Shirley Lee
Head of human resource
ipac Asia
What was your first HR job?
My interests have always been in people and I believe that people can be developed. When I was given the opportunity to be rotated to run an operations function some years back, I told the CEO that I wanted to move into the human resources space at some point.
I am very glad that he took my aspiration into consideration and made it happen for me two years later. I must say he has been instrumental in my career and I am grateful to have had a good leader.
My first HR job was a regional management development role where I covered Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
I assisted the CEOs of those companies with issues such as succession planning and management development of the CEOs' direct reports.
How would you describe your colleagues at ipac?
I like that there are no politics among the leadership team that reports to the CEO. We can differ in our views and debate them, but there are no ill feelings. That has been healthy. So culture-wise, there is a level of openness and trust. We respect each other for who we are and the competencies that we have.
How do you unwind?
I would love to play more golf. I actually spend a lot of time in church, which allows me to grow in a different way.
What is the riskiest work decision you've made?
It was quite a long time ago when there was a management meeting to discuss a three-year business delivery. The goals were quite a quantum leap and we were discussing employee communication, and what we should communicate.
When we talked to the different head of functions to debate about whether we should go ahead with a particular communication, I was the only one who said no, when everybody else said yes.
The CEO, who has a strong personality and is a visionary considered all the different views before going with my view.
And, in a way, it was different from what everybody else was saying, but I said what I believed and, subsequently, it was deemed the right decision.
Name the best thing HR can do?
To care about the business enough to make sure that we do what is right and necessary for the business, and for the larger good.
Sometimes it means making tough decisions such as ‘letting go' of people. Although we need to take this action at times, we also try to ensure that the rest of the organisation is functioning at the level where we can move forward in the future.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
Seeing how people grow and develop. Even if they move on to pursue their aspirations, which may not be in line with what the company can provide, there is a sense of joy because people are moving and doing things to grow themselves.
This is one of the more satisfying aspects of my work.
