City News talks to two recent award-winners on what drives them to excel.
Name: Genecia Luo
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Award won: Southeast Asia Woman of Excellence Award
With her statuesque figure and stunning looks, Genecia Luo never fails to make an impression when she walks into a room. This young lady dons many hats. Not only has she won a number of beauty pageants and modelling competitions, she is also the founder of InQueenz, a training academy to equip women, men and youth with the necessary skills to achieve their goals.
Apart from managing her heavy work commitments, Luo is also actively involved in community work. She volunteers her time helping out in community outreach programs involving youth and young children such as Children-At-Risk-Empowerment and Society of the Promotion of ADHD Research and Knowledge. She also conducts aerobic, yoga and even line-dancing classes.
In December 2009, she was part of a team that spearheaded fund-raising projects for children with cancer, followed by “A Colorful Christmas Carnival,” an event to raise funds and awareness for underprivileged women and children. She has also worked with Habitat for Humanity, amongst many other organizations.
For all her efforts, Luo is the first Singaporean to be presented the Southeast Asia Woman of Excellence Award, which celebrates the contribution of trailblazing women in the region who have achieved extraordinary things. Other winners include a Malaysian Datuk and a mayor from the Philippines.
Luo attributes her win to being a “God-incident” and is very honored to be recognized for her contributions to the community. “I am grateful for the many blessings that have made me who I am today. I am real and my true beauty is not found in my dress size or outer beauty, but exhibited through love, compassion, inner person and my determination to make a difference in the lives of others.”
In addition to her recent award, she was also appointed the official ambassador for Miss United Nations Singapore 2010/2011.
Luo is currently working on her first book, and is determined to bring InQueenz to greater heights. “This is a business about impacting and transforming lives—helping individuals to discover their gifts, talents and empowering them to be successful. I want to continue engaging, empowering, impacting and inspiring lives—to enable people to be winners on stage and leaders in life.”
Luo’s words of advice to other young women who seek to live their best life just as she does?
“To quote Henry David Thoreau, ‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined.’”
Name: Vincy Ng
Occupation: APAC HR Director, Brady Corporation
Award won: Pride of HR Profession Award at the Asia HR Congress 2009
A chance meeting with a friend’s brother who was a human resources director at General Electric influenced Vincy Ng to become a HR professional. Having a passion and genuine desire to draw out the best in people, Ng believes that this is how she can contribute to the growth and successes of businesses. Ng believes it is all about people.
“Highly successful companies have the same common denominator—they focus on people and leadership development. Hiring the best, engaging and developing people is proven to be a competitive advantage for many organizations and is something I passionately believe in.” Ng draws much of her learning and inspiration from the best-in-class multinational companies such as Schlumberger, where she spent about 10 years working with some of the brightest talents in the region.
Over the past 25 years, Ng has become an industry veteran widely recognized for her expertise in the HR field, particularly in the areas of talent management and employee engagement. She is frequently invited to speak at regional HR conferences such as Talent Management Asia Conference and the Asia HR Congress on the topic of Employee Engagement.
Ng was nominated by her peers in the industry for the award and won because organizers felt that she had contributed significantly to the HR community both locally and overseas.
Her win is the highest honor an individual can receive for his or her contribution in the industry. Ng feels a strong validation from her peers and continues to be extremely passionate about what she does.
“The strategic role of human resource is to develop organizational capabilities through talent acquisition, development and management. Having good business acumen is absolutely important for any HR leader—it’s crucial to have a seat at the table and influence key decisions in the organization. I believe in drawing out the best in people; developing employees to their fullest potential is a top priority in my organization. What keeps me motivated is when employees’ career aspirations are met and lives are impacted —this really inspires me to keep getting better at what I do.”
For Ng, Christianity has made a very positive difference in her life and contributed in making her the person that she is today. She is particularly grateful for the support and teaching she has received from her church leaders over the last seven years. “I am more conscious of everything that I do and the decisions I make as it always has to translate into something meaningful for people. To young people who want to rise in their career, my advice is: whatever you do, always do it to the best of your ability, always persevere and never stop learning.”
