Woman of the world

Everyone loves hearing stories of spunky youths going out into the world chasing and achieving dreams. But not all success stories begin with a clear vision. Jill Lee’s certainly didn’t. “I did not start my career with a planned path. I began my career at a time when Singapore was going through her first post-independence recession, so I was glad to just land any job in an established company and use that as a starting point,” she says.

Her pragmatism led her to Siemens, where she worked her way up to the role of Country Chief Financial Officer before becoming the company’s first female and Asian Regional CFO in China, and later its Group Chief Diversity Officer in Germany.

Since leaving Siemens in 2010, Jill has served in senior management roles in companies like Neptune Orient Lines and Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation ABB. Today, she is the Chief Financial Officer of Swiss-listed flow control firm Sulzer and is based in Zurich. She is also a non-executive director of French global company Schneider Electric.

She says not having a clear plan when she first started out made her highly adaptive and enabled her to thrive in the many countries she’s worked in. “I find it fascinating and stimulating to work in diverse cultural environments, and these experiences help me to better understand contexts, become more empathetic, and to better contribute to team performance,” she adds.

Jill, who is an alumna from the Nanyang Business School’s (NBS) Master of Business Administration programme, says that her degree alone wasn’t responsible for her career success. “Networking with classmates from different industries stimulated new perspectives and ideas, while the leadership qualities that were sharpened from the curriculum made me more prepared for the opportunities that came my way.”

Passionate about passing on this wisdom to the next generation, Jill serves as a member of the NBS Advisory Board and has participated in the School’s Women’s Leadership Series. “I think fresh graduates need to be more future-ready than we were in the past,” she says, suggesting graduates develop broader skill sets to adapt to changing technologies, as well as jump at the chance for internships and apprenticeships in order to bridge their learning into the real world.

To those who have yet to figure out their futures, Jill offers sage advice: “Begin with having a good understanding of your strengths and interests, though curiosity and perseverance are fundamental qualities. Have the self-discipline to go the extra mile in everything you do because opportunities favour the prepared. Lastly, win trust with strength of character – this is often demonstrated by how we act in the interest of others.”

Click here to read about other Nanyang Alumni Award recipients.

This article first appeared in the first issue of U, the NTU alumni magazine.