Our August SgWIS monthly career talk and networking session was a science cafe co-hosted with the amazing team at Infuse, an ASTAR based organisation with the purpose of building community within ASTAR through hosting events and communicating good science. They host monthly science cafés for the staff and students at A*STAR to enjoy. These events are intended to bring in interesting speakers and provide a casual space for networking. It was a perfect collaboration for SgWIS and allowed us the space and time to have 2 invited speakers.

The first speaker, Ms.  Jessica Tan, Group Director, Commercial, Raffles Medical Group and member of parliament (MP) for East Coast GRC, talked about how she balanced her responsibilities to her country as MP, to her job, and to her family. Her advice? There is no perfect balance, priorities shift and change over time and you have to allow them. But that you should strive to know your value, because that is what will give you power and choices. 

The second speaker was Ms. Uma Thana Balasingham, VP Channels and Sales, Asia Pacific Japan, Riverbed Technology; Co-founder Lean In Singapore. Uma explained how her career had been shaped through the power of networking. That good relationships with the people you work with, and the broader community you work within, will open up opportunities. She explained that Lean In Singapore offered an amazing opportunity for peer networking and a space for women to be unapologetically ambitious and encouraged everyone to consider signing up.

After the talks we debriefed and networked over a delicious range of baked treats from Bakery Brera.