The path to parity: Four Singapore women leaders on the lack of Asian women in global leadership roles

Soh Siew Choo, chief information officer at insurance provider MetLife Asia Pacific, points out that women are often bypassed for global roles due to perceived family obligations. “[The assumption is] that family responsibilities may make it difficult for you to take calls at odd hours or travel the world. Managers or leaders may at times automatically exclude women from consideration for such roles,” she says.

Reflecting on her prior, almost two‐decade tenure at American multinational finance corporation JP Morgan, Soh attributes her success today to the firm’s culture. She notes: “The finance world is male‐dominated, and more so with tech roles within that domain. However, because of the strong diversity at JP Morgan, I was given the opportunity to drive many critical transformations that advanced my career and experience, regardless of my age, gender or background, because my managers believed in my ability and potential.”

Soh, a member of MetLife’s Global Tech & Ops diversity council, shared that her current company’s strong dedication to diversity is an important attraction to top talents. She points out MetLife’s diversity commitments, such as a chief diversity officer who reports to the global chief executive officer, and initiatives such as the Triangle Tech X event. “Open to all, it features talks by prominent female role models, amongst others. It demonstrates the capabilities of women through role modelling, an important aspect for advancing the gender equity agenda,” Soh explains.

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Effective corporate policies are essential for supporting women’s professional growth and fostering gender diversity. Shivani Saini, global vice president of digital and tech for business units at Haleon, a global consumer healthcare company, understands this. Saini previously experienced the “motherhood penalty”, which denotes career setbacks women face when juggling family and work.

Starting her career at a multinational consumer goods corporation in Japan, Saini navigated challenges as a foreigner, a new hire and an expectant mother, including a rescinded promotion post‐maternity. Despite these, she remained determined—“Why should a baby change my potential and my opportunities?” Saini asks. Her response was to work even harder to demonstrate her abilities. “I said I’ll prove myself and get what I want, which is what I did. That was life‐defining for me. If I had given up then, I would not be who I am today.”

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With a career spanning 26 years, the innovation advisor under IPI, a subsidiary of Enterprise Singapore, has earned accolades for inventing a patented app and pioneering digital programmes, such as beauty imaging systems for SK‐II’s beauty counters. Her career has taken her to various countries, including the US, Belgium, Japan and Singapore, where she leads global digital and technology strategies across 150 markets.

Saini’s struggles resonate with Wong’s own experiences in raising her now 16‐year‐old daughter. “You sacrifice a lot when you travel frequently and have a challenging tech career. I only saw her [at the] weekends for the first six years of her life. She stayed with my mother, who, along with my sisters, helped care for her,” she reflects. Wong, who is a single mother, also once had to put her career progression on hold to prioritise her family’s needs. “Without my strong support system at home, this would be very difficult,” she admits.

It is stories like these that led Supriya Rao Patwardhan to take matters into her own hands. As executive vice president at DHL Group, Patwardhan leads a unit of more than 5800 IT professionals across the globe. Her 30‐year career at DHL includes roles in Singapore, Malaysia, and at the company’s headquarters in Bonn, Germany. She was struck by the stagnation in workplace support for women since her own early days as a mother. “During the pandemic, I was appointed as EVP for DHL’s Group‐wide IT Services unit—and this coincided with becoming a grandmother for the first time,” she shares. “I saw my daughter, a new mother, struggling to get the right support to return to work. I thought, ‘This is crazy. It’s 30 years later, but nothing has changed.’”

Patwardhan also references IBM and Chief’s global study, “Women in leadership: Why perception outpaces the pipeline—and what to do about it”, highlighting a substantial decline in women’s workforce participation during family‐starting years.

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In response, she championed the She’s Back programme in her unit. “It’s [tailored] for our female talents who have worked with us for a few years and then stepped out to have a family. We want to give them all the support when they return, which includes peer support and training so they can regain confidence and skills they may need to get back into the groove,” she says. She also advocates for flexible work arrangements, as it is a “win‐win situation” that allows companies to tap into a wider talent pool.

Beyond these initiatives, she stresses the need to address underlying issues in the workplace. “Unconscious bias training is a good place to start because it targets the root of inequality,” she says. This training is crucial for recognising and rectifying behaviours that may inadvertently disadvantage certain groups.

While structural and policy changes are vital for gender equity, the impact of mentorship and sponsorship in empowering women in the workplace cannot be overlooked. Take Wong, for example, who demonstrates a deep commitment to mentorship, often guiding at least five mentees simultaneously. For her, mentorship is more than just guidance; it is a lifelong relationship. Citing a mentee from India who progressed from a technical specialist to an award‐winning global leader under her mentorship, Wong shares that “helping someone transform themselves is my greatest fulfilment”. Her dedication extends to organising women’s round tables in countries she travels to for work, including South Korea, Mexico and Brazil.

Soh, on the other hand, extends her mentorship efforts beyond her professional sphere. She is the co‐founding member of non‐profit group Web3 Women in Hong Kong, which seeks to increase female participation in the Web3 domain through its mentorship programme that she runs. During her tenure as the group head of big data and artificial intelligence technology at DBS Bank, one of her many initiatives in the early days initially attracted mostly female volunteers. Feedback revealed misconceptions; some thought that those initiatives were meant for women only. Others were wary about being involved as they were worried about being perceived as biased or lowering their standards. This experience highlighted a need for education about the agenda being focused on inclusive participation. She notes that in Singapore, such misconceptions persist, hindering progress.

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However, Soh notes the unique impact of male mentorship, observing that women’s endorsements carry more weight when supported by men, as they can leverage their positions to help women navigate career paths and gain visibility. “It’s an unfortunate reality,” she allows. “Male allyship is one of the most powerful approaches for advancing gender diversity.”

Wong emphasises the crucial role of male leaders, encouraging them to assess and proactively improve the gender composition of their teams. She challenges male executives, asking: “What actions have you taken as a leader to advance and create opportunities for women? I think it needs to start from the boardroom with a top‐down mandate to achieve a target of women representation. Male leaders should advocate equal representation to their next level of reporting lines.”

Mentorship and sponsorship in women’s professional networks are equally substantial, as Wong highlights the need for mutual support among women. “It’s less common than it should be and is sometimes competitive,” she says. “We need to move away from this outdated mindset. When women sponsor, volunteer or encourage women, we can [amplify] our voice and strength.”

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Saini relates her experience with a sponsor who recognised her potential: “She saw my potential in ways I didn’t. While I say we should ‘think big’, she was actually making me ‘do big’. She gave me this global role and [told me that] readiness comes with experience.” This in turn inspired Saini to sponsor many women over the years, reinforcing the belief in the power of female support networks.

The experiences of these four leaders consistently highlight self‐empowerment as the key element in attaining career success on the global stage. Saini advises women to “think BIG”: “B” for belief in oneself; “I” for investing in oneself; and “G” for “go for it”. She says: “Women in general put a lot of barriers in our own heads. If you believe in yourself, nothing can stop you. Invest in yourself.”

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Highlighting the unique contributions women can make in the workplace, Wong states that “women bring empathy, and a more collaborative, unified spirit into teams”. Echoing this sentiment, Saini emphasises that leadership can be synergised with womanhood. She posits: “It’s crucial for young women to recognise that [they] can excel in [their fields] while embracing [their] essential qualities, such as empathy. It makes for a beautiful leadership style.”

As for women venturing out into the global sphere, Soh shares that opportunities are there for women to take on leadership roles “as long as you are willing to step out of your comfort zone, be ‘uncomfortable’ when you’re in the minority and be the ‘fearless girl’ in championing what you believe in”.

Patwardhan, meanwhile, encourages embracing “crucible roles” for growth, advocating for risk‐taking and self‐belief. To women aspiring to global leadership roles, she says: “The most formative parts of my life were the moves [I made to other countries]. Each was a great learning experience. It forces you out of your comfort zone and into new situations you wouldn’t normally encounter. I would thoroughly recommend it.” She also attributes her career success to her commitment to seizing challenging opportunities. “Put your hand up and go for the [difficult] roles,” she urges. “There is no growth without taking risks.”

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