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Study on the Impact of Technology on Human Resource Jobs & Skills

Study on the Impact of Technology on Human Resource Jobs & Skills
By ihrp 2 IHRP Perspectives December 10, 2020 Back
Technology will elevate the value-add of HR jobs and create new opportunities for the HR function to drive business transformation and productivity

The Institute for Human Resource Professionals and Ministry of Manpower in Singapore commissioned Willis Towers Watson, a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company, to study the impact of technology on human resources (HR) job roles and skills in three to five years’ time. The study released today reveals that 90% of HR jobs will be impacted by technology. The study on the Impact of Technology on HR jobs and skills draws upon a series of workshops and 60 interviews conducted with more than 230 business leaders and HR professionals for their views on the type of technologies impacting HR, their impact on HR functions, automation potential of HR processes, as well as new skills required.

“This study confirms a seismic shift in the HR landscape as we know it today. HR professionals need to acquire the skills to grasp technologies that will enable them to develop and implement innovative people practices for their organisations. Digital acumen will also enable HR to understand how technical skills fit into the workplace and therefore better support organisations that embark on digitalisation to unlock greater business value. HR can lead the way to evaluate the many emerging options for getting work done both within and outside HR and determine how best to combine human talent and automation,” said Mayank Parekh, CEO of Institute for Human Resource Professionals.

“As the HR functions transform, HR jobs will be redefined. New skills will be required to perform them. Our study shows that most of the 27 jobs we analysed will see significant changes to the tasks within each job, due to the availability of technology enabled solutions. And 90% of the jobs will experience a medium to high level of impact due to technology,” said Vidisha Mehta, Managing Director and Head of Talent & Rewards, Singapore, Willis Towers Watson.

The adoption of HR technology will also enable the HR function to deliver more seamless and cutting-edge employee-centric services and experiences, as well as high strategic value to businesses. The study highlighted five key themes that will transform the way HR will work in the future:

  • Enhance jobs and drive transformation in organisations: The HR team in an organisation needs to enhance jobs through job redesign, lead strategic workforce planning, and be the internal change champion to drive organisation transformation.
  • Equip workforce with future skills: HR leaders must identify emerging skills and skill gaps to drive re-skilling / upskilling of the workforce.
  • Build consumer-grade experiences: HR leaders need to design talent journeys across the talent lifecycle and leverage technology to deliver consumer-grade experiences for employees.
  • Digitalise HR: HR leaders needs to develop an integrated HR technology roadmap to drive implementation of seamless and effective delivery of HR processes.
  • Drive data-based decision making: The HR function needs to drive data-based decision making across HR and business functions for more robust talent related decisions

 

“IHRP is preparing HR professionals to be ready to embrace these new skills and opportunities for better career development. In 2017, we launched IHRP Certification and over 3,000 have been successfully certified. To ensure that HR professionals are equipped to harness the benefits of tech transformation, IHRP has developed learning pathways on HR Technology. We have partnered with the Institute of Systems Science of the National University of Singapore to develop a Digital Competencies Roadmap for HR. Under this partnership, IHRP and NUS will develop training courses for HR professionals to acquire the skills necessary to embark on digital transformation. These courses will enable HR professionals to lead and execute business transformation projects and acquire Skills Badge in HR Technology. Finally, IHRP will inculcate a culture of continuous professional development across the IHRP community through a series of peer-led Communities of Practice (CoPs). These CoPs are led by senior HR professionals, where participants share resources and best practices. For example, the ongoing HR Tech CoP has curated 49 learning resources and organised a series of webinars and learning events attended by more than 1,000 HR professionals, to help the community better understand how technology and automation can enhance HR,” said Mayank

“For HR professionals in roles identified to be at higher risk of displacement by technology, they can be reassured that there will be upskilling opportunities available across the HR ecosystem to develop new skills and competencies such as HR Ops and Tech and Employee Experience Design. Upskilling and elevating HR professionals will create new opportunities for the HR function to drive business transformation and productivity. This will put our businesses and workforce in good stead to navigate their transformation journeys in the post-COVID world,” added Mayank

In addition to Singapore, the research also includes countries such as the US, UK and Sweden as part of the HR industry landscape scan. The scan was conducted to provide insights on the potential evolution and future technology adoption for HR in Singapore. The study identified emerging trends in HR through the analysis of over 2.5 million professional profiles, more than 180,000 job postings and 2.5 million job transitions across Singapore and the reference countries.

The report on the Study on the Impact of Technology on Human Resources Jobs & Skills is available for download here.

ihrp 2 / About Author
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Yeo Meng Hin, IHRP-MP, GRP, FCIPD

Director, Group Human Resources
Keppel Corporation Ltd, Singapore

Meng Hin believes that effective human resource management requires the alignment of human resource strategies around business objectives and a highly engaged workforce that is committed to deliver those goals. Meng Hin is currently leading the global HR function for Keppel Corporation Ltd as Group Human Resources Director. Keppel Corporation is a company focusing on deliver solutions for sustainable urbanisation.

Previously, Meng Hin had also managed operations, logistics, technology and transport management as well as business development.

Meng Hin is an IHRP Master Professional (IHRP-MP) and currently serves on the IHRP Assessment & Insights Committee.

Tan Seng Chai, IHRP-MP

Chief Corporate & People Officer
CapitaLand Ltd

Tan Seng Chai is currently the Chief Corporate & People Officer of CapitaLand Group. He oversees the Group’s corporate functions including human resource & administration, communications, legal & company secretariat, procurement, and global shared services & business process. His responsibilities also include the Group’s organisation development function, including corporate giving through CapitaLand’s philantrophy arm CapitaLand Hope Foundation. Seng Chai is a member of the CapitaLand Executive Committee.

One of Seng Chai’s key responsibilities is human capital management and development, building talent pipeline and capabilities to support the organisation and businesses including M&A. He is actively involved in senior appointments succession planning and executive compensation to drive sustainable high-performance culture in the organization.  

Seng Chai’s role in CapitaLand group began in leading the human resource function and his responsibilities has been expanded to oversee other corporate support functions in his capacity as the group’s Chief Corporate Officer from 2012.

Before joining CapitaLand in February 2008, Seng Chai was with Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd, Singapore for 12 years. He held key positions in the company which included heading its worldwide human resource organisation as well as overseeing key projects implementation and strategic investment activities.
Seng Chai holds an honours degree in Civil & Structural Engineering and a Master of Science in Industrial & System Engineering from National University of Singapore. He is also currently the Executive Director of the CapitaLand Hope Foundation.

Tan Kwang Cheak, IHRP-MP

Chief Executive Officer
Agency for Integrated Care (AIC)

Kwang Cheak is the Chief Executive Officer for the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC).

He started his career in the Singapore Public Service and spent more than a decade in the Singapore Administrative Service, serving in various appointments in the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Manpower and JTC Corporation. He subsequently joined McDonald’s Singapore where he was the Senior Director for Operations, Business Planning and Human Resources, before he became the Assistant Executive Director in the Singapore National Employers Federation. He was also the Director for Human Resources and Talent Development in MOH Holdings Pte Ltd, the holding company for the six public healthcare clusters in Singapore, and the Chief Human Resources Officer at NTUC Fairprice Cooperative Ltd in Singapore.

Tan Kok Heng, IHRP-MP, Chartered FCIPD

Director Human Resource
MFA, Singapore

Kok Heng is a seasoned public service human resource and organisation development leader. He is a strategic HR leader with experience in nationwide campaign marketing, stakeholder engagement and human resource development. He is adept at strategic manpower planning with good understanding of local and international talent pipeline and demands. Kok Heng has worked with the military, education, media and marketing, culture, arts and heritage, sports, community development and charity sectors in developing its talents, including global talents from overseas.

Kok Heng is currently Director Human Resource with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Singapore and is responsible for its full suite of HR functions. He is also concurrently the Vice-Dean of MFA Diplomatic Academy. Previously, he served as CHRO, Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board and Dean of CPFB Academy.

A nurturing leader, Kok Heng mentors and coaches individual and teams as a career and life coach. He is a mentor to HR managers on the public service programmes.

Robert Chong, IHRP-MP

Business/HR Advisor

Robert Chong has over 30 years of experience in managing the HR function as well as the business transformation for various global companies. In his most recent appointment as the Chief Corporate and Human Resource Officer of Shangri-La Asia, Robert focused on driving Human Resources strategy as well as supporting corporate services to deepen capabilities and enhance synergies across the Group. Prior to joining Shangri-La, he has held senior HR appointments at Keppel Corporation Limited, Temasek International, Shell (Asia Pacific & Middle East), Pepsico and Asia Pacific Breweries.

He is a member of the Advisory Board for Nanyang Business School and he is also certified as a Master Professional by Institute of Human Resource Professional.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Art in Sociology from the National University of Singapore and a Master of Business Administration in Accountancy from the Nanyang Technological University. He has also attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and senior leadership programmes at INSEAD (Fontainebleau) and IMD.

Renata Janini Dohmen, IHRP-MP

Global Head of Early Talent Attraction
SAP

Renata Janini Dohmen is a global award-winning senior executive in Strategic Human Resources. Based in Singapore, Renata has over 30 years of professional experience in Latin America and Asia Pacific countries, partnering with and helping businesses and talent prepare for the Future of Work.

Internationally recognized for her individual achievements and for the successes of people and organizations under her leadership, Renata is currently responsible for attracting and recruiting thousands of entry-level talent to SAP worldwide and brings her extensive experience from the many years she has served as Head of Human Resources for American and European organizations across Asia Pacific and Japan. Before moving with her family to Singapore in 2011, Renata developed an outstanding career in Latin America, where she held country and regional positions of increased responsibility in Training & Development and Human Resources Business Partnership.

Renata holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and most recently has been conferred the distinguished title of IHRP-MP by the Institute of Human Resources Professionals in Singapore. Renata is a regular speaker in international events and an active contributor to the growth and development of Human Resources.

Paul BK Choo, IHRP-MP

Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice President for Sustainability
Bridgestone (China & Asia Pacific)

Paul is currently the CHRO & VP for Sustainability with Bridgestone responsible for the China and Asia Pacific region (CAP) and is a key member of the Executive Committee of Bridgestone CAP that is fully responsible for the strategy, direction and financial success of its regional business that spans across 10 countries and 14 business entities.

He serves as a Member of the Nomination & Compensation Committee and Governance & Risk Committee of the Board of Bridgestone CAP and sits in two Bridgestone Global Committee – the Global HR Committee overseeing the Group’s Global HR transformation and the Global Sustainability Committee overseeing the Group’s sustainable development through creating safer, healthier and more sustainable environment and communities.

He has almost 30 years of global HR experience with proven success in linking HR strategies to the business and providing HR thought leadership across a dispersed region. He has worked for global MNCs such as Exxon Chemical, Lennox and Bekaert in varying senior roles and across all levels of HR from operations to corporate HR up to and including Chief HR responsibilities and was based in Dallas, USA and Shanghai, China for almost 14 years on overseas assignments. His broad HR business partnering and consulting skills includes leading strategy development, organization design & culture transformation, leadership & executive development, talent management strategies, executive compensation and the development of the HR function to meet sustainable business results. In his senior roles, he partners closely with CEO and C-suites, Senior Management teams and do work with Board of Directors.

He serves on the Board of LEAP201 as Board Member (Non - Executive Director) and Member of Executive Committee that focuses on lifting low-income households above the poverty line in a sustainable way.

Ong Chin Yin, IHRP-MP

Head of People
Grab

Ong Chin Yin is the Head of People at Grab. She runs the People Operations and Grabber Technology Solutions teams to build positive and personalised experiences for all to thrive at Grab.

As an orgware developer, Chin Yin is a conferred IHRP Master Professional, the pinnacle-level achievement that recognises HR leaders as role models of the HR community in Singapore.

Chin Yin graduated from the National University of Singapore with an Honours degree in Psychology. She spent 20 years building experience in sales, marketing and human resource.

She supports humanitarian causes and gives back to the community where she can, including serving as a mentor at the Young Women’s Leadership Connection. She most recently joined the F45 movement to keep herself healthy and fit!

Olivia Tay, IHRP-MP

Group Chief Human Resource Officer
National Healthcare Group (NHG)

Olivia Tay is the Group Chief Human Resource Officer of the National Healthcare Group (NHG), She joined NHG, a leading public healthcare institution recognised at home and abroad for the quality of its medical expertise and facilities in 2001, and assumed her current position as Group Chief Human Resource Officer in 2006.

As Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Mrs Tay oversees the formulation, review, and implementation of HR strategies and policies to support NHG’s vision and mission, which are aligned to the national agenda of MOH. She also works closely with different stakeholders, including other public healthcare clusters and the union.

Highly respected within the HR community in Singapore and beyond, Mrs. Tay has close to three decades of HR experience in industries spanning across electronics to healthcare. She is also a member of several national-level taskforces with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), Public Service Division (PSD), and the Workforce Development Agency (WDA)

Mrs, Tay was certified as an IHRP Master Professional by the Singapore Institute of Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) in 2019, in recognition of her HR leadership. She was also awarded the National Day Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 2015.

Norbert Ehlert, IHRP-MP

Senior Director Human Resources
Procter & Gamble, Singapore

Norbert Ehlert is currently Sr. Director HR for Procter & Gamble, Research & Development and leads the HR function across Innovation Centres in APAC, Middle-East & Africa as well as for the Greater China Region.

Norbert is a transformational leader who sees the HR function as a core enabler to the success of an enterprise. ”People are the secret sauce to any business. Human Resources has the mission to identify and develop critical capabilities and talents, steward company values and focusing on the human aspect of the business in creating an inspirational, inclusive workplace that allows and enables every individual to perform at their peak.”

Norbert started his career as a Junior Relationship Manager in a Bank, joined the HR function after studies of International Business Administration in Germany and Japan, and now has more than 24 years of experience in Human Resources. His career provided him with the opportunities to live in 7 countries and work globally. Norbert’s role portfolio spans across all HR aspects such as HR Services & Operations, Manufacturing, Country and Regional Business HR Leadership, Large Culture & Business Transformations, Acquisitions & Divestitures and Regional Employee Relations. He is a Mentor to talents across Regions and functions, an experienced Coach to business leaders.

Norbert currently also serves as Member of the iHRP Engagement and Outreach Committee.

Low Peck Kem, IHRP-MP, Chartered FCIPD, MSHRI

Chief HR Officer & Advisor (Workforce Development), Public Service Division
President, SHRI

As the Chief HR Officer and Advisor (Workforce Development) for the Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office of Singapore, Peck Kem is responsible for professionalising HR in the public sector of 16 Ministries and more than 60 Statutory Boards.

She is also the elected President of the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI).

Prior to her current appointment at the PSD, she was the Senior Director for HR & OD for a not for profit organization, The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) based in Geneva, where she was responsible for HR, OD, Legal, Internal Audit and Corporate Administration for the 15 global offices at GAIN.

Peck Kem has the unique combination of experience from a quality engineer to manufacturing manager to VP Human resources in the private sector (Tandon, Western Digital, Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies & Avago Technologies), a Divisional Director of National HR Division in the Singapore Ministry of Manpower in the public sector, a Senior Director ODHR in GAIN, a not for profit organization based in Geneva to now a Chief HR Officer for the Singapore Public Service Division. This combination has widened her perspective in private, public and NGO sectors, and viewing the leadership from an Asian and European perspective.

Peck Kem has a Masters in Human Resource Management from Rutgers University and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from NTU. She is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and IHRP Master Professional.

Lee Yan Hong, IHRP-MP

Managing Director, Head of Group Human Resources
DBS Bank Ltd

Yan Hong’s human capital management experience spans over 30 years, across a spectrum of industries, specialisations, coverage and geographies. During her time in General Motors, Hewlett Packard and Citigroup, her diverse portfolio included compensation and benefits, talent and performance management, learning and development, employee relations and organizational design.

At DBS, Yan Hong drives the overall strategic people agenda of the Group and is recognised for taking a proactive approach in building best practices in HR, setting the direction and spearheading various functions and initiatives in the organizational growth of the Bank.

Under her leadership, DBS has won a number of global and regional accolades including Gallup’s Great Workplace Award winner; one of Aon Hewitt’s Top Companies for Leaders, Bloomberg Businessweek’s Financial Institution Awards – Training Academy of the Year in Hong Kong, listed in Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index for 4 consecutive years, certified by Kincentric as Regional Best Employer in Asia Pacific, Country Best Employer in Singapore and our other markets for several years as well as Universum’s Top 100 Most Attractive Employers by business undergraduates in China – all in recognition for good HR practices.

Yan Hong was a steering committee member for Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review (ASPIRE) looking to enhance career and progression prospects for tertiary students in Singapore and currently serves as committee member at the Human Resource Skills Council for Workforce Singapore (WSG) and Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI) CHRO Advisory Panel.

Justina Tan, IHRP-MP

Managing Director; People
Changi Airport Group (S) Pte Ltd

Justina Tan provides strategic leadership to ensure employees of Changi Airport Group would have the competency and commitment to accomplish the organisation’s business plans and objectives.

She has more than 20 years of experience in the airport industry and has held senior positions in various airport business functions from international relations, airline marketing, airport retail and airport consultancy. She was appointed to head the Human Resources function to drive the transformation of the HR function, and has been in the HR field since 2004. She has a passion for organizational development work, and over the years she has drove cultural initiatives, initiated a more structured approach for talent management and leadership development, spearheaded employee engagement efforts, as well as looked into the design of rewards and performance management systems to drive organizational performance. Under her leadership, Changi Airport Group has been recognized in recent years as an employer of choice through various Employer Brand Awards, and recognized by industry partners, including Union partners, through various other awards. In recognition of her contributions and achievements within the HR industry, Justina was conferred the Institute of Human Resource Professionals Master Professional (IHRP-MP) certification.

Josephine Chua, IHRP-MP

Director of Human Resources & Quality
Ramada and Days Hotels by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park

Josephine Chua is the Director of Human Resources & Quality for the Ramada and Days Hotels by Wyndham Singapore at Zhongshan Park.

Josephine has developed and implemented initiatives to attract, engage and retain talents in the Hotels. Under her leadership, she led the Hotels to receive the SkillsFuture SME Employer Award 2019, HR Asia Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2016, HRM Award Best SME Employer of the Year 2017 and Human Resource Magazine HR Excellence in HR Team Collaboration in 2019.

An industry veteran, Josephine was previously a Senior Manager in the Human Resources and Talent Development department for Singapore's largest integrated resort. Before 2011, Josephine held engineering and global supply chain director roles in Hewlett Packard, Agilent Technologies, and Avago Technologies. Being passionate about people, she has been personally coaching owners of Small-Medium Enterprises on business strategies, leadership and organizational development on a pro-bono basis. With her commitment towards HR and as well-known speaker in the HR industry, Josephine has constantly been keeping up with the latest HR trends and practices during her spare time always making sure that her information is up to date.

Josephine graduated with a Bachelor in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from National University of Singapore, Master in Business Administration (Accountancy) from Nanyang Technological University and Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management from Singapore Institute of Management. Josephine has acquired Emergenetics Certification and Leadership Coaching Certificate (International Coach Federation) as part of her commitment to groom talents.

Jolene Chen, IHRP-MP

Group Human Resources Director
Prudential plc

Jolene Chen has been the Group Human Resources Director for Prudential plc since June 2019 and prior to that the Chief Human Resources Officer for Prudential Corporation Asia since 2011.

Currently based in Hong Kong, Jolene sits on the Group Executive Committee and the Prudential Corporation Asia Regional Executive Committee. She is Co-Chair of Prudential’s Global D&I Council and Vice-Chair of Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential in Asia.

Jolene leads an HR team that supports 18,000 employees across 25 countries and 4 continents, spearheading Prudential’s cultural and values transformation as it becomes a more inclusive, purpose-led, customer-focused, and digitally savvy organisation.

Under Jolene’s leadership the HR function has undergone a significant mindset shift, creating more engagement with the business, driving faster decisions through new ways of working and improving the employee experience through the application of new technology. To further enhance capabilities within the function an online HR academy has been launched including, for the first time, a global baseline of HR capabilities.

Prior to joining Prudential, Jolene spent over 21 years with multinational companies, including Standard Chartered and Inchcape, in a variety of resourcing, organisational design, talent management, learning and development and human resources roles.

Jolene is active in the wider global HR community, as a member of the World50 group.

Jason Ho, IHRP-MP

Head Group Human Resources
Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, Singapore

As Head of Group Human Resources, Jason Ho leads the People and Organisational strategy at OCBC Bank. He has over 30 years of experience in the financial industry. The crossover from business operations to human resource management puts him in a strong position to bridge the gap between OCBC Bank’s business and people agenda and prepare for a future that is ready to embrace change brought by technological reforms and the digital revolution.

Jason champions HR transformation with the singular purpose of driving an employee experience that brings out the best in employees to achieve business outcomes for OCBC Bank. His mission is to prepare the business and the workforce for the future of work.  

He serves as Director of The Institute of HR Professionals and a member of the HR Industry Transformation Advisory Panel (HRTAP).

Dr Jaclyn Lee, PhD, IHRP-MP

Chief Human Resources Officer
Singapore University of Technology and Design

Dr. Jaclyn Lee is currently the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), where she is responsible for managing the Human Capital and Talent Strategy for the university. She also heads the HR Technology and Analytics Function and for the past 10 years has also worked closely with the President and senior leaders in managing the culture and organization development of the university. Jaclyn also holds an appointment as Senior Fellow with the SUTD Academy where she has trained hundreds of HR professionals in the area of data analytics and HR Digital transformation. For her contributions to public service, she was accorded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2019 by the President of Singapore.

Prior to SUTD, she was the Senior Vice President, Group Human Resources, responsible for managing the full spectrum of human resources for CERTIS, a security services company. One of her key achievements there was successfully managing a very difficult wage re-structuring project that involved thousands of workers. Prior to this, she was the Regional HR Director and HR business expert for NEC Solutions Asia Pacific.

Jaclyn is currently sitting on the Professional Practices Committee of IHRP, and she is also the Co-COP leader for HR Analytics. She has spoken in more than 150 conferences locally and globally, and is an author of a book entitled, “Accelerating organization culture change”. She is the recipient of several awards including Outstanding Contribution to HR in 2017 and Best HR Leader, SHRI in 2008. She has Masters Degrees from both Rutgers and SMU and a PhD in Information Systems from Twente University in the Netherlands.

Gloria Chin, IHRP-MP

Director; Corporate HR & Corporate Services
Ministry of Health, Singapore

Gloria Chin has almost three decades of HR experience, both in the private and public sectors. She started her career with the Housing & Development Board and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore before moving to the healthcare industry where she headed the HR function for the National Healthcare Group (NHG) corporate office and thereafter started up a new healthcare cluster, Jurong Health Services (JHS) as its HR Director.

Gloria was HR Director of the National Environment Agency (NEA) from 2011 to 2019. Under her leadership, NEA won more than 40 international and national HR awards and recognition in diversity & inclusion, mature workforce, strategic HR, employee development, employee engagement, workplace health, fair employment and corporate social responsibility. NEA was named the Public Sector Employer of the Year in 2016 by the Human Resources Magazine (Singapore) and clinched the Stevie Gold Award for Employer of the Year (Non-Profit or Government Organisations) in New York in 2018.

Gloria believes in grooming the next generation of HR practitioners. Since 2015, Gloria has been mentoring NUS Arts and Social Sciences undergraduates who are keen in HR as a career. She is also a member of the Public Service Division’s HR Talent Development Committee since 2018. In December 2019, Gloria joined the Ministry of Health overseeing Corporate HR and Corporate Services.

Dr Fermin A. Diez, IHRP-MP, CCP, SPHR

Deputy CEO and Group Director, Human Capital and Organization Development Group
NCSS, Singapore

Dr. Fermin Diez has 35 years of experience in human resources, including consulting, corporate, and academic roles in 40 countries.

As a corporate executive, he was Regional Head of HR for two large MNCs in Asia Pacific and in Latin America. Currently, he is Deputy CEO at the National Council for Social Service, where he looks after strategic people issues in this sector.

As a consultant, he has advised multinationals, local companies and public sector organizations at the Board and C-Suite levels. He also led the team that advised on the review of the pay program for the political appointees in Singapore.

Fermin has co-authored three books on HR: Human Capital and Global Business Strategy, Remuneration Handbook, and Fundamentals of HR Analytics. His articles have appeared in many international business and HR publications. His current area of research is the comparative effectiveness of various pay schemes. He serves as adjunct faculty at Singapore Management University and Nanyang Technological University.

He was previously on the Taylor’s Education Group Board as well as the Singapore Management University Business School Advisory Board, the Children's Cancer Foundation Board, and the Board of Directors of WorldatWork, the Board Of Jurong Health Group and the HR Committee of the National University Health System. He sits on the PSD HR Talent Development Committee (TDC). He is also on the Board and chairs the Assessment Committee of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP), where he is also the Dean of HR Studies.

Dr. Diez obtained his PhD in General Management from SMU. His MBA is from the Wharton School, and his BA in Psychology is from the University of Michigan. He is a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), a Senior Professional of Human Resources (SPHR) and an IHRP Master Professional (IHRP-MP)

D N Prasad, IHRP-MP, PCC(ICF)

Senior Director; Strategy, People and Organization
GovTech, Singapore

D N Prasad (Or, DNP as he is known as in professional circles) is an Executive Coach (PCC, International Coach Federation), transformational HR Leader, and a Talent & Culture Strategist, with expertise in leading scaled transformation, building and scaling Organizations & functions (in-country, region and global) and shaping & nurturing cultures and careers.

Prasad is currently Senior Director for Strategy, People and Organization with Government Technology Agency(GovTech), Singapore and is responsible for Corporate Strategy, Human Resources, Culture and Organization Development. Prior, he founded Noetic step, an Executive Coaching and Talent Advisory practice, working with leaders and organizations, globally. In his last corporate stint, he served as Director and Head of Google People Services for APAC and as a Leadership Coach, at Google Inc.

His progressive career leadership experiences spans seven and a half years with Infosys (where he was the global head of early career hiring, campus relations and HR Operations) and more than a decade with Google. He also brings extensive experience with coaching C-Suite and Senior leaders across APAC, Middle-East, India and US, across a range of industries - Technology/Digital, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Transport, Consulting, Media, Insurance, Healthcare and start-ups. 

He serves on the Advisory Board of Ad Astra Consultants, a boutique People Solutions company and on the Board of Management Studies of T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal – India.

Derek Tan, IHRP-MP, Chartered FCIPD, SHRM-SCP

HR Advisor

Derek Tan is a problem solver and system builder. An engineer by training, he has accumulated diverse HR experiences in troubleshooting business and organisational issues in both the private and public sectors.

He is blessed with many learning opportunities and have helped enable people, digitalise and humanise the workplace during his work stints in Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore Tourism Board, Central Provident Fund Board, Civil Service College, the former Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources , Ministry of Education and the Public Service Division. He has led in the design, development and deployment of total rewards, performance management, career development, competency and capability development systems in these organisations. He had the benefit to have also supported the development of HR systems in the public sector reforms of a few foreign countries.

He serves as a Council Member at the Singapore Human Resource Institute. He is a Chartered Fellow with the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, UK and a Senior Certified Professional with the Society of Human Resource Management, USA.

Daisy Chan, IHRP-MP

HR Business Consultant, People & Culture Services

Daisy Chan has 27 years of experience in Human Resource Management and People Development. She brings with her vast work experience that spanned across seven countries (Singapore, Australia, China, UK, Ireland, Vietnam and Malaysia).

Daisy is currently a freelancer for People & Culture Services, where she provides HR advisory and consultancy services. She dedicated more than two decades to progress the HR scene in the transportation industry in Singapore. In her last corporate role, she was the Group Chief Human Resource Officer at ComfortDelgro Corporation Ltd. She drove various initiatives in the areas of organisational development, cost savings, productivity and efficiency, and even served as in-house trainer for HR topics like Industrial Relations, Performance Management, Grievance Management, etc.

Daisy also served on several committees and panels, such as Public Transport Tripartite Committee, Security Cluster Tripartite Committee, LTA Steering Committee for Land Transport Industry Transformation Map, SNEF Industrial Relations Panel and Industrial Arbitration Court–Member of Employer Panel. She also volunteers her time as a Tripartite Mediation Advisor at Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management and does pro bono Mentoring and Training in her capacity as an IHRP Master Professional.

Chia Puay Kheng, IHRP-MP

Corporate Development Director
Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)

Puay Kheng is the Corporate Development Director of the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and oversees both Workplace Development and Human Resource. 

After graduating from NUS with a Engineering Degree, she started her career in Texas Instruments Singapore (TI) as a Product Engineer, before taking on the role of Engineering Section Manager. Puay Kheng then took up the role of Compensation & Benefits Manager, where she oversaw the transition of employees from TI to Micron Semiconductor Asia (MSA). In 2007, Puay Kheng joined the IMFlash Singapore as its HR director. As a new start-up and a member of the site leadership team, she led the development of the HR policies, framework and processes for IMFlash Singapore.

Puay Kheng has more than 25 years of HR experience in the private sector. Over this period, she has led the implementation of global HRIS using SAP and People-soft. She is an IHRP-MP and currently serves on the IHRP Assessment & Insights Committee.

Carmen Wee, IHRP-MP

Board Member, HTX (Home Team Science & Technology Agency)

Carmen Wee is a Global HR Leader with over 25 years of international business experience, driving large scale business transformation & change management within fast-growing companies with multiple, complex mergers and acquisitions. She has proven ability in the creation of new HR transformation roadmaps, operating models and redefining skills and competencies for corporate agility. She has successfully executed multiple progressive HR practices and aligned HR strategies to the business objectives.

She is actively driving Digital HR Transformation at the national level with IHRP (Institute of HR Professionals), and is contributing to the National HR certification movement & shaping the industry, leading to the conferment of Pioneer Master level certification by the Singapore Government. She is also a Board Member of HTX (under Ministry of Home Affairs), Republic Polytechnic’s School of Management and the IHRP Digital and Tech Committee.

She currently chairs the IHRP Covid-19 Taskforce to enable the HR & Business communities to formulate effective strategies, in response to the crisis.

Cara Ang, IHRP-MP

Group Chief Human Resources Officer
AIA Group Limited, Hong Kong

Cara Ang is currently the Group Chief Human Resources Officer at AIA Group Limited and is responsible for the development of overall human capital strategies and their implementation across the Group.

Prior to joining AIA, Cara was MD and Head of Human Resources of Standard Chartered Bank where she spent more than 10 years and has held a variety of senior regional and global leadership roles based in Singapore and Thailand. Prior to her stint in Standard Chartered Bank, she was the Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources Asia for Marsh Asia where she played a key role in shaping and driving the people agenda for the business in Asia.

Cara is a seasoned human resources practitioner with a record of success in leading teams to establish and deliver HR interventions that build business performance. A passionate people developer, she enjoys coaching others and is also known as a change champion who will initiate change at the individual and institutional levels.

With over 29 years of regional and international experience gained through the diversity of roles positions she has held, Cara has acquired a diverse background that includes startup, mergers and acquisitions, business integration, and change management experience.

She has worked across multiple HR disciplines across a spectrum of industries. During her time in Standard Chartered Bank, Marsh Asia, and Intel Asia she had a track record that included a broad coverage in areas of compensation and benefits, recruitment, talent and performance management, learning and development, employee relations, organisation design and generalist functions supporting multiple lines of businesses.

Cara is a Singaporean and is married with a son and two daughters. She enjoys reading, music and cooking.

Annella Heytens, IHRP-MP, CCP, GRP

Head of Human Resources, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China
Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Annella Heytens is the Head of Human Resources, Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC) of Amazon Web Services (AWS). She has over 20 years’ experience in human resources and business management experience with increasing levels of responsibility in human capital management, business management, financial analysis, and compensation and benefits. She provides overall vision, strategic and operational human resource leadership to the company.
 
Prior to AWS, Annella was the Global Chief People Officer of Coca-Cola’s Bottling Investments Group. She joined Coca-Cola from Cisco Systems where she was the Vice President of Human Resources for Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC). In both roles, she provided HR leadership to the business, align the people strategy and drive the implementation of solutions to enable business performance. She spearheaded multiple business and HR transformations that supported the business growth objectives.
 
Prior to joining Cisco, Annella worked for Willis Towers Watson as the Global Head of Research & Innovation Development located within Global Research and Innovation Services. Before undertaking this role, Heytens roles in Watson Wyatt included: International Practice Leader based in San Francisco, California; Asia Pacific Director of Data Services based in Jakarta, Indonesia; Managing Consultant, Shared Services Center based in Manila, Philippines; and Managing Consultant in Beijing, PRC. Prior to working for Watson Wyatt, Annella worked in the areas of finance and IT in the Greater Washington DC Area in the United States. She also had a prior career in Nutrition and Dietetics. She holds Master’s Degrees from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Aileen Tan, IHRP-MP

Group Chief Human Resources Officer
Singtel

Aileen Tan, Group Chief HR Officer, is responsible for Singtel Group's human resources development and leads its corporate sustainability function.
 
Aileen joined Singtel in June 2008 as Group Director, HR. Prior to that, she was Group General Manager, HR at WBL Corporation Limited and VP, Centres of Excellence with Abacus International Pte Ltd.
 
She co-chairs the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) HR Industry Transformation Advisory Panel and is a member of Ministry of Education's Institute for Adult Learning Council, Ministry of Finance's VITAL's Advisory Panel and MOM's Workplace Safety & Health Council. She is also a member of the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) Board, Singapore University of Social Sciences Board of Trustees, Home Nursing Foundation Board and Health Science Authority Board.
 
Aileen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the National University of Singapore. She holds a Master of Science in Organisational Behaviour from the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, US. She is a pioneer IHRP Master Professional, conferred by the IHRP in recognition of her being a role model for the HR profession. She received the Public Service Medal in 2018 for significant contributions to Singapore's human resources sectors.