SYNOPSIS:
Poor mental health and well-being limit the capabilities of people to reach their full potential and imposes costs for both organisations and society. Businesses and governments agree that improvements in mental health and well-being are essential contributors to the quality of the work experience. For that reason, the ASEAN Human Development Organisation (AHDO) and the Singapore-based Mental Health company INTELLECT are partnering on a White Paper to identify policies and initiatives in ASEAN that improve mental health and well-being.
This session is an opportunity for EuroCham human development professionals to understand the issue, to learn about research and to dialogue with companies about their mental health policies and practices. Participants will take away the following:
- Operational definitions of mental health and well-being used in companies and public policy
- The difference between managing mental health as a problem and developing mental wellness.
- Update on research and trends concerning mental health in the workplace since the Covid pandemic, including the impact of new ways of working.
- Sharing by EuroCham HD Committee members on their mental health policies, practices and new initiatives.
PROGRAMME:
8.30 am Start of Registration
8.30 am Networking Coffee & Refreshments
9.00 am Welcome Remarks by Ms Victoria Great, Vice President of Business Development at CapitaLand
9.05 am Opening Remarks by Mr Bob Aubrey, Chair of Human Development Committee at EuroCham
9.10 am Presentation by Keynote Speaker, Dr Oliver Suendermann, Vice President at Intellect & Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at NUS
9.30 am Panel Discussion Moderated by Ms Rongshang Cheong, Head of HR Singapore Hub and Global HRBP Personal Care at Unilever
10.00 am Open and Interactive Q&A
10.25 am Closing Remarks by Moderator
10.30 am Campus Tour of Catapult
11.00 am End of the Tour
The organisers reserve the right to change the programme content without giving prior notification or any reasons thereof.
SPEAKER
Dr Oliver Suendermann
Vice President at Intellect
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the National University of Singapore (NUS)
Oliver is a German-born, and UK-trained Clinical Psychologist and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, educator, supervisor, and researcher. He will help participants understand the positive benefits of mental well-being at work as well as the clinical risks of poor mental health in the workplace.
Oliver will also share about the latest trends in corporate wellbeing and present a science-backed solution for organisations to create thriving workforces. He will dialogue with participants about what works, what doesn’t and where companies are going in ASEAN on these issues.
PANELLISTS
Mr Sunil Sampanna
Senior Global Procurement HR Business Partner
Unilever
Sunil is a passionate HR professional with over a decade of cross industry, cross functional experience. His expertise lies in HR Business Partnering, Employee Experience/Operations, HR Shared Service and Compensation and Benefits.
Ms Jaya Dass
Managing Director, Asia Pacific (permanent recruitment)
Managing Director, Singapore & Malaysia
Randstad
Equipped with strong business acumen drawn from her prior experience in business operations and development, Jaya is known for her ability to craft future-ready strategies and her empathetic leadership skills. During her time at Randstad, Jaya proved her worth as she scale operations across the Asia Pacific, with the aim to position Randstad as the top-of-mind HR solutions agency for leading companies looking for the best professional talent to drive meaningful growth and transformation.
Dr James Andrade
Senior Vice President and Head of Learning & Innovation
CapitaLand
Dr. James Andrade is Senior Vice President and Head of Learning & Innovation, for CapitaLand, one of Asia’s largest real estate companies. He is responsible for leading the initiative in constructing and overseeing the flagship shared executive learning centre specialising in developing the next generation of Singapore and pan-regional leaders – Catapult. Prior to this role, James held the position of Vice President, Research & Development for Mondelēz International Asia Pacific. During his 30 years as an executive in multinational companies, James has held various management positions, including R&D, Marketing, consumer insights and strategy. James holds a B.A. from Roger Williams University, M.S. in Psychopharmacology and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Howard University.
MODERATOR
Ms Rongshang Cheong (Rong)
Head of HR Singapore Hub and Global HRBP Personal Care
Unilever
Cheong Rong Shang (Rong) is currently Head of HR Singapore and HRBP Personal Care. A born and bred Singaporean, she first joined Unilever in 2011 as one of the pioneer batches of the prestigious Unilever Future Leaders Programme. She has since taken on an array of local, regional and global HR roles across geographies and expertise such as HR Business Partnering, Leadership Development, Employer Branding and Rewards based out of Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia. As the first Singaporean leading HR in Singapore (1 of 3 Global Hubs of Unilever), she is committed to understanding cultural nuances to get the best out of Asian talents. In her capacity as a Head of HR Singapore, one of her key goals is to amplify Singapore Hub as a lever for developing Asian Talents for the Global arena.
HOST
Ms Victoria Great
Vice President
Catapult
Communications and Marketing expert with over 25 years of strategic leadership experience in the fast moving consumer goods industry at Procter & Gamble, and in the real estate industry at CapitaLand.
This meeting is only open to members of the Human Development Committee. If you are keen to attend, please contact Eva Vincetic at eva@eurocham.org.sg.
POST-EVENT:
On 5th June, EuroCham, in collaboration with Catapult by CapitaLand organised an event on “How Mental Health and Well-Being is Central to the Work Experience: Policies, practices and potential in the ASEAN Workplace”.
We would like to thank Dr Oliver S. (Intellect) for his insightful and inspiring keynote sharing.
Thank you to our host, Catapult by CapitaLand and the people behind it, Ms Victoria Great and Ms Grace Neo.
Our moderator, Rong Shang Cheong, Head of HR Singapore and HRBP Personal Care at Unilever led a dynamic discussion with our panellists Ms Jaya Dass (Randstad), Mr Sunil Sampanna (Unilever) and Dr James Andrade (Catapult by CapitaLand) on how companies define mental health and wellbeing, on the role of leaders to create a psychologically safe workplace and most importantly the role of HR professionals in formulating organizations’ initiatives and programs on mental health.
The attendees participated by sharing their companies’ struggles and efforts towards mental health and well-being during the Q&A. Thank you to all who joined us and made this event a successful one!
