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From cross-functional career opportunities to employee-led wellbeing initiatives, Suyeon Kim shares why purpose must be experienced in everyday work – and how organisations can better engage and retain talent by making employees feel seen, valued, and connected to impact.
Today’s employees – particularly younger professionals – are looking for more than just career progression. They want meaningful work, authentic leadership, opportunities to grow, and a clear understanding of how their contributions create impact.
At AstraZeneca Singapore, that connection to purpose is intentionally woven into the employee experience, as we learn from Suyeon Kim (pictured above), Country President, AstraZeneca Singapore. Whether through cross-functional career fairs, employee-led wellbeing committees, leadership check-ins, or conversations grounded in patient impact, the organisation strives to help employees see how their work contributes to something bigger than themselves.
In that vein, Kim believes purpose is not something that can simply be communicated through town halls or corporate messaging. It has to be felt consistently through culture, leadership behaviours, and everyday interactions.
Drawing from her interactions with cancer patients earlier in her career, she shares how those moments continue to shape the way she leads teams today – and why authenticity, co-creation, and growth opportunities have become increasingly important in attracting and retaining talent.
In this conversation with Priya Sunil, Kim reflects on the growing expectations employees have of leaders, the importance of aligning HR and business priorities, and how organisations can create environments where people remain motivated, engaged, and connected to a shared mission even amid the pressures of day-to-day work.
Q How do you personally define "purpose" in the context of leadership, and why is it so critical in healthcare?
As a healthcare company, our purpose is clear – to help patients lead longer and healthier lives. As a leader, my role is to bring that purpose to life within the organisation so that it is something our people genuinely feel and connect with in their day-to-day work.
When employees understand the impact they are making on patients and communities, it fosters a deeper sense of meaning and motivation for their work. In healthcare, this purpose is fundamental to how we lead, make decisions and deliver for patients.
Q What experiences in your own career have most shaped the way you lead with purpose today?
Early in my career, cancer was often seen as a death sentence. Today, with advances in science and innovation, that reality has changed significantly. The possibility of bringing life-changing treatments to patients to improve both survival and their quality of life is what drives me.
Two patient encounters earlier in my career have left a lasting impression on me.
While working in Korea, I met a lung cancer patient who was initially only given a few months to live. Through a patient access programme, he was able to receive a new treatment. He responded well, returned to work and was able to live a relatively normal life. When he later visited our office to share his story, he had gotten married and both he and his wife expressed deep gratitude for the role we played in his recovery journey.
In another instance, I met a patient with ovarian cancer who had struggled with chemotherapy but responded well to one of our innovative treatments. Seeing her recovery, and the appreciation expressed by her family, was very moving.
We don’t always get to witness these patient outcomes firsthand in our daily roles but they are powerful reminders of why we do what we do. They continue to shape how I lead and I strive to embed that same sense of purpose within my teams.
Q Younger professionals often seek meaningful impact in their careers. How can leaders ensure that purpose is clearly communicated to attract and retain this generation of talent?
I see three key elements being critical to effectively communicate purpose to younger talent: authenticity, co-creation, and growth.
First, authenticity is critical. Younger employees want to see that organisations genuinely live their values. The patient stories like the ones I shared, real-world impact, and measurable progress helps make purpose tangible.
Second, co-creation is equally important. Purpose should not be a one-way message but a dialogue. Encouraging employees to reflect on and articulate how their work contributes to patient outcomes helps them internalise that purpose more deeply.
Finally, career growth plays a significant role. Younger professionals are motivated by opportunities to learn, take on diverse experiences, and grow alongside the organisation.
Growth is no longer linear, so providing cross-functional exposure, encouraging exploration of different roles, and creating structured development opportunities all reinforce a sense of purpose tied to their personal and professional journey.
We do this through our internal career fair, which gives employees a chance to learn what colleagues in other functions do and to see the synergies across teams working towards the same purpose for patients.
Q Day-to-day operations can sometimes blur the bigger picture. What strategies do you use to help employees reconnect with the broader mission when routine takes over?
It starts with keeping our purpose simple and actionable. So we translate purpose into a small number of strategic priorities that are directly linked to day-to-day work, making it easier for teams to see how their contributions matter or ladder up to our purpose.
For example, AstraZeneca’s Ambition 2030 was defined globally, but also localised through workshops involving employees across the organisation from various functions. This ensures both relevance and ownership for each employee.
Equally important is consistency. Purpose needs to be reinforced through regular touchpoints – whether in town halls, regular team meetings or project kick-offs – it is a deliberate effort to anchor discussions in the “why” before the “how”. This way, every team understands the impact they are driving for patients and communities.
Q How do you collaborate with your HR leader to embed purpose into these talent strategies, employee engagement, and everyday people practices?
Embedding purpose into people practices requires a close partnership between leadership and HR but also a genuine understanding of on-the-ground realities.
We start with a shared strategic compass, aligning on clear priorities such as capability building, inclusion, mobility, leadership development, and wellbeing. HR designs the frameworks that leaders and people managers then bring to life through everyday discussions and behaviours with their teams. Throughout this process, we emphasise strong ethics, psychological safety and wellbeing as non-negotiables.
Leadership presence on the ground is also equally important. Beyond formal processes like quarterly check-ins, leaders need to stay close to their teams by engaging regularly and understanding on-the-ground realities. Across the organisation, we do this through informal team lunches and intentional catch-ups with colleagues out in the field that we may not interact with often, to understand how they are doing and where we can help address challenges or questions.
Purpose is reinforced most effectively through these intentional, everyday interactions.
Q Could you share examples of initiatives at AstraZeneca Singapore that align everyday work with organisational goals and reinforce purpose for employees?
We take a multi‑faceted approach to embedding purpose across the organisation.
Our Ambition 2030 is brought to life through workshops, discovery sessions and ongoing cross‑team dialogue to keep it relevant and actionable. We also embedded it into our National Conference this year, dedicating a full day to deepen understanding of Ambition 2030 and what it means for the years ahead, using fun and interactive team‑bonding activities.
We also run the “One Team One Dream” (OTOD) initiative, which focuses on employee wellbeing, career development, and our ways of working. OTOD is driven by employee‑led committees that identify ground‑level needs and co‑create practical and meaningful solutions with leaders.
Beyond this, initiatives like “Cancer Can Give” reflect our broader commitment to society. The programme supports cancer survivorship in Singapore by empowering survivors with knowledge and opportunities to reintegrate and continue contributing back to society meaningfully.
This unbranded initiative gives our employees the unique chance to connect with survivors and hear firsthand about their journey with cancer.
Q How do you measure whether employees truly feel connected to the company’s mission, and what indicators tell you that purpose is being lived out in the workplace?
From a qualitative perspective, employee pulse surveys help us assess whether individuals understand our mission and how their roles contribute to it. Strong and consistent scores across teams indicate clear alignment.
We also track engagement on other platforms such as town halls and employee forums. High participation, thoughtful questions and active dialogue are strong signals that employees feel connected and invested.
Beyond that, we look at how purpose shows up in outcomes, particularly in the way teams celebrate success. Recognition that highlights patient impact and not just output is an important indicator that purpose is being truly lived.
Q What leadership lessons have you learned about inspiring purpose that you believe are transferable across industries beyond healthcare?
Company culture is essential for purpose to be truly impactful. Creating an environment where people feel aligned and engaged is a universal success factor, regardless of industry, and it requires tight alignment across leaders, HR and people managers.
Ultimately, inspiring purpose comes down to everyday alignment and connection so that people are naturally motivated to contribute and succeed together.
Q Let's end on a fun note! If you could describe your leadership style as a movie or book title, what would it be and why?
Two Korean books come to mind –
The first is Dreaming Attic, which introduced me to the concept of R = VD – Realisation equals Vivid Dreams. The idea is that what we can vividly envision, we can achieve. It’s about setting bold ambitions and believing in the possibilities ahead. AstraZeneca is known for bold ambitions, so this resonates with me as a leader in this environment bringing unlimited possibilities for patients.
The second is a book translated from Korean, titled: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. This aligns closely with my leadership philosophy and personal motto my team knows well - the success of “WE” begins with “ME.”
Sustainable success is built on collaboration, trust and strong relationships. We all have individual accountability but ultimately our impact depends on how we come together as one team.
Photo / Provided
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