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Developed in partnership with world-renowned coach Marshall Goldsmith, iCoach aims to democratise career guidance across the bank’s workforce.
DBS has unveiled a new generative AI-powered coaching platform called iCoach, designed to make personalised career guidance available to all employees across its network. The tool was launched on 22 July 2025 at an event in Singapore, attended by Human Resources Online, with Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information & Ministry of Health delivering the opening address.
Unlike traditional coaching, which is often reserved for top leadership or high-potential talent, iCoach aims to make expert coaching accessible at scale. By doing so, the bank hopes to support employees in areas such as personal leadership, work-life balance, mental wellness, and professional growth no matter their role or seniority.
“As the world of work continues to evolve, building career resilience has become more important than ever,” said Lee Yan Hong, Head of Group Human Resources, DBS.
“iCoach is a powerful new addition that complements our existing development efforts, leveraging Gen AI to offer personalised, on-demand career guidance to help every employee confidently navigate and grow in the future of work,” she added.
The always-on platform was developed in collaboration with Dr Marshall Goldsmith, a leading coaching expert. It is tailored to DBS employees and draws on the context of the bank’s roles, functions, and mobility pathways to deliver actionable career advice. According to research cited by the bank, 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, while 70% say it improves their work performance, relationships, and communication skills.
iCoach builds on DBS’s broader learning ecosystem, which includes:
- iGrow: An AI/machine learning platform matching staff with personalised learning and job opportunities.
- DBS mentoring programme: A network connecting employees with leaders and peers which will enable them to gain practical guidance.
- DBS learning hub: A hub which contains 10,000 curated courses for upskilling.
- Be my guest: A programme offering job shadowing and cross-departmental project experience, taken up more than 4,000 times in the past year.
Zulkarnain Barudin, an Assistant Relationship Manager with DBS Treasures Private Client, shared how he has progressed internally from a call centre role to a client-facing position. “The supportive learning environment encouraged me to leverage the various opportunities for development to build a fulfilling career, enabling me to make four internal moves over the course of my tenure at DBS,” he shared.
In his opening remarks at the launch, SMS Tan spoke about the evolving role of generative AI in the workplace and beyond.
“AI brings with it tremendous potential in the economic sphere.”
Its role, he said, is not to take over jobs, at least not in the immediate future, but to automate certain tasks within a role and support individuals in working more efficiently. He also commended DBS as a “flag bearer organisation” for investing in its people, adding that tools like iCoach help employees “see the silver lining and take charge of their own career.”
The launch of iCoach is the latest step in DBS’s long-term strategy to future-proof its workforce through its Triple E framework:
- education
- exposure, and
- experience.
Lead image / DBS
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