Global experiences are always a plus on any resume (or bucket list!) but how do you go about landing such an opportunity? In our new An Alumni’s Guide to The Galaxy series, we crack the code with our SGN community on insider tips when landing your dream job abroad.
Category: People
Full-time CEO, Part-time Chef : Meet Serial Entrepreneur Federico Folcia
Ever wondered what it’s like to run several businesses at once? In the first of our series exploring the myriad variety of jobs in Singapore, SGN chats with Federico Folcia – full-time CEO & Founder of Crane, Managing Director at PowerHouse, and part-time Founder and Chef at Fork In The Jungle.
Marooned for 7-months: The Longest Trip Home
Eve shares how her short trip back to Singapore earlier this year for the Lunar New Year turned out to be her longest visit home in a decade. With a golden ticket in hand, she is finally back in Shanghai after spending 7 months in Singapore, and shares her journey back with her family.
Business and start-ups in Vietnam: Baker McKenzie M&A Practice Head Seck Yee Chung shares a veteran’s view
What is the start-up scene like in Vietnam? How do businesses navigate an ever-evolving regulatory landscape? Yee Chung sheds light on the dynamism of Vietnam’s business landscape and the opportunities present for investors looking to leverage opportunities in this emerging market.
Envisioning Tomorrow’s Workplace: Hiring Solution Start-up Workstream CEO Desmond Lim on Hiring with Tech
As COVID-19 accelerates future work trends, SGN digs deep into the new workplace normal and how behaviours, culture and skillsets are shifting. We chat with the CEO and Co-Founder of San Francisco-based hiring solution Workstream, Desmond Lim, on his success story from humble beginnings in the little red dot to pushing the boundaries of the future of work.
5Qs with NYC-based Singaporean and Tochi Snacks Co-founder Ian Seah
Our 5Qs series is a chance for you to get to know more about folks in the Singapore Global Network community, where we pose 5 questions to exciting individuals to find out more about what they do!
Women In Tech: Weaving in Data for Change in Asia
In this edition of SGN’s Women In Tech series, we chat with Aparna Saxena, the Chief Executive Officer of TORAJAMELO and Chapter Head of She Loves Data (SLD) Indonesia, on how she pushes to create and find meaning with data to empower other women in ASEAN.
Millennials of Singapore: Successful Entrepreneurs You Should Be Following Right Now
For some youths, their dream job is to be self-made bosses. For Kendra Liew, Founder of I Love Katfood, and Hong Kai, Co-Founder and CTO of Roceso Technologies, they have taken that step towards pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams – albeit a tough road they’ve had to navigate. Hear their personal stories on why and how they started, challenges they faced, experiences of starting businesses in Singapore, and why you should be following them right now.
From Anxiety to Action: Freelance Artist Afshan Shares What it’s Like to Live through a Pandemic in Texas
Join Afshan, a freelance artist and writer based in Texas, as she shares her experiences during the pandemic, and how the entire family coped through it all.
Building businesses in Thailand: Frost & Sullivan VP and Country Head Eng-Lok Koh shares an insider’s view
Eng-Lok Koh, Vice-President and Country Manager of Frost & Sullivan Thailand, gives us an insider’s view on on-ground business sentiments and shares his view on opportunities in Thailand.
Celebrate SG: Feeling Like Home Away from Home
This year’s National Day is unlike any other – it’s the first digital National Day Parade we’ve experienced! Whether you’ve had a downsized celebration with friends and family or tuned-in for a Zoom party, it’s the perfect time to reminisce the journey of our little red dot through the eyes of some of our overseas Singaporeans and local expat friends.
Worth it lah: a walk through the global Singaporean food trail
Singapore is a gastronomical city that is big on its diverse cultural influences and even bigger on flavour. We chat with our SGN friends living around the globe for the quintessential guide on the best Singaporean eats you must check out outside of the little red dot – hungry yet?
Re-imagining Media & Entertainment: Entrepreneurship in AI-generated Media
Synthetic Media leverages AI technology, and it will completely reshape the landscape of media and entertainment. Learn more from Arif Khan, CEO and Founder of Alethea AI, about some real-world use cases that the technology enables. 5 August 2020 / By Arif Khan…
Read More Re-imagining Media & Entertainment: Entrepreneurship in AI-generated Media
Giving back from the US to Singapore: Building a Home away from Home
From bringing together the community virtually to rallying help for local businesses, these volunteers help make our community a home away from home. With Singapore’s 55th birthday around the corner, we also asked them for their wishes for our little red dot.
An Unlikely Meeting: The Story of How a Girl from East Berlin and a Boy from Mumbai Met in Singapore
As we sing to the tunes of Home this month, Christine shares her heartwarming journey on how she came to make our sunny island home.
5Qs with F&B Entrepreneurs Pat Lau and Holly Ong
Our 5Qs series is a chance for you to get to know more about folks in the Singapore Global Network community, where we pose 5 questions to exciting individuals to find out more about what they do!
Pushing the envelope of innovation: Reshaping the future of fintech and payments
The adoption in fintech has accelerated in the past few months and will continue to do so in a post-pandemic landscape. We speak with Imran Hajimusa, GM & Head of payments platform at Silicon Valley Bank, on what the future of payments will hold and where Singapore stands. Married with three daughters, Imran’s fondest Singapore memories include enjoying seafood at East Coast Park with family and friends.
Lockdown Cooking: A Taste of Home
In the last of our three-part series on Lockdown Cooking, Lim Monica Devi, a Singaporean in Belgium seeks out the Singaporean community around the world to share a common love – food! This month, as we celebrate National Day, many countries are still practising some form of quarantine. With safe distancing in mind, Monica takes a virtual peek into their larders (which often has a second refrigerator) and gardens to uncover how Singaporeans living overseas dish out a plateful of home while away from the island.
Keeping Local Literature Alive: Children’s Books Author Gwen Lee Shares Her Reading List
Singaporean author Gwen Lee shares about her experience growing up in Singapore, and how she wondered why there were no HDBs in storybooks. Now based in the USA and as a writer of childrens' books with a local twist, Gwen shares her favourite Singaporean e-books for kids as young as 3, to adults.
Women in Tech: Driving business with data
In this edition of our Women in Tech series, we speak to two tech leaders – Dr Megan Yao, head of advanced analytics at NTUC FairPrice, and Shaowen Ang, regional lead of seller operations and listings at Shopee – who are both leading teams to capitalise on data for organisational success.
A winning recipe: my Sleek entrepreneurial journey
Julien Labruyere is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Sleek, a fast-growing Singapore-based business incorporation and management startup. Find out how he built a business in Singapore and expanded his company to the region.
Lockdown Cooking: Beyond Borders
In the second of our three-part series on Lockdown Cooking, Monica Devi Lim, a Singaporean in Belgium seeks out the Singaporean community around the world to share a common love – food! She will be speaking to them about their journeys and joys during the global lockdown, including their favourite dishes to make and memories of the Little Red Dot. Get your forks ready as she dishes out this month’s flavours: international recipes from Italy, Greece, and India. And if you wish, of course you can adapt the recipes to suit your taste – just go easy on the chilli (or not)!
5Qs with Joanna Lau
5Qs with Joanna Lau - Joanna came to the U.S. to attend New York University 13 years ago. As the Founder & CEO of JEMMA, a fashion e-commerce handbag brand, Joanna shuttles regularly between Singapore and New York, where the brand is based.
Racism coloured my childhood and I still fight against stereotypes today
Following a childhood in Hungary, and studies in the UK and Australia, moving to Singapore is when Trang finally felt like she belonged. The Vietnamese-Hungarian, who has made Singapore her home for close to a decade now, shares her struggles with racism growing up, and how she fights for greater diversity and inclusion today.
What If.
2020 is an unprecedented year for all of us. Some of us may be fearful, some optimistic. Some could be very anxious, and perhaps some excited. But no doubt 2020 is a year of learning, of survival, of trials and of successes. Hear from Harshika, as she shares snippets of her thoughts through the past couple months.
Remaining rooted to Singapore: “Where are you really from?”
Sharmishta is only 26 years old, but in this short amount of time, she has lived in nine countries, across 3 continents. She shares her rootedness to Singapore even though she has spent a majority of her life away from this island, her insights as a third culture kid moving around the world, and how being a global nomad steered her passion for international affairs and global governance.
Lockdown Cooking: For both circuit bakers and circuit eaters
In the very first of our three-part series on Lockdown Cooking, Lim Monica Devi, a Singaporean in Belgium seeks out the Singaporean community around the world to share a common love – food! Over the next few months, she will be speaking to them about their journeys and joys during the global lockdown, including their favourite dishes to make and memories of the Little Red Dot. Dig in as she rolls out this month’s flavours: baking recipes. Start with the truly simple one-pan, rise to a cake made without an oven, then crank up the heat with a slightly more complicated braided beauty. The recipes here will entice both circuit bakers and circuit eaters!
Stories from a photographer’s lens: Makiyo Lio
They say you don’t shoot what it looks like, but what it feels like. Hear from Makiyo Lio, a Singaporean girl who followed her dreams and took a different career path from the usual conservative route. After buying her first camera at the age of 17, I guess you could say the rest is history. She shares her journey through the years, and some tips for young aspiring photographers!
5Qs with Nadia Ann Huifang
Our 5Qs series is a chance for you to get to know more about folks in the Singapore Global Network community, where we pose 5 questions to exciting individuals to find out more about what they do!
Count on us, Singapore: How these 3 community groups embody the #SGUnited Spirit
When resources are stretched during the pandemic, these three community initiatives — of the many — have stepped in to offer crucial support to those in need. Find out how you can support their cause…
How Great Founders Win: Insights from 200 Founder Interviews in Southeast Asia
Iterative is an operator-led accelerator modeled after YC. We invest US$150K into promising early-stage startups, then rigorously help founders navigate early-stage startup challenges in a 3-month program to facilitate their raising a Seed / Series A round comfortably. Investing in all of Southeast Asia (Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, etc.), we’re particularly fond of Fintech, SaaS, marketplaces, AI, healthcare, and consumer.
Lessons from a circuit breaker
With the lockdown across borders around the world, overseas Singaporean Eve’s short trip back to Singapore for the Lunar New Year turns out to be her longest visit home in more than a decade. She shares her journey during these…
No limits: training like champs while staying home
With travel bans in place due to the global pandemic, it pains us to know that people are separated from their families and friends. With gyms and fitness centres closed, many of us are struggling to keep fit. Local professional athletes, Herlene Yu (triathlete), Radeem Rahman (pro-MMA fighter) and Ng Ming Wei (taekwondo athlete) are especially feeling the heat. These professionals share their experiences adapting to training in the new ‘norm’ and how you can adapt too!
Women in Tech: Championing the minorities
In this edition of our Women in Tech series, we chat with Elisha Tan – founder of TechLadies, a regional community that champions the minorities in tech.
5Qs with Pearly Tan
With travel bans in place due to the global pandemic, it pains us to know that people are separated from their families and friends. HOur 5Qs series is a chance for you to get to know more about folks in the Singapore Global Network community, where we pose 5 questions to exciting individuals to find out more about what they do!
Love in the time of Covid
With travel bans in place due to the global pandemic, it pains us to know that people are separated from their families and friends. However, amidst these challenging times, here are some love letters from our overseas community to their loved ones in Singapore. Love truly knows no distance, and we all hope that the world will be reunited soon. Till then, stay strong everyone!
Women in Tech: Annabelle Kwok
In the first of our Women in Tech series, we chat with Annabelle Kwok – the 27-year-old breaking down gender barriers as she spearheads technology and AI in the region.
SG Social enterprises: making a mark beyond the red dot
Singaporean entrepreneurs are making waves of positive impact off the shores of the sunny island and into global waters where they continue to champion for the greater good. Dive deeply into the stories of passion-led organisations – Freedom Cups, Wateroam and Project Dignity – who are successfully expanding their scopes to the globe.
Rethinking Normal
It rained yesterday evening – one of those tropical thunderstorms that leave the air feeling fresh and cool and the entire landscape looking washed clean, ready to start anew. The windows of my Stay-Home-Notice hotel room right in the heart of the city look out towards a balcony adorned with lavender-pink bougainvillea; in the distance, ancient trees rise into the skies, stately and serene. I’m not sure if these trees belong to the Istana grounds – but whatever the case, they are beautiful. Once in a while, I spot some bird of prey with outstretched wings coasting in the air, a dark speck against the steel-blue skies.
5Qs with Flora Tay
Our 5Qs series is a chance for you to get to know more about folks in the Singapore Global Network community, where we pose 5 questions to exciting individuals to find out more about what they do!
The mane attraction: Why the lion city is a shoo-in for entrepreneurs and their families
Despite having lived in Zurich and Los Angeles, learn why Anytime Mailbox co-owner, Marcel Buechi, regards Singapore as a prime destination for his business and family.
5Qs with Josie Kiew
Our 5Qs series is a chance for you to get to know more about folks in the Singapore Global Network community, where we pose 5 questions to exciting individuals to find out more about what they do!
Navigating China as a Singaporean
Ms Mae Ng was 23 when she first moved to China to work. During the 10 years when she was formerly with The Ascott Limited (Ascott), she lived in four different cities across the country. Mae, who currently oversees operations for faculties and student accommodation with one of Singapore’s top tertiary institutions, shares the lessons she has learnt from her stay in China.
From ‘Americanos’ to ‘Kopi-Os’: 4 tips to reduce reverse culture shock
It is common to face anxieties — even culture shock — when moving home after a prolonged stay abroad. But fret not, here’s sage advice from fellow Singaporeans on easing those fears!
How one Singaporean is connecting peoples and cultures through art
Far from home in Washington, DC, Singaporean art consultant Peggy Sparks is contributing to the robust arts scene in the United States’ capital by showcasing Singaporean artists. She shares how artists can evolve with the times as the art industry goes online.
Celebrating Chinese New Year in Argentina
Get to know Felicia Lim, a Singaporean based in Buenos Aires, who is passionate about freelance writing, recipe development, food photography, and portrait sessions.
The rise of the independent film industry in Singapore
Singapore film is returning to global prominence with critically acclaimed productions such as Boo Junfeng’s Apprentice and Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo. For journalist and researcher Alfonse Chiu, he believes more can be done for the film industry in Singapore, because of the special role it plays in defining our culture.
Christmas Reunions abroad
This Christmas, three Singaporeans share heartwarming stories about celebrating the holidays abroad in Shanghai, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Read on and discover their unique Christmas traditions and how they stay close to their loved ones despite being so far from home.
A Singaporean Christmas Carol, lah
We all know the classic tale of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol – a story of about miser Ebenezer Scrooge, visited by three ghosts that changed his life. It has been more than a century since this story came about, but the tale of love, family and Christmas never gets old. This festive season, as we celebrate the season of gifting and giving, gather the entire kampung under the Christmas tree, and let us tell you our version of the Singaporean Christmas Carol lah!
Love Letters to Singapore
For so many Singaporeans residing overseas all over the globe, maintaining their ties to our Little Red Dot can require a dash of creativity and a generous helping of impressive out-of-the-box thinking. In this final instalment of our “Love Letter to Singapore” series for the year, United States-based mother and daughter Lena Gan and Sara Kay share how they remain connected to their home country.
Leap of Faith: How Luzerne Cheng found his purpose in a social welfare career
Starting a non-profit organisation in Singapore may not be a common goal for many graduates, but when Luzerne Cheng returned home, he knew that he needed to continue the good work he was doing in Australia. In his own words, he shares more about his experience bringing non-profit organisation Red Frogs to Singapore.
Singapore Hawker Culture – What it means to me
Angie lives in Paris with her French husband and their son. Find out what Singapore hawker culture means to her.
Being a Singaporean is not just where you’re from, it’s how you have lived
Living her entire life everywhere except for Singapore hasn’t stopped Cheryl Low from adopting a Singaporean identity. Having moved halfway across the world from her family, Cheryl shares her story on how she has developed this strong sense of identity over her university years.
A taste of life across the Pacific
Imagine adventuring across the world to live, work and play in a land that you’ve only read about online. Three US college students were given the opportunity of a lifetime to experience Singapore as they spent their summers interning in our global metropolis.
Passion to Profession – 3 tips from homegrown dancer Adelene Stanley
Representing Singapore is no small feat, and dancer Adelene Stanley did just that on a literal global stage when she became the youngest dancer in the original cast of INALA – a Zulu Ballet back in 2014. Having returned to Singapore in 2016, she shares how she turned a passion into a profession.
Love, actually
Eve Wee-Ang shares why as she pens her own love letter to Singapore for National Day.