The experience showed her how even seasoned leaders can benefit from sounding boards, such as when they are weighing decisions in unfamiliar markets, she adds.
SGLN TECH was developed by the Singapore Leaders Network, which runs a suite of initiatives including SGLN Fellowship, SGLN Launchpad, Overseas Transition Support. These programmes are aimed at supporting leaders at different career stages, and as they take on overseas or global roles.
Ultimately, SGLN aims to strengthen the pool of Singapore leaders in industries and functions essential to the economy – including biopharmaceutical manufacturing, technology and supply chain.
Writing a new playbook and navigating a changing environment
A veteran in the field, Singaporean Kwek spent 16 years moving across the public service, Procter & Gamble and Meta, while building a career that now spans different markets and cultures.
Experience alone, she says, is not enough when the environment itself keeps changing.
“In technology, what you know last week may change this week, and then you have to relearn, unlearn and relearn,” she adds. “The playbook for the AI era is not defined yet, so companies need someone to write its chapters.”
That means leaders increasingly need to be comfortable operating without a clear template – experimenting, adapting their approach and learning from people whose experiences differ from their own.
“Having a network of people out of work, whom I can seek advice from is very important now as a leader, because we all learn from each other,” she says.
Kwek was among the 50 leaders from all corners of the technology ecosystem, such as multinational companies, large local enterprises, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Over six months from April to September this year, they spent time learning together through leadership modules, masterclasses and closed-door conversations with technology and public sector leaders. They also worked in teams to develop and pitch a solution to a real-world problem.
