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S’poreans in good stead 
for MNC leadership roles

Singapore — As the Republic targets to expand its pool of professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) and attract more foreign companies, more Singaporeans will have the opportunity to climb the corporate ladder of multinational corporations.

Mr Arthur Fong, managing director of 3M Singapore. Photo: 3M Singapore

Mr Arthur Fong, managing director of 3M Singapore. Photo: 3M Singapore

Singapore — As the Republic targets to expand its pool of professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) and attract more foreign companies, more Singaporeans will have the opportunity to climb the corporate ladder of multinational corporations.

With 40,000 to 45,000 young Singaporeans expected to enter the job market annually over the next three years, the Government has said it wants to prepare citizens for a wide range of specialist, managerial and leadership roles in the economy.

One such Singaporean who has found success in the upper echelons of an MNC is Mr Arthur Fong, managing director of 3M Singapore.

As someone from a humble background who grew up in a kampung with six siblings, Mr Fong did not imagine he could one day lead a global company in Singapore.

Mr Fong, who joined 3M in 1993 as a technical service engineer, now steers the American technology conglomerate’s manufacturing and research and development activities in the Republic and oversees 1,700 employees.

“I’m in fact the first Singaporean to be appointed the (firm’s) country managing director two years ago,” Mr Fong, 48, told TODAY. “But it has not exactly been easy — I’ve been through 10 positions across three business units in four geographical areas throughout the years.”

His rise to the top at 3M Singapore
is a prime example of the increasing career opportunities available to PMETs to succeed at an MNC.

It is a trend that will continue as Singapore attracts more global companies to its shores, said Economic Development Board’s assistant managing director Alvin Tan.

“Singapore’s value proposition to MNCs includes the availability of local talent, whose in-depth knowledge and understanding of local and regional markets would boost an organisation’s success in Singapore and Asia,” he said.

“As more MNCs host their regional or global functions in Singapore, new and exciting jobs — including leadership roles — have opened up for locals.”

For young Singaporeans targeting to succeed at the highest levels of an MNC, they must be bold in seizing career opportunities that come their way, Rockwell Automation’s regional human resources director Dennis Ng said.

He was the company’s first local employee when the global leader in industrial automation solutions set up its South-east Asian headquarters in Singapore in 2006.

“I’ve explored airlines, banking and logistics before I became a human resource manager at Swedish electronics company Luxor 20 years ago,” said Mr Ng, who is in his 50s.

“You must have the courage to take risks, get out of your comfort zone and accept new challenges, even when they aren’t something you like or plan for.”

The same can-do attitude was also what kick-started Mr Wong Kwang Yong’s career at German electronics manufacturer Infineon in 1998.

Within a month of joining Infineon — then still part of Siemens — as a logistics executive, he was told to go on his first Europe trip to Germany for training.

“I was the only Asian in the programme, but accepted the challenge. Among other things, that experience showed me the cultural diversity in an MNC,” said Mr Wong, 41, who is now Infineon’s regional logistics director.

“To succeed in this sort of environment, you must be aware of that diversity and appreciate cultural differences — Germans are more direct and Asians less so, for example. This is important because, in a global company, you’ll need to communicate effectively with colleagues of different nationalities.”

Looking ahead, Mr Fong said current Singaporean leaders in MNCs should take a more active role in grooming the next generation.

“The question is how we, the current generation of business leaders, bring that to the next level — to create more opportunities for Singaporeans to be groomed into leaders in MNCs,” he said.

“To this end, two years ago, I implemented a programme called 2x2x2 — which will expose our top local talent to at least two businesses, two geographical areas and two functions.”

Mr Ng has also introduced his system to develop talent. “Our Leadership Development Programme will allow us to hire fresh graduates here to put them through two years of local and overseas training,” he said.

“We don’t know when the next generation of local leaders will emerge, but it’s a cause that we champion.”

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