SCWO Inauguration of the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame and International Women’s Day 2014
Address by Ms Tracey Woon, Vice Chairman, ASEAN Corporate and Investment Banking, Citi
Our Guests of Honour, President Tony Tan and SCWO Patron Mrs Mary Tan, Madam Halimah Yacob, Speaker of Parliament, Minister Grace Fu, Minister of Prime Minister’s Office, 2nd Minister for Environment & Water Resources and 2nd Minister for Foreign Affairs, Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-At‐Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Manpower & Mayor of South West District, Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social Development and Family, Ms Laura Hwang, President of SCWO, Excellencies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Parliamentarians, Honorees and members of their families and friends, Distinguished guests,
Introduction
Thank you very much for joining us this evening for the launch of the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame.
Citi is proud and honoured to be the Presenting Sponsor of this significant national initiative to recognise the women who have made remarkable contributions and achievements in the history of Singapore.
By sharing their stories, we hope that the next generation of young women and men in Singapore can be inspired to pursue their passions and aspirations.
SCWO has painstakingly compiled the stories of these pioneering women. Tonight, we are pleased to officially launch the publication and all of you will receive the first copies of the book. SCWO Inauguration of the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame and International Women’s Day 2014
Citi’s rationale for commitment to diversity
Our partnership with SCWO is part of our commitment in promoting diversity by recruiting, developing and advancing women.
Given our presence in more than 100 countries, diversity is a business imperative as we believe that a diverse workforce which fully reflects our communities and clients will ensure that we continue to deliver quality and innovative solutions to meet and anticipate their needs.
We celebrate IWD every year as it is an opportunity to recognise the contributions of women to Citi and highlight our initiatives in helping women advance their careers in Citi.
Citi Singapore’s IWD initiatives in 2014
Globally, our businesses, women’s councils and women’s networks have hosted over 230 IWD events in 170 cities this year.
In Singapore, the Women Council that I chair and the IWD committee lined up a series of exciting initiatives that reached more than 1,000 participants including employees, students and invited guests last week.
Some of the initiatives include a large‐scale outdoor Yoga class, a panel discussion for university students, a social bazaar that supported female‐centric social enterprises, a client dinner event showcasing ASEAN female fashion designers, and a keynote and a panel discussion with Financial Women Association of Singapore to share our journey and experience on promoting women leadership within our organization.
About Citi’s Women Leadership Development Programmes
In addition to our annual IWD initiatives, we have global programmes throughout the year that are customized to develop talented women whether they are at Director‐Managing Director level or the SVP‐Director level.
For example, we have the Women Leading Citi programme which is an 18‐month engagement to help advance high‐potential Directors and MDs through advocacy and sponsorship.
At the SVP‐Director level, we have the Women’s Leadership Development Programme held in collaboration with UCLA that is designed to build new skills required of women in senior leadership positions.
About Citi Singapore’s commitment to gender diversity
For Citi in Singapore, women make up more than half of our workforce, and 4 out of 10 of our country management team are women. Most of them are also here tonight at the Citi table.
To encourage a greater representation of women in the senior ranks, one of the key focus areas is to create a senior management scorecard for diverse slates, to ensure that there is equitable consideration of female and diverse talent for senior level opportunities.
We also have many flexi‐time and remote‐mobile work arrangements available to help women, as well as men, manage their dual responsibilities at home and at work.
Through our annual employee survey, many Citibankers responded that they have good support and informal agreements with their supervisors to leverage on those options, and we have a high Diversity Index of 80%.
We embrace diversity and promote meritocracy so that we can ensure that we have the best talent to serve our clients and deliver solutions that anticipate their needs.
Conclusion
In closing, I wish to acknowledge the 110 women who will be inducted in the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame tonight. Thank you for being such inspirations and for demonstrating that it is possible to live a life of extraordinary achievements and contributions to Singapore when one is fueled by passion, perseverance, authenticity and a spirit of excellence.
I would also like to thank SCWO for giving Citi Singapore the opportunity to be a part of this meaningful initiative.
President Tony Tan and Mrs Mary Tan, thank you for gracing the event tonight and your endorsement of this national campaign to recognise and share the stories of these “silent heroines” who contributed to the success that Singapore is today.
And to our friends and esteemed guests who are here this evening, thank you for joining us to celebrate the leadership and courage of the 108 inductees of the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame.