Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
Features | Public Service

Building Singapore’s
future HR leaders

The National HR Scholarship is for outstanding Singaporean undergraduates from business schools with a specialisation in HR. Awarded by the Ministry of Manpower in partnership with future-oriented private organisations, it combines the prestige of a government scholarship with the career opportunities of dynamic private sector organisations.

As Singapore’s flourishing business environment increases in complexity, so will the human capital needs of fast-evolving organisations and an increasingly diverse workforce. This is why competent HR professionals are needed to develop the human capital capabilities and strategies of organisations to steer their corporate growth.

Three National HR scholars tell us about their work life as HR professionals in their chosen sponsoring organisations.

What do you do at work and why is your role in HR so important?

Tan Sok Kai: As a HR professional in Sakae Holdings Limited, I take charge of the recruitment for various job positions and oversee various aspects of our internship and scholarship programmes. I am also involved in various ad-hoc projects to boost sales and strengthen our corporate image.

Tan Sok Kai
National HR Scholar

Designation: HR Executive, Sakae Holdings Ltd

Studied: Bachelor of Business Administration, National University of Singapore

"As HR professionals, we are in a good position to understand the thoughts and opinions of employees from different walks of life and lend our insights to various departments."


As HR professionals, we are in a good position to understand the thoughts and opinions of employees from different walks of life and lend our insights to various departments. Our mission is to keep people happy and feeling fulfilled and to do so, it is important to engage and develop our workforce.

Jacob Tan: I specialise in the practice of Executive Compensation and Performance at Aon Hewitt Singapore, a provider of human capital and management consulting services. My role sees me assisting regional companies in designing and implementing their compensation strategies and incentive plans.

I derive fulfilment from being involved in and having an impact on people’s lives. Beyond ensuring that people are duly and fairly compensated, I also commit to ensuring that employees are well-engaged and their talents are ably developed.

Sam Neo: At Keppel Corporation Limited, I hold both a HR and a non-HR portfolio. As part of my HR portfolio, I oversee talent management, scholarship and training programmes. My non-HR responsibilities include being involved in Keppel Care Foundation as an administrator and in Keppel Volunteers as the Vice President.

HR professionals provide more than just administrative support. We are strategic partners. In addition to engaging our employees, we bring the best out of them.

Sam Neo Wei Quan
National HR Scholar

Designation: Executive, Group Human Resources, Keppel Corporation

Studied: Bachelor of Business Administration,
National University of Singapore

"HR professionals provide more than just administrative support. We are strategic partners. In addition to engaging our employees, we bring the best out of them."

What are some of the challenges you have faced at work? How have you overcome them?

Sok Kai: The common challenge of companies in the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry is the lack of manpower. Sakae studies and places itself against the benchmark of leading countries such as Taiwan. We have also leveraged on technology to increase productivity, such as sushi robots with the capability to churn out rice balls.

Some recruitment candidates are particular about joining only the service crew and not the kitchen crew. They fail to realise that the kitchen crew is the backbone of the company as they create food experiences that can easily light up a customer’s day

Jacob: With the shrinking pool of foreign talent, companies have to look beyond the concerns of a reduced headcount and explore ways to make the most of what they have. For instance, instead of investing time to look for a new chef, companies can invest in machinery to achieve results.

Workers from the millennial generation are also likely to feel disengaged and bored after two or three years in a company. It is thus important that companies continually engage and encourage their talents through opportunities for job rotation or an overseas posting.

Sam: Employees’ potential can also be maximised through on-the-job training or mentorship schemes. There is also a need to chart the career paths of new hires, who are concerned with their future in the company and their opportunities for career progression. This is why HR professionals need to have foresight in developing employees both personally and professionally.

Tell us about some of the opportunities that the scholarship and your company have given you.

Sok Kai: Through the scholarship, I had the opportunity to participate in Harvard Summer School in the US, which opened my eyes to new perspectives through different learning settings.

Out of school and into the workplace, Sakae has given me opportunities to be involved in various decision-making processes and strategic projects. It is also heartening that Sakae entrusts challenging projects to me and believes that I can manage them well.

Jacob Tan Jian Zuo
National HR Scholar

Designation: Consultant, Aon Hewitt

Studied: Bachelor of Business Administration, National University of Singapore

"Workers from the millennial generation are also likely to feel disengaged and bored after two or three years in a company. It is thus important that companies continually engage and encourage their talents through opportunities for job rotation or an overseas posting."


Jacob:
I did an internship with Aon Hewitt before applying for my scholarship, and also worked part-time for the company in my final year. I remember working two to three days a week while completing my thesis on the determinants of non-executive directors’ compensation in Singapore. Aon Hewitt helped to fund my research which had a strong data emphasis.

As a working professional, Aon Hewitt has given me many opportunities to engage the industry. I partnered the Singapore Institute of Directors, PwC and Egon Zehnder to conduct research on corporate governance trends in Singapore and also conducted the Best Managed Boards Awards and the Board of Directors Survey.

Sam: My growth at Keppel has been at the personal and professional level. After being the emcee for various company-wide events, I find that I have been pushed beyond my comfort zone and have realised my talents and abilities.

Professionally, I was nominated the Vice President of Keppel Volunteers, a group-wide volunteer movement that spearheads activities to contribute to local communities. This role has not only given me leadership exposure, but also the opportunity to do something I am passionate about. In fact, I have just touched down from Vietnam, where the Keppel Volunteers were having a work retreat and planning session. It was also a proud moment for me when Keppel Care Foundation was given the President’s Award for best practices in community involvement and corporate philanthropy.

What is the culture like in your respective organisations? Any advice for aspiring HR scholars?

Sok Kai: Sakae is a growing small-medium enterprise and we have a relatively flat corporate hierarchy. It nurtures a family-oriented culture with an open-door policy to encourage interaction with our management team. Criticism is not meant to be taken negatively, but should be seen as coming from the heart of a mother to her child.

At Sakae and across the board, it is important for HR professionals to have empathy for people and practice flexibility when there is a need to. HR scholars should take note of this in order to do well in their future HR career.

Jacob: Even though Aon Hewitt is a large Multinational Corporation (MNC), we also have a flat corporate structure. We model the culture that we try to build in our client companies.

As a HR scholar, you must believe in what you are doing and see your future work as a service to others. It is easy for HR professionals to get caught up in the doing and the operational functions of HR. It is always important to remember that there is a person at the receiving end of your work.

Sam: Keppel’s fiery ‘can-do’ spirit certainly defines us. We possess a strong and positive working attitude and work with commitment and conviction.

It is important for both HR scholars and professionals to have the right attitude and desire to learn. The process of proving your abilities can be tough, so it is important to possess the ‘can-do’ attitude and learn as fast as you can, as much as you can.