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By reshaping HR as a catalyst for transformation, the HR team saw strong engagement and momentum, aligning people with strategic goals and embedding innovation across every touchpoint.
When CapitaLand Investment (CLI) restructured into a focused real asset management and asset-light business model, the HR team saw an opportunity to rethink how it can better support and empower its employees in a changing environment.
Its initiatives quickly gained traction:
- Genie AI, an AI-powered HR chatbot, that reduced time spent on routine tasks by 30%,
- AI training campaigns built confidence and capability across the Group, and
- Over 60 Culture Alignment Workshops engaged nearly 1,600 employees across multiple markets.
And these efforts did not go unnoticed – they were recognised at the HR Excellence Awards 2025, Singapore, where CLI clinched the gold award for Excellence in HR Innovation. By focusing on practical solutions and meaningful engagement, the HR team helped shape the company’s transformation and align people with strategy.
In a recent interview with HRO, CLI’s HR team shared how this pivotal transformation enabled them to reposition HR — not merely as a support function, but as a true driver of innovation.
Q Tell us about your inspiring HR initiative. What sparked the idea, and how did you know it was the right path to take?
Our HR innovation journey began during a pivotal transformation at CapitaLand Investment (CLI). As we restructured into a distinct entity focused on real asset management and an asset-light business model, we saw an opportunity to redefine HR as a driver of innovation, and not just a support function.
This sparked a series of firsts for CLI:
- Genie AI, our AI-powered HR chatbot, streamlined routine tasks such as drafting job descriptions, managing redundancy and offboarding, and creating employee training materials — reducing time spent by 30%.
- AI training campaigns rolled out across the CapitaLand Group, including sessions for top management, to build confidence and capability in leveraging AI.
- Over 60 Culture Alignment Workshops conducted across key markets, reaching almost 1,600 employees through in-person and digital formats tailored to different learning styles and language preferences.
We reimagined HR as a catalyst for transformation, building a dynamic, inclusive, and tech-enabled ecosystem that aligned our people with strategic goals and embedded innovation across every touchpoint. The strong engagement and momentum we saw confirmed we were on the right path — not just adapting to change but shaping it.
Q Every journey has its ups and downs. Can you share a challenge your team faced and how you worked through it together?
One of our biggest challenges was the scale and complexity of the transformation. We weren’t implementing a single initiative — we were driving change across multiple fronts: building a lean and agile workforce, strengthening talent management, supporting employee wellbeing, and embedding technology across our operations.
Balancing these priorities while maintaining clarity and cohesion required close coordination. Each programme — from culture alignment workshops to AI adoption — had to be well-executed, interconnected, and aligned with our broader purpose.
What made the difference was strong collaboration and shared ownership. HR partnered closely with business leaders, regional teams, and employees to co-create solutions, adapt quickly, and stay focused on impact. This collective effort turned complexity into clarity and enabled us to build a people strategy that truly supported our transformation.
Q What impact has this initiative had on your organisation so far, and what do you hope it inspires in the wider HR and logistics community?
Our HR innovation strategy has strengthened CLI’s ability to build an agile, empowered, and future-ready workforce aligned with our strategic direction.
We’ve seen clear results:
- 83% employee engagement score, with 86% of employees expressing pride in working at CLI. We even achieved cost savings by leveraging on AI in our survey platform to analyse feedback, uncover insights and predict trends, enabling data-driven decisions and enhanced user experience
- Talent development focus through early career programmes such as the Global Early Career Investment Management Programme, CapitaLand Retail & Workspace Graduate Programme, Listed Funds Investment Analyst Programme, and our most recent CapitaLand Investment Young Achievers Scholarship that serves to nurture young talent and foster educational excellence.
- CLI Wellbeing Programme prioritising six dimensions of wellbeing — mental, financial, purpose, social, career, and physical. In 2025 alone, we hosted 25 wellbeing events with over 1,000 attendees from more than 15 countries.
AI has been a key enabler — automating routine tasks like email drafting, resume screening, summarising transcripts, and policy queries, freeing HR to focus on strategic initiatives. We even use AI in Workday for skills mapping, personalised coaching, job matching, predictive finance, and task streamlining. This shift has allowed us to support employees through change more effectively, helping them adapt with confidence and without fear.
"More than anything, this journey has fostered a mindset shift. Our people are more connected to our purpose, more agile in their approach, and more open to innovation. We hope our experience inspires others to see HR as a driver of transformation and resilience."
Q Looking back, is there a moment, person or value that kept you and your team motivated throughout the journey?
Throughout our transformation journey, the one constant that kept us focused and energised was our purpose: Make a positive impact — Think big, do right, make it last. This wasn’t just a corporate statement — it was our compass.
In moments of complexity, when we were navigating cultural integration across geographies or rolling out new technologies, this purpose reminded us why we were doing it.
Think big pushed us to challenge traditional HR boundaries and explore AI, digital platforms, and new talent models.
Do right kept us grounded in integrity, ensuring our decisions always prioritised people and long-term value.
And make it last inspired us to build sustainable, inclusive systems that would stand the test of time.
This shared belief united our team. It gave us clarity, courage, and conviction - and reminded us that every step we took had the potential to positively impact lives.
Q If you could offer one golden nugget of wisdom to HR or transformation leaders in logistics, what would it be?
Elevate HR from operational to transformational.
HR today is more than policies and processes — it’s about shaping the future of the organisation. To do that, we must stay close to the business, be bold enough to challenge the status quo, curious enough to explore new tools and ideas, and grounded enough to always put people at the centre.
Whether it’s leveraging AI to unlock capacity, designing inclusive talent models, or building cultures that inspire — excellence comes from connecting what we do to why it matters. When HR leads with purpose, it becomes a powerful force for transformation, resilience, and lasting impact.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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