J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge attracted more than 14,000 runners this year

Last evening, the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Singapore returned for its 15th edition where it attracted 14,256 participants from 387 companies; with minister of culture, community and youth, Grace Fu, as guest of honour at the race. Starting off on St. Andrew’s Road in Singapore’s civic district, participants ran a 5.6km route from the National Gallery Singapore to the F1 Pit Building.

In the release, Edmund Lee, senior country officer for J.P. Morgan Singapore, said: “The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is an incredible commitment to the corporate community in Singapore that brings thousands of executives and colleagues together for an evening of teamwork and fun. It’s great that we flagged off the race in the Civic District – the birthplace of modern Singapore – for the second year in a row.”

“This is the fifteenth year we have held the Corporate Challenge in Singapore and it was another successful and enjoyable night,” he continued.

The corporate challenge announced Gen Lin Foo  and Joshua Li - both from MOH Holdings - as joint winners as they crossed the finish line with a time of 19:15. Additionally, Suzy Walsham of Symantec was the fastest woman to finish the race with a time of 19:45. She commented: “It’s pretty hard, I’m pretty tired but super happy to have won.”

“It’s such a great event; there is a lot of work camaraderie and it’s fantastic to work with my colleagues as a team,” she continued.

Amongst other participants who braved the rain to complete the race were our very own Human Resources’ team mates:

• Jerene Ang
• Michelle Seng
• Priya Veeriah
• Renamel Torres
• Yogesh Chandiraman

Speaking to Human Resources, Wei Han Ong, senior country business manager, Singapore at J.P. Morgan, shared more on achieving work-life balance through today's busy schedules. He said: "Personal well-being is really important because it undoubtedly impacts how you perform in your job. However, as many of us know, finding the right work-life balance can be very challenging."

"I always tell my team that prioritising their tasks is key and that they should take advantage of the available technology, which enables flexibility in terms of where they work from," he added.

Reinforcing its the importance of health and wellness, J.P. Morgan has recently introduced a new app for employees that provides personalised tips and tools to help them manage stress, bolster self-confidence and sleep better.

According to Ong, the firm has also introduced a new dedicated portal for working parents that highlights all the resources on offer to them. He said: "This compliments our Parental Mentoring Programme that connects parents with other parents who can act as mentors providing personal, one-on-one support."

On measuring the success of such initiatives, he commented: "If we focus on emotional and physical well-being then our decision-making, creativity and productivity all improve dramatically. And if J.P. Morgan continues to improve in terms of its performance, ability to serve our clients and employees wanting to work for us for the long term then they are all strong indicators of success."

Keeping traditions alive, J.P. Morgan will make a charitable donation on behalf of all participants. This year’s beneficiary is the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). MINDS caters to the needs of persons with intellectual disabilities (PWIDs) and had a number of runners participating.

The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge is part of a global series that began on 13 July 1977 in New York’s Central Park and is the longest-running corporate sporting event in the world. Singapore is the second stop of the 2018 series, and it will next hit Rochester, New York on 22 May.

Lead photo / Provided Photo/ Journalists' own