forward is to be honest about the data companies already have around hiring, pay and retention for people from different backgrounds, and providing more anonymous and actionable ways of giving feedback at all levels.

Tech should be for everyone.

Healthcare is a people business. Embracing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is the fundamental value for providing excellent care. Our approach towards sustainable DEI involves recognising that everyone has unique needs and experience that should be valued and respected.

In line with our vision of advancing healthcare, changing lives, we are committed to improving the lives of patients, providing greater access to quality care as well as promoting equal opportunity for current and future generations.

By creating an inclusive environment, HMI Group aims to build trust with patients, improve healthcare outcomes for vulnerable populations, and promote the professional development of healthcare professionals. Inclusion is not just the right thing to do; it is also essential for ensuring that everyone receives the care they need to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

With HMI Group 's social enterprise arm, HMI Institute, we prioritise inclusion in healthcare education.By incorporating diverse perspectives into healthcare education, we look forward to helping healthcare professionals develop skills to meet the needs of different patient populations.

Angela Sim: When it comes to embracing equity, diversity and inclusion in our industry, my beliefs lie in the importance of mixing the team and communicating the importance of forming an inclusive work culture. Everyone is encouraged to mix. Everyone understands that we will respect each other’s boundaries as well. We educate through conversations with each and everyone in the company on how to be respectful and kind to one another. We always encourage everyone to use English to converse in the office.

Lynn Yeo: With humility comes wisdom. We all come from all walks of life with diverse encompasses that has mould us to who we are. To me, embracing diversity and inclusion means having the wisdom to seek out things beyond our understanding and the empathy towards others of different circumstances.

As a startup entrepreneur, I have had the privilege to be guided by the most respected and experienced veterans in the industry. They exemplify the true meaning of uplifting and elevating opportunities for the next generation of leaders after them. So to me, embracing equity, diversity and inclusion means to lead by example especially if you are in a position to do so; and to inspire others to do the same.

People play a critical part in any organisation’s success. As an international education group, EtonHouse has a highly diverse staff profile and inclusive hiring practices. We adopt fair employment practices where we do not ask for personal details such as the applicant’s age and gender, race, religion, or family information during the recruitment process. What matters more is the staff’s competency, qualifications and experience, and most importantly, it is their passion for education and the love and care they have for the children.

I always ask prospective employees what their expectation from their employer is. Most of the time, they say they want to be treated fairly. You cannot treat everyone the same, but you should respect and treat everyone fairly.

At EtonHouse, we respect children and their ideas, encouraging them to be curious and ask questions. This same philosophy translates into our company’s values and culture. I believe in building a positive work environment where employees feel respected, valued and supported. We need to respect our colleagues and listen to their ideas. Each individual brings diverse perspectives, experiences and ideas, and you may be surprised how employees’ suggestions can contribute greatly to the business.

We also ensure that every staff has equal access to opportunities and resources. We constantly invest in the professional development and training of the teachers, and our in-house pedagogy team works out the standards to ensure consistency in the training and development of our staff. We also ensure that there’s a clear progression for our staff. A teacher can be promoted to core teacher, senior teacher and assume leadership roles.

Lifting Half the Sky will be released on 8 March 2023. All proceeds from the book will be donated to ECF to run its various programmes to help and support children and youth of disadvantaged backgrounds through education. Learn more about the book here.