Leading As A Lady – What It Really Means In Today’s Workforce
Initially working at LHUB as a curriculum manager, and later in running the Employability Campus, Siva now spends most of her time meeting customers and guiding her 25-person strong, corporate sales team.
Having worn many hats, with a strong track record for leadership, Siva exemplifies the notion that success does not depend on gender. Instead, she affirms that it’s about knowing yourself and playing to the best of your abilities.
Finding continuity at Singapore’s largest continuing education centre
Siva’s career at LHUB, which spans 15 years and counting, didn’t happen by chance. It was the fruitful result of constant change and evolution. Reflecting upon her career, Siva surmises, “the reason why I stayed for so many years was because I was given the opportunity to try different things at different times.”
What may be surprising though is that Siva wasn’t naturally drawn to sales. A former student in the Arts and Social Science, it was a skill that grew on her. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m an introvert,” she laughs. “I talk for a living, but on a real life basis, I’d rather not talk to people. My close friends keep saying, ‘I don’t know how you do it!’ But after a while, you just learn to adapt.”
The growth opportunities that LHUB offered played a key role in Siva’s long-term loyalty. “I think LHUB offers a very safe environment for us to work and grow in our roles,” says Siva. “In the last few years, I had the opportunity to take up training programmes in data analytics and LEAN to be able to do my work better and also to stay up to date with new skills.”
Finding purpose in the lives of others
Aside from the opportunities presented at LHUB, what personal motivations have kept Siva moving forward in her career year after year? Diving deep, Siva has found that her driving force resides in something beyond herself. “I’ve been to Calcutta and seen the work that Mother Teresa did there,” recollects Siva. “She was driven purely by her passion to help those in need. She wasn’t deterred by obstacles and continued to do what she did for the long haul.”
Drawing from this deeper motivation, it is no surprise that Siva sees her work as more than just a job – she sees it as a catalyst for positive change. “One of the key things I wanted in a career was that it should not be just about money, but about helping people,” reveals Siva. “When you help people find a job, it actually helps their lives in many other ways – you actually resolve financial and social issues.”
Finding external success in internal strengths
Having succeeded in what is commonly seen as a male-dominated industry, one might wonder whether being both a woman, and a working Mum has been a disadvantage to Siva. To this, Siva confidently responds, “I’ve never viewed my gender to be an issue and I’ve never seen myself differently from someone. To me, it’s about what the task to be done is. Whether you’re a man or a woman, there’s work to be done and the key difference is how you get it done.”
Instead of focusing on the factors that she was born with, she attributes her success to the ones that she could control. “You have to play to your strengths and improve on your weaknesses,” advises Siva. ”Sometimes I wish that women would realise the strength that they have and be confident about it. Even if people don’t tell you what they are, you should sit down and uncover them for yourself.”
Finding a way back to work as a working mother
Siva does acknowledge, however, the realities that mothers face when returning to the workforce and has some words of advice for them. “I think the difficulty is that your brain can get a little rusty when you’ve been away,” says Siva. “Plus, your role may not exist or your role may have been transformed to require a different set of skills.”
While she said that the workplace can help in the transition, it is up to the individual to manage the situation best. “The challenge is, more often than not about managing the nagging feeling of who’s taking care of your child or things at home while you are at work,” says Siva. “But if we learn to balance taking care of ourselves and our family, and other pursuits, you’ll be able to bring your best self to the workplace.”
To celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day theme of #balanceforbetter, we’d like to help more women to excel in their careers and more mothers to return to the workforce. Gender shouldn’t be the factor that holds you back nor rely upon to move forward. Let your skills, experience and personality speak for itself!
For more information on how we can help, talk to our friendly Course Consultants at NTUC Trade Union House, Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability, LHUB @ Tampines Mall or any of our roadshows islandwide.
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Brewing a New Chapter Through Lifelong Learning
Sheena brings more than a decade of experience in the retail and education sector, where she managed multiple retail outlets specialising in educational toys and oversaw day-to-day operations. Over time, she began to notice a shift. Customers were increasingly seeking more unique and experience-driven products, while the retail landscape itself was becoming more competitive and fast-changing. At the same time, Sheena observed a growing interest in more mindful and natural lifestyle products, which sparked her curiosity about opportunities within the Food & Beverages (F&B) space. With her experience largely rooted in traditional brick-and-mortar retail, Sheena made a deliberate decision to pursue her lifelong interest in F&B entrepreneurship. Inspired by her passion for floral and herbal infusions and her desire to create a brand of her own, she enrolled in the Flavourful Ventures: A Journey Into F&B Entrepreneurship course at NTUC LearningHub to turn her vision into a reality. Returning to the classroom was initially a challenge for Sheena, as she had not studied for a long time and found some of the learning processes unfamiliar. However, with guidance from her trainers and support from her classmates, she gradually adapted and grew more confident throughout the course. Throughout the programme, Sheena gained practical exposure to key aspects of building and managing an F&B business, including identifying business opportunities, product development, branding and bringing products into the market. The hands-on learning experience also gave her greater insight into creativity, innovation and customer engagement within the F&B industry. Beyond equipping her with practical entrepreneurial skills, the programme also broadened her perspective on what it takes to build and sustain a business in today’s competitive landscape. Sheena eventually went on to start her own tea brand, Tea Therapy Singapore, offering a distinct range of caffeine-free, unsweetened and 100% natural floral tea blooms. Through the course, she was able to turn a long-standing personal interest into something more tangible, gaining the confidence and practical knowledge needed to pursue her passion in the F&B space. The course also gave her a supportive space to experiment, learn from mistakes and grow her confidence as a first-time digital business owner. Today, she manages the business end-to-end, from sourcing raw materials to product design, branding and online sales, applying the skills and knowledge gained from the programme to shape and grow her business. Through the journey of building her brand, Sheena also came to appreciate the importance of lifelong learning, adaptability and continuously upgrading herself to stay relevant in an evolving business landscape. Looking ahead, Sheena remains committed to lifelong learning as she continues to grow both professionally and as a business owner, and plans to further develop her skills through NTUC LearningHub courses, including public speaking. Reflecting on her journey, she shares, “Learning is a lifelong journey. When we continue upgrading ourselves and apply what we learn, we can turn our passion into new opportunities.”
Taking the Next Step: A Mid-Career Digital Journey
At 49, Farizan has built a steady career in the services industry where she has worked for the past four years as a Sales Admin Executive, overseeing sales coordination, purchasing, logistics and finance support. Working closely with multiple departments, she ensures smooth daily operations and keeps workflows running efficiently within her organisation. While working hard to establish herself as a dependable, meticulous and consistent teammate, she could never shake the persistent feeling that she could further streamline her work processes by expanding her skillsets. As businesses moved deeper into digital transformation, Farizan took a step back to reflect on how she could remain relevant in Singapore’s highly competitive and dynamic economy. Through her own research on social media, she began to see the potential of technology to enhance efficiency and productivity in her daily responsibilities. Determined not to let comfort and familiarity stagnate her professional development, she seized the opportunity and enrolled in the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) Digital Marketing Specialist course at NTUC LearningHub after chancing upon it online. The structured and industry-relevant curriculum gave Farizan clearer insight into how digital strategies translate into real business impact. It also helped her better understand how campaigns are planned, executed and measured in today’s digital landscape. Farizan gained practical knowledge in digital marketing strategies, search engine optimisation (SEO), online copywriting, campaign analytics and online campaign management, areas she had always been curious about but had not had the opportunity to explore in her previous scope of work. The guidance from experienced trainers and the unique insights shared by coursemates from diverse industries further enriched her learning experience. By embracing the intensity of the knowledge-filled course, she was able to bring together the different concepts she had learned through the programme’s capstone project and apply them in a practical digital marketing scenario. Building on what she learned from the course, Farizan now approaches her role with a broader perspective. While she continues her core operational responsibilities, she has also taken on expanded responsibilities at work, supporting digital marketing initiatives, assisting in online campaign coordination and contributing insights to enhance customer engagement. These opportunities to apply her new skills have not only allowed her to add greater value to her team but has also strengthened her confidence in navigating change. This step forward marks just one of many in her journey of self-improvement and lifelong learning. Shortly after completing the programme, she began exploring other courses to further develop her data analytics capabilities, such as the Retail (SF): Data Science Fundamentals course. Recognising that others may still be on the fence about taking the first step, she shares, a mindset she now carries beyond the workplace and even onto the stage as a performer, “Do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Learning new skills may feel challenging at first, but it opens new opportunities and builds confidence.”