Co-operative, committed, responsible – that is how the bosses, colleagues and friends describe Cheryl, whose thirst for skills upgrading brought her to where she is today.

Cheryl had an early start in the retail industry when she joined Isetan as a Sales Assistant upon completing her ‘O’ Levels. To improve herself, she enrolled in a Japanese course so that she could communicate more effectively with the Japanese customers. She moved steadily up the ranks and last held the position of a Sales Coordinator before she left to assume a Supervisory position at M.B. Melwani (Liz Clairborne).

To ease into her new role, Cheryl attended in-house training and company-sponsored service quality programmes. She also pursued a Diploma in Fashion Merchandising as she knew that to advance in her career, she had to continuously upgrade her skills.

In August 1997, Cheryl joined 7-Eleven as a Confidential Assistant (Buying Department). Her keen interest and good performance earned her a promotion to a Trainee Buyer. By year end, she was confirmed as an Assistant Buyer. The company then sponsored her for a Diploma in Management Practice course at the Singapore Institute of Management. She continued to work hard and was promoted to Category Manager.

Nominated for “Leaders-in-Development”, a year-long corporate development programme, Cheryl performed well and was selected to be the sponsor/mentor for the following year’s programme. She seized the opportunity to impart her knowledge and skills to the trainees.

Based on her commendable service record, 7-Eleven nominated Cheryl for the Singapore Retailers’ Association (SRA) Award in 2003. She was placed as a finalist.

To Cheryl, learning is a lifelong process. Currently, she is pursuing a Diploma in Mass Communications, which will certainly enable her to value-add to her company and advance in her career.