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With a high Net Promoter Score and completion rate, its management training programme aims to prove that personalised development can scale — when built on feedback, inclusion, and psychological safety.
SMBC's success as a leading global financial institution is empowered by the diversity of its talents, where a strong culture of inclusiveness drives its employee experience so every individual can ‘Be yourself, build your career, and make a difference’.
In bringing its employee value proposition to life, SMBC is not only nurturing future-ready leaders across the region, but also embedding a culture of feedback, inclusion, and cross-functional collaboration. A testament to its efforts, the organisation won the silver award for ‘Best Management Training Programme’ at the Employee Experience Awards 2025, Singapore.
Speaking to HRO following the win, Karen Yao, Managing Director, HCMAP, SMBC, talks about how the bank struck a balance between personalisation and scale — and why leadership, to them, is a continuous journey, not a destination.
Q How does your team define "employee experience", and what aspects do you prioritise most?
We believe that the employee experience begins with enabling the employee to 'Be yourself, build your career and make a difference’ at SMBC. We define it as every interaction empowering our people to grow, lead, and succeed aligning personal growth with business goals, enabling impact. Our management training programme exemplifies this, fostering meaningful learning, inclusive leadership, and strategic visibility. This empowers talents to lead in a globally interconnected, culturally diverse environment, fostering a sense of belonging and ambition.
Through embedding coaching, mentorship, and continuous feedback, we ensure a personalised and supportive journey. We listened actively, refining our approach so every employee felt seen, stretched, and supported.
Q Can you walk us through your most high-impact EX initiative that led to your success at the awards this year? What business need did it solve, and how was success measured?
Our award-winning management training programme addressed a critical challenge which is to nurture a future-ready leadership pipeline for a fast-changing world. By building learning journeys for assistant vice presidents to directors, we delivered meaningful development experiences that combined classroom learning with group projects, peer coaching, and mentoring. The programme enabled strategic thinking, cultural agility, and stronger cross-functional and cross-country collaboration that sparked global mindset.
Success was measured through robust metrics: 100% workshop completion, a Net Promoter Score of 97, behavioUral shifts via 360° feedback, and over 90% retention of high-potential participants.
"This programme made our teams work better, prepared more leaders for the future and improved how our leaders performed. It showed that taking care of our people directly helps our company grow."
Q How do you balance personalised employee needs with scalable EX programmes?
We balance meeting individual employee needs with running big impactful programmes. For example, our assistant vice presidents focused on self-awareness and communicating better. Meanwhile, our directors worked on influencing and leading across different cultures. To make this work for everyone, we used a blend of learning formats combining workshops, mentoring, coaching, and group projects. Each person also had their own development plan and received/ provided regular feedback.
This consistent structure allowed us to deliver the programme across all our locations. We also involved our stakeholders early in designing the program using the Japanese “Nemawashi” approach (collaborative decision making), ensuring it is fit to our evolving business needs. The result is a unified programme that addresses unique personal needs while building a strong consistent leadership team ready for big impact.
Q What are some underappreciated drivers of employee engagement that you think deserve more attention?
One often overlooked driver of employee engagement is psychological safety which means people feel completely free to share ideas, ask questions, and try new things without fear of judgement. When people feel safe, they bring their best selves to work and are more creative and proactive.
Another key driver is cross-functional exposure. Rotating roles or collaborating across teams cultivates fresh perspectives, builds understanding for others, and makes the company more agile and adaptable. Finally, purposeful recognition, which is acknowledging effort beyond outcomes, goes a long way in reinforcing motivation. These subtle but powerful elements build a workplace where everyone feels valued, connected and engaged beyond what surveys and incentives can show and do.
Q Finally, what is the most important message that you'd like to share with your team as you plan ahead?
As we look ahead, the message is clear: Leadership is not a destination it’s a continuous journey of learning, courage, and building a strong community. Our success comes from a shared promise to ‘Be yourself (e.g., thrive in an environment which embraces diversity), make a difference (e.g. be empowered to make a visible impact) build your career (e.g., learn and stretch your capabilities). Let’s continue investing in one another not just as colleagues, but as people.
"The future demands that we understand different cultures, lead together, and think boldly. Together, we can shape a culture where development is ongoing, potential is unlocked at every level, and everyone feels empowered to drive meaningful impact."
This award is not the finish line, it’s an important start. As we move forward, let’s stay anchored in what defines us, our EVP: ‘Be Yourself, Make a Difference, Build Your Career’.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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