Meanwhile, here are ten inspiring quotes to help you navigate the future of work:
Season one: Business as a Platform for Change
“I don’t think my medals, successes, or failures define me as a person. What defines me is constant evolution….and making whatever change I think is necessary to become better and better.”
“It is not enough to just focus on the bottom line. We know that when we provide value to all our stakeholders — and not just shareholders— everyone benefits. That means our customers, our partners, our employees, our community, and our planet.”
“My advice for businesses of all sizes and sectors is to take the time to understand the power of AI. It is electricity for businesses and you’ll be left in the dark without it”
“[In the digital world], you have to make that very deliberate step of disengaging when you need to. Even within my own team, we’ve been very busy this year and have gone through stressful times. But I remind everyone that we have annual leave and it is there for a purpose.”
“There were a lot of people who wanted to work from home before the pandemic, but they were deemed lazy or seen to be slacking off. COVID-19 came along and it was a leveler. Everyone had to work from home and then we had to change how we looked at the workplace.”
“The reality is that while Asia is a beautiful part of the world to live in, it is not an easy place when it comes to payments or technology. Every single country is different and that ultimately creates a challenge. However, it is a wonderful opportunity if you can solve that challenge.”
“Once you have data, it always makes you ask better questions and that is the beauty in teaching people about data. You teach them to ask better questions.”
“When we talk to customers about creating a data culture, we encourage them to think about three fundamental pieces of the puzzle. The first is that you’ve got to build trust. The second is that you’ve got to cultivate talent. The third is you’ve got to drive commitment from the top down.”
“It’s very important we put in that work to upskill ourselves and be fearless. AI and technology is not rocket science. You can learn the basics and sometimes the basics are all that you need.”
Cecily leads the Singapore business at Salesforce as Area Vice President and General Manager of Singapore and is focused on enabling Singapore businesses in Asia to innovate, be more agile and connect with their customers in a whole new way. In this capacity, Cecily serves as a trusted advisor to the C-Suites of Asia's large enterprises while leading a robust team that drives growth of Salesforce in this region. Cecily amassed 15 years of progressive experience and is a seasoned tech professional. Prior to Salesforce, Cecily worked with IBM, Microsoft and Sun Microsystems.
An equality champion, Cecily is the Executive Sponsor for Salesforce Women's Network in Singapore and is especially passionate about helping young women develop their careers.
Dedicated to gender parity at Salesforce and in the technology industry, Cecily also keenly serves as a mentor for young women as part of the Salesforce-Halogen Foundation partnership programme BizAcademy.
Cecily was born in Hong Kong, moved to Singapore to study, and holds a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the National University of Singapore. In her free time, Cecily enjoys cooking up a storm in the kitchen and seeking out adventures with her husband.
