I identify first and foremost, as a “Chief People Optimiser” – helping to unleash the full potential of everyone aspiring to be the best version of themselves, myself included.

Though trained as an Electrical Engineer, in the course of discovering my true place and purpose in the world, I have made conscious career pivots and reinvented my professional self multiple times – first dipping my toes in telecommunications technical support and boutique interior design firms, then diving into both luxury and ‘no-frills’ hospitality marketing communications and sales, before finally immersing myself in the Learning and Development, Talent Management and Leadership Facilitation space where I gained the bulk of my corporate experiences over the last 15 years.

Having held business roles before segueing into HR, I marry an understanding of what it takes to engage with people at a ‘heart’ level (what keeps them motivated, inspired, and purposeful), with the lenses through which most corporate stakeholders measure success at the ‘head’ level (revenue generation, cost reduction, risk mitigation, customer satisfaction and having a workforce that is productive and ready for the future).

In the HR space, I have served across diverse industries and locations – holding leadership HR roles in a financial MNC operating across locations in Malaysia and ASEAN and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), before assuming the Chief People Officer roles in a HR Tech startup for a gamified employee experience platform and a leading public listed property development company based in Malaysia, with expanded business interests in the United Kingdom.

Key speaker and leadership facilitation engagements have included the inaugural Obama Foundation Leaders APAC Convening headlined by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, where I facilitated sessions on Coaching Skills and Authentic Leadership to 200 changemakers in Asia Pacific.

I left my corporate role to focus on serving more deeply as a coach and leadership facilitator, specializing in programs and retreats that help leaders clarify their purpose and amplify their impact, in tangible, measurable ways.

I am a passionate advocate for gender diversity, being an industry mentor for the Malaysia chapter of Lean In – the movement encouraging women to pursue their ambitions; and a volunteer for the 30 % Club – who advocate for more female representation at the Boards of public listed companies.

Ultimately however, I believe in the creation of safe spaces for all people, regardless of gender, to tap into the power of vulnerability, to empower them to be their best selves, in their workplaces as well as for their families and their communities.

Individuals wanting to leverage the power of vulnerability to create deep self-awareness and true insight on what is needed to move towards their desired intentions in, e.g.:

– Career Transition
– Personal Relationships
– Stakeholder Management
– Self Identity
– Wellbeing

I am a “woman’s woman” – meaning I have personally gone through many situations that present as universal themes in female experiences (carrying the expectations of being a ‘good girl’ in the eyes of parents, siblings, and society; searching for self alongside the search for a soulmate/ life partner; dealing with the invisible ‘glass ceilings’ and/or ‘sticky floors’ in existing careers, and the self-doubts that plague women of all levels – whether they are fresh graduates starting out, working their way up the corporate ladder, seeking to come back after a career break, or already at the top of their game – wondering “is this all there is to Life and is it/am I enough?”).

I found and married the love of my life “relatively late” by Asian standards – aged 37, tackling infertility challenges before birthing my daughter (now 7) at aged 40, and a naturally conceived and birthed son (now 3) at age 44.

I am (relentlessly) optimistic about life and am wired to see the world as “glass half full”, but have empathy for those whose situations make positivity a challenging proposition, as I know what it is like being in those shoes.

As an example, when 3 medical professionals concurred with the diagnosis that I had a 3% chance of naturally conceiving a baby, while I dealt with the challenges this presented to my sense of self and the dynamics of my marriage, at the back of my mind I always thought, “Someone HAS to fall into the 3% bucket – why can’t I be one of them?”

Because of my own life experiences, I have a special affinity for facilitating ”female insight”… and the need for the curation of safe, even ‘sacred’ spaces away from the ‘business as usual’ that is necessary for such insight to be internally excavated.

However, having seen the power that arises when MEN allow themselves to similarly leverage on such spaces of rest, reflection, and recalibration, I am drawn to creating inclusive communities for connection and contemplation that lead to clarity and congruence for ALL, in their lives lived, moving forward.

I am inspired by a life intertwining family, love, travel, and grand celebrations, whether they be epic African safaris or rainy day living room picnics…

I thrive by witnessing individuals bloom when they realise the extent of their internal power, to affect their external realities … and their recognition of their innate capability to conjure the life of their dreams.

My coaching inclination is to create and hold a space where you can safely sit and BE with yourself, away from judgements, including your own. I invite coachees to reflect what they “want to” be versus what they may feel they “need to” be, to expand their thinking on what their worlds would reflect if their choices were truly their own, and there was no external audience to get either acknowledgement or approval from.

“You create your own reality.”

“What is success?

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate the beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded!”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson