Cover From left: Entrepreneurs and the evening's panellists Sazzad Hossain, Lim Wei Jie and Sabrina Ho with Gen.T's regional senior editor Chong Seow Wei
From left: Entrepreneurs and the evening's panellists Sazzad Hossain, Lim Wei Jie and Sabrina Ho with Gen.T's regional senior editor Chong Seow Wei
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We partnered with fashion house Boss for a second discussion on leadership lessons and what it takes to build a growing business
Bosses come in all forms, shaped by their personal and professional experiences. This and more topics on the meaning of being a leader were discussed at an event that we co-hosted with fashion house Boss in Singapore on September 13.
Read more: Why leaders are not born but made
The discussion took place at the chic penthouse ETTA, with three entrepreneurs from the Gen.T community on the panel: Sabrina Ho, founder and CEO of career and headhunting platform, Half The Sky; Lim Wei Jie, co-founder and director of social enterprise Foreword Coffee Roasters; and Sazzad Hossain, founder of edtech venture SDI Academy.
Speaking to a room of about 25 guests, the trio opened up about the ups and downs in their journeys, and how they strive for excellence as a boss.
Lim Wei Jie, co-founder and director of Foreword Coffee Roasters
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Shifting mindsets
Kicking off the conversation, Sazzad shared his motivation for starting SDI Academy. Born in Bangladesh, Sazzad moved to Singapore when he was 11 with minimal English skills. He struggled for years with the local education system and society, which helped him realise that this would be similarly felt by the many migrant workers also living in Singapore. He shared that they would have accidents due to not being able to read or understand the safety instructions provided in English.
Sazzad thus started SDI Academy to close the communication gap and equip migrant workers with key skills in the English language, as well as financial literacy and business.
Read more: The two millennial ‘nobodies’ who helped Malaysia get its democratic awakening
For Lim, Foreword Coffee Roasters was set up to tackle a different type of discrimination. During his university days, he came to realise the difficulty that people with special needs have in finding employment. So he founded his company to operate cafes that train and hire individuals with physical or mental disabilities, such as deafness and autism.
In Ho’s case, her experience with being stereotyped because of her gender led to the founding of Half the Sky. The career platform’s goal: level the playing field for women in the workplace through coaching, training, networking and access to equitable job opportunities.
The evening's venue was ETTA, a chic penthouse located at Kampung Bugis
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Approaching leadership
When asked about their leadership styles, Lim shared that he believes in empowering middle management to make decisions. “There is a difference between delegation and empowering. By strengthening the middle management, I can start to take myself off the daily operations,” he said.
Ho added that listening—to employees and customers—is how she likes to lead. She pointed to Sara Blakely, the founder of the famous shapewear brand Spanx, as one of her role models for her style of open communication, particularly about how she can continue to improve her company’s apparel.
Read more: Tips for young leaders on creating impact, earning respect and striving for success
The panellists
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Growing with others
As a company grows, a leader, too, has to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of the business and its people. Leading a five-person show is hardly the same as leading a 50-person or 500-person show.
All three panellists unanimously agreed that finding employees who are intrinsically motivated and align with the company’s values is key to their ventures functioning smoothly and being able to grow.
Sazzad also added that as his company expanded overseas, his challenge was to find time for self-mastery and be able to convey his vision and values clearly and consistently to all of his employees.
The event drew to a close with guests mingling over cocktails, cold cuts and canapés that flowed freely well into the night.
Meet more honourees from Singapore on the Gen.T List.
Credits
Photography: Max Chan
Work
Based in Singapore, Valerie Lim is the digital editor for Tatler Power and Purpose, Tatler Asia’s dynamic platform spotlighting industry leaders across the region. Valerie leads the charge in shaping the platform’s digital presence, from overseeing and producing website content to curating social media strategies.
With a finger on the pulse of the region, she keeps an eye out for news and trends in business, innovation and leadership, ensuring the brand stays ahead of the curve in delivering stories that inspire and inform its community of changemakers.
About
Prior to this role, she worked in marketing and communications. She considers herself Singaporean at heart and international by passion. You may recognise her from her 15 minutes of fame when she was crowned Miss Universe Singapore 2011. When she is not at her desk, you can find her in the gym or at a yoga studio.
Connect with her via Instagram @msvalerielim, LinkedIn or send press materials, and media invites to valerie.lim@tatlerasia.com
