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For Joshua Lee, Corporate Vice President and Singapore Country Manager, Micron Technology, leadership means more than managing operations - it’s about unlocking potential. In this interview, he reflects on lessons from his tenure in Japan and shares how he applies them in Singapore while respecting local cultural norms.
Over the past 20 years, Joshua Lee, (pictured above), Corporate Vice President and Singapore Country Manager, Micron Technology has steadily climbed the corporate ladder — beginning his career as a process and equipment engineer, and moving up to take on increasing leadership responsibilities.
Along the way, Lee has held close two pivotal experiences that have shaped how he leads his teams today: one early in his career, and another during his time living and working in Japan.
As he tells Sarah Gideon, these experiences have pointed to a core motto that he carries forward till this day: “Engineering can transform industries, but it's the investment in people that transforms lives.”
In this interview, Lee takes us through his journey at Micron Technology, guided by the belief that nurturing talent isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s essential for sustainable business growth.
Q You’ve been with Micron for over two decades. Looking back, what moments shaped your leadership style the most — and how do those experiences influence how you lead today?
Looking back at my time with Micron, I'd say there are two pivotal experiences that fundamentally shaped how I lead today. The first instance occurred early in my career, when I received exceptional mentorship during my tenure as a process and equipment engineer at TECH Semiconductor. The guidance I received then taught me something profound that I still believe in today: nurturing talent isn't just the right thing to do; it's essential for sustainable business growth.
That early experience instilled in me that your role as a leader extends far beyond managing operations; you're responsible for unlocking potential in others. Today, that philosophy is at the core of everything we do for our team members at Micron Singapore, and I believe it's a key reason we've earned recognition as the #1 Great Place to Work.
The second transformative experience was my time in Japan as Vice President of Micron Memory Japan. Living and working in a different cultural context broadened my perspective tremendously, and what was truly invaluable was the opportunity to build different relationships with people and the broader ecosystem there. It deepened my empathy as a leader and reinforced my belief that diversity of thought and experience drives innovation. When you're exposed to how different cultures approach problem-solving and team dynamics, it nurtures you to become a more thoughtful and inclusive leader.
These experiences all point to a core motto I've carried forward: Engineering can transform industries, but it's the investment in people that transforms lives. Coming back to Singapore as Corporate Vice President and Singapore Country Manager has given me the chance to connect and do more with our people in ways that feel deeply meaningful. Whether I'm overseeing our 9,000-strong team here in Singapore or working with our board commitments on STEM education access, that belief continues to guide every decision I make.
Q People often say leadership can feel lonely at the top. How do you stay grounded and connected to your teams on a personal level?
That's something I've experienced firsthand. I've learned that staying connected isn't just about managing, it's about genuine engagement and creating spaces where people feel they are heard and valued.
I make it a priority to build those authentic touchpoints across the organisation, whether it’s spending time with engineers and technicians across day and night shifts, or meeting new team members during their onboarding. Outside the workplace, community events and outreach programmes both in Japan and Singapore have also given me meaningful opportunities to connect with team members and the extended community in a more personal and relaxed environment. These moments often reveal insights and perspectives that don’t surface through reports or formal meetings.
One thing I've learned is that real connection doesn’t just happen by chance; leaders need to create the conditions for it. That starts with intentional spaces for open dialogue inside and outside of the workplace, where people feel safe interacting across seniorities and speaking up. For example, when we rolled out the AI reskilling programmes, we built in multiple feedback loops so concerns could surface early, which strengthened trust and improved outcomes. I found that identifying the moment as soon as people feel uncertain or overwhelmed helps to build psychological safety and shifts the dynamic from leaders prescribing solutions to teams co-creating them.
My time in Japan really reinforced this for me. Leading across different cultural contexts taught me that connection isn't one-size-fits-all. Some team members respond to direct conversations, others prefer group settings, and some need time to process before they share their thoughts.
"The key is being adaptable in how you engage while being consistent in your commitment to hearing them."
Q You’ve mentioned that talent strategy is a big part of Micron’s success. How closely do you work with your HR head to shape that strategy — and what does that partnership look like day to day?
An organisation’s talent strategy is never something that happens in isolation; it requires deep collaboration between leadership and people teams to be effective, especially when we’re navigating rapid industry changes.
At Micron, we're fortunate to have an outstanding People team that partners closely with the business to shape our strategy around the '3Es' at each stage of the talent pipeline: Engage, Equip and Empower. To engage talent, we invest heavily in nurturing early relationships — partnering with institutes of higher learning, running internships, and co-creating industry projects that expose students to real-world problem solving. It’s a two-way partnership: while students get hands-on experience, it helps us bring in emerging skillsets and future talent who are ready to grow with us, motivating the rest of the workforce to innovate at the same time.
To equip our people, we focus on continuous development through everything from onboarding to programmes like our AI reskilling initiative — all designed to develop self-sustaining thinkers who can thrive in an AI-driven future of work. We're constantly looking for creative and innovative ways to develop talent, whether that's reverse mentoring programmes where junior employees teach senior leaders or creating cross-functional project teams that solve real business challenges while building skills.
And to empower our teams, our close partnership with our People team helps us to foster a vibrant and inclusive culture. In Singapore alone, we have more than 40 employee interest groups, six employee resource groups and site-wide committees to ensure employee-led engagement from ground up. This steadfast partnership over the years has helped us strengthen our culture, develop our people, and ensure that our talent strategy goes hand-in-hand with the needs of the business.
Q We hear a lot about skills for the future — AI, data, sustainability. Which of these do you think will have the biggest impact on your workforce in the next few years?
While all three areas are critical, I believe AI skills will have the most immediate and transformative impact on our workforce. It’s not just about using AI tools; it's about building AI literacy across the organisation so that everyone, regardless of role, can apply these capabilities in meaningful ways.
We're seeing this firsthand from the results of our recent AI reskilling programme. Engineers are now using their newly developed skills to automate tasks and significantly improve productivity. This reinforces that the real value comes when AI capabilities enhance our people's existing expertise, and that’s why we're taking such a proactive approach to AI literacy across our organisation.
Sustainability is another area where the expectations of our industry are rising quickly. It’s no longer enough for our team members to understand the environmental implications of what we build; we also want them to help shape the next generation of green innovations for advanced manufacturing. That is a big opportunity in Singapore as the nation work towards achieving its aspiration of net zero emissions by 2050.
What excites me most is how these skills reinforce each other. When someone understands AI tools, can work confidently with complex data, and is thinking about sustainable outcomes from the start, they approach problems differently. And when you bring diverse teams with these strengths together, that's when we see real breakthroughs. That's the kind of future-ready workforce we're building here at Micron Singapore.
Q You’ve seen the semiconductor industry evolve dramatically. What qualities do you believe will define the next generation of leaders in this space?
Having witnessed this industry's transformation over the past 25 years, I believe future semiconductor leaders will need three essential qualities.
First, is agility. Technology cycles are shortening, customer expectations are rising, and sustainability has become a core business imperative. Leaders must be able to pivot quickly, whether it’s adopting new manufacturing technologies, responding to supply chain disruptions, or embracing AI-driven processes. Agility isn’t just about speed; it’s about making informed decisions in a dynamic environment.
Second, is a global perspective. Semiconductor innovation and supply chains are inherently global. Leaders must understand diverse markets, regulatory landscapes, and geopolitical dynamics. My role in Japan taught me the importance of seeing beyond a single region and consider how decisions in one country ripple across the entire ecosystem. That experience reinforced that global thinking is not optional; it’s essential for success in this industry.
Third, is the ability to work effectively across cultures. Our industry thrives on collaboration between companies, governments, industry associations and research institutions worldwide. Leaders who can build trust, communicate clearly, and respect cultural nuances will unlock innovation faster and create stronger partnerships. This is something I've experienced firsthand in both Japan and Singapore.
These three qualities — agility, a global perspective, and cultural fluency, will define the leaders who can navigate complexity and drive the next wave of semiconductor breakthroughs.
Q You’ve worked closely with teams in both Japan and Singapore. From your perspective, how do the workplace culture and approach to work-life balance differ between the two? And what have you personally learned from each?
Japan and Singapore both share a commitment to excellence, but they approach it in distinct ways. In Japan, I witnessed a structured culture where teams own a craftsmanship mindset and value precision, preparation, and perfection by paying attention to details. That creates consistency and reliability.
On the other hand, Singapore offers a distinct dynamic energy. Our teams here are highly experimental where they move with agility, test new ideas quickly, and adapt in real time to achieve high standards.
What I’ve learned from working in both environments is that high performance comes from the right blend of these strengths. In our industry, you need thoughtful planning to execute well, but you also need the agility to adjust when the situation calls for it. The key is balancing when to go deep into the details for precision, and when to move forward to the next idea for experimentation.
"Ultimately, our teams’ energy and time are finite. Leveraging everyone’s strengths while keeping them motivated and supported is what allows us to sustain excellence. That balance of structure and adaptability has deeply influenced how I lead and build teams today."
Q You’re known to be very family-oriented. How has your family influenced the way you think about people and culture at work?
Being a father of two has profoundly shaped how I think about leadership and the responsibility we have to the people in our organisation. With my own children, I’ve learned that every individual has their own strengths, interests, and pace of growth, and my role isn’t to choose a path for them, but to create space for them to find it themselves.
That mindset shapes how I lead at Micron. When I look at our Great Place to Work recognition, I see it as creating the kind of workplace where team members can explore, stretch, and make decisions based on their strengths, while still feeling valued. It’s also why I believe so strongly in psychological safety and mentoring, including reverse mentoring. When younger team members share their perspectives, it keeps leaders grounded and reminds us to stay curious and humble.
Beyond our workplace, my involvement in STEM education through the Micron Foundation Board is deeply personal too. I want my own children, and every child, to have the chance to discover what they're capable of, regardless of their background. When we run programmes like Chip Camp or support young people through scholarships, I'm thinking about the kind of opportunities I want available for the next generation.
Q Lastly, what is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about leading people — and who gave it to you?
The best leadership advice I received was from various mentors I met at different stages of my career. Early on, a mentor helped me understand that leadership is really about helping people find their purpose. My mentors in the later stages of my career taught me the importance of building deep relationships, creating confidence and exercising courage — not just in myself, but in the people I lead. That influenced me in the big decisions in my own career, including my move to Japan, and it continues to guide how I lead today.
What has stayed with me throughout the years is this:
Your job isn’t just to deliver results, it’s to create an inclusive environment where people can be their best selves so that we can innovate and win as a team.
Photo / Provided
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