Speakers' profile

Keynote Speaker

Candy Tymson Motivational Speaker & Author Topic : Gender Games: Doing Business with the Opposite Sex Women's tendency to communicate as 'storytellers' and men's reliance on facts and figures is creating expensive misunderstandings and loss of business opportunities in business today according to business communications expert, Candy Tymson. Author of "Gender Games: Doing Business With the Opposite Sex" Candy Tymson believes that women's first priority in business is more likely to be building relationships with colleagues, a stark contrast to the traditionally male preference for information-based decision-making and management. Ms Tymson says there are several reasons for the different communication styles, including the fact that research shows men operate from one side of their brain while women work from both sides, and of course cultural conditioning. "At a meeting situation for example, a women will nod her head during a discussion because she relates to what the speaker is saying, while a man will nod as a sign of agreement." As a result, these different styles of communication are creating unnecessary breakdowns and putting business in a state of flux. The question that all of this raises is - which style makes for a better leader or boss. Find out as Candy Tymson addresses the Singapore Women's Congress. Candy Tymson is based in Sydney and is a former Lady Mayoress of Sydney. She has more than twenty-five years experience in public relations and marketing; is a professional speaker and trainer; the author of three books and an experienced and dynamic media personality.

Dr Amy Khor Member of Parliament, Hong Kah GRC Topic : The Singapore Woman - Beyond Gender Equality Dr Amy Khor has 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, and has served as the Director of Consultancy and Research at Knight Frank, and as Deputy Director for the Centre of Real Estate Studies, School of Building and Real Estate, National University of Singapore. She is the the current Executive Director of the Investment Sales Department, overseeing the sale of major development sites, as well as en-bloc residential, commercial and industrial buildings. She was elected as a Member of Parliament for Hong Kah GRC in November 2001. She also serves as Vice-Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Education, and is a member of the GPC for National Development and Environment. She is also a member of the Feedback Supervisory Panel.

Jennie Chua Chairman & CEO, Raffles International Topic : Doing It My Way Ms Jennie Chua is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Raffles Holdings Limited, a main board listed company and concurrently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Raffles International Limited, the hotel management arm of Raffles Holdings. In 2002, Ms Chua was presented the “National Productivity” Award for her contribution to productivity improvement at the workplace and for dedication and commitment to the Productivity Movement. In 2003, she was named “Person of The Year- Asia Pacific (Hotel)” by American-based Travel Agent Magazine in recognition for her contributions to the hospitality industry. In the same year, Ms Chua was named one of the “Most Powerful Women” by American-based Travel Agent magazine.

Mary Yeo Managing Director, UPS Singapore Topic : Managing With Confidence When Mary Yeo joined UPS in 1988 as Country Manager, she was the only woman in the company to hold such a senior position. Today, as Managing Director, she is responsible for the strategic management of the Singapore office. Her responsibilities now also include the strategic direction and management of the UPS Malaysia office. Under her leadership UPS Singapore has been awarded the 2002 UPS Enterprise Excellence Award for the best business performance among UPS' 34 offices, and won the 5th Best Employer Award in Singapore. Ms Yeo was awarded the International Management Action Award in 2003. She is also passionate about community service, spearheading numerous initiatives, including sponsorships for the Children's Cancer Foundation, Singapore Cancer Society and the AWWA* Special School. ( *Asian Women’s Welfare Association )

Genevieve Theseira CEO, Breathing Space Topic : Dare To Dream With keen business acumen and the desire to make a difference, Genevieve Theseira co-founded Breathing Space, a stress management and holistic healing arts portal offering a variety of programmes for the mind, body and spirit. In 1997, Ms Theseira set up REPUBLIC Advertising, a $15-million Singapore Government-backed advertising agency. Today , Republic has grown to cover the Pan Asian region. Genevieve graduated in London and Los Angeles with a B(A) Hon. in communications from St. Martins College of Art (Lon) and Parson's (LA). In 2001, Genevieve trained as a business and life Coach. To better understand the potential in the development coaching industry and it's role in supporting the next Generation. In 2001, Genevieve set up Infinity Ventures Inc. to hold the current businesses and to seek a path of making a difference.

Wan Mee Fem Manager, Open Computing Centre, IBM Singapore Topic : Challenging The Status Quo : Making The Difference Wan Mee Fem joined IBM in 1983 as a systems engineer supporting the banking and financial sector. Since then she has held several key technical positions in the company, breaking down gender barriers along the way. In 1998, she was appointed IT Architect for the IBM Systems Group in Singapore. She was the first woman in ASEAN to be awarded IT Architect Certification. She is one of the first women to accomplish a commendable feat in an area that was predominantly reserved for the men. Early in the IT revolution, it was already a complex task for a male to be certified as an IT Architect, but Ms Wan not only tried but succeeded in her efforts.

Dr Rosemary Tan Founder, Genecet Biotechnologies Dr Rosemary Tan is a scientist by training – she is widely published in research areas related to the immunology and genetic basis of cancer and diseases. She received the prestigious Naito Science Award and was nominated for the National University Hospital-National Medical Research Council Young Scientist Award in 1999 for her contribution in the study of infectious disease. She was awarded the Spirit of Enterprise award in 2003 for her work in Genecet Biotechnologies. Drawing on her science background, she founded Genecet Biotechnologies. The business deals in the design of educational kits for schools to teach the principals behind these life sciences. She has published widely in research areas related to the immunology and genetic basis of cancer and diseases.

Serena Wee Business Devt Director, Can-Care Serena Wee was inspired to start Can-Care when she was at the Parkway Healthcare Group. She identified a gap in the after-care services for breast cancer patients – not just for cancer-care products, but also for emotional and psychological support, and image counselling. In 1997, she and two colleagues started their first Can-Care outlet with the slogan "Why should life be any different?". Since then the company has expanded overseas to South Korea, Hong Kong and China.

Irene Ang CEO, Fly Entertainment Irene Ang is one of the more established artistes in local showbusiness. Her role as Rosie in the sitcom Phua Chu Kang won her the Best Comedy Actress Award at the Asian Television Awards 2002. Besides her TV accomplishment, she has also worked on the big screen in local films. In her stage career, she has worked with Theatreworks, Singapore Repertory Theatre and The Necessary Stage. Branching out from her acting career, she established an actors agency and management company, Fly Entertainment.

Moderator Michelle Martin Morning Host, NewsRadio 93.8FM Michelle Martin began her career in Broadcast Journalism at the newsroom of MediaCorp's NewsRadio 93.8FM. She has covered numerous high-profile stories, including breaking the verdict of the Anthony Ler murder trial in 2001. She particularly enjoys the challenges of 'live' reporting – quick reflexes and swift decision-making being important requirements. Michelle currently hosts the morning news talkshow AM NEWSTALK. She has provided live radio commentary for the last two National Day Parades. Most recently, she hosted the opening of the North-East MRT Line, providing "live" on-camera updates of the event.