Her World Singapore – September 2019

focusedonyourroleat

thatpointintime.”

Whenshewas40,

Susanmadeupforthe

missedopportunityin

heryouth–notgoingto

university–bygetting

anExecutiveMBA

fromtheNational

UniversityofSingapore.

Shelaterenrolledin

HarvardBusiness

School’sOwner/

PresidentManagement

programme.She

describesthisperiodas

her“bestlearningyears”.

Sheadds:“Iwant

womentoknowthat

eventhoughtheymay

havedreamsthatseem

impossibletoachievenow,

theyshouldneverforget

whattheyare.Keepthem

closetoyourheart.

“It’saboutyour

aptitudeforlearning,how

determinedyouare,and

yourattitude.Ifyouhave

agoodattitudeandreally

keepworkingonyour

goals,somedayyou’ll

seesuccess.”

Athome,Susanis

likeanymum,cooking

thefamily’sfavourite

the neighbourhood.

We’ve also donated

hydroponic systems to

neighbourhood schools

so children can grow

vegetables for their

projects,” Susan says.

We see a group of

staff communicating

animatedly in sign

language, and we learn

that the warehouse staff

are fl uent in it.

This has everything

to do with Greenpac’s

inclusive hiring policy

that counts ex-off enders,

and individuals with

physical disabilities –

like Carmen Foong, who

has a hearing and speech

disability – among its

employees. Carmen

works in the warehouse

as a senior operations

assistant.

Susan, who is fl uent

in sign language, points

out: “I was always given

the opportunity to learn,

and Greenpac hires

the same way. Carmen

couldn’t get a job until

she came to us. She

has been with us for 10

years now, and is one of

our most hard-working

employees. It creates

a special company

culture based on mutual

respect when we hire

inclusively.”

Greenpac is built

upon the founding

values of empathy and

community-mindedness,

making corporate social

responsibility a priority.

The fi rm picked up the

President’s Volunteerism

and Philanthropy

Award in 2017, which

Susan describes as “real

encouragement for

the team”.

The fi rm’s

community involvement

is a refl ection of Susan’s

social leadership.

Programmes include

student internships,

school learning journeys,

community outreach

programmes, and

sponsorships – such

as the packaging of the

telecommunications

equipment for the

fi rst local all-woman

expedition to Mount

Everest in 2009. (The

six mountaineers

received Her World’s

Young Woman Achiever

award in 2009.)

“I received a lot of

kindness from other

people, and have always

felt it’s important to give

back,” Susan says.

“After all, if you make

so much money, what are

you going to do with it?

It’s the legacy you leave,

not the amount of money,

that really matters.”

Her social

contribution extends to

her personal volunteer

work, which began from

the time Susan started

visiting orphanages

with her own children

when they were young.

Her daughter says: “My

mum would always say

there are many ways to

contribute. You don’t

need to be a big company,

or rich, or have a title to

be able to do things.”

Susan has come a

long way – from that

small-town girl to an

industry forerunner – on

her own terms. She says:

“To succeed, you need

to have a big vision and

conviction. Those are the

determining factors for

success. You also need

that entrepreneurial,

‘never say die’ spirit, and

the ability to evolve and

do things diff erently.”

In a corner of her

offi ce, a grand piano

takes pride of place.

“It’s a reminder

of where and how I

started,” Susan says. “It’s

one of those things that

makes you who you are,

no matter how far you’ve

come. You always have to

remember your roots.”

meals,suchasPenang

laksa,onweekends.

“Someperceivea

womanwithafamily

tobeahandicap,but

Ithinkwithallthis

multitasking,you’reeven

moreproductiveand

organised.Ithinkit’s

goodtraining.”

TheyoungSusanhad

this“training”whenshe

hadtocook,lookafter

thehouseholdandcare

forherbrotherswhenher

father’sbusinessfailed.

“Upuntilthen,

mymumwasataitai

• wehadadriverand
  domestichelpers,”she
  remembers.
  ButSusan’smum
  rosetotheoccasion
  bystartingherown
  business,workingwith
  apublisher,andselling
  bookstokindergartens
  alloverKedah.
  Susancreditsher
  mother,now80,forher
  ownabilitytorecover
  fromsetbacks.

THE

PEOPLE’S

LEADER

It’s noon, and an hour into

the interview. We hear

the sound of chatter as we

approach the rooftop of

Greenpac’s four-storey

complex. The door

opens onto what looks

like a picnic in progress

• employees chatting
  over lunch at tables set
  amid greenery. A closer
  look shows vegetables
  like brinjal and sweet
  potato growing in the
  garden. They’re used as
  ingredients for staff meals
  cooked (sometimes by
  Susan) in the open kitchen.
  “We grow vegetables,
  which we donate to

4. With her
   classmates
   and Professor
   David Yoffie
   at Harvard
   Business
   School in
   2015, while
   attending
   the school’s
   Owner/
   President
   Management
   programme.


5. Greenpac’s
   2018 joint
   community
   outreach with
   the People’s
   Association
   Nanyang
   Constituency
   Office saw
   them sharing
   vegetables
   harvested
   from Juying
   Primary
   School’s
   hydroponic
   system
   (sponsored
   by Greenpac)
   with families
   in need.


6. Susan with
   her husband
   and four
   children on
   vacation in
   Kanazawa,
   Japan, in 2016.

I WANT WOMEN TO

KNOW THAT EVEN

THOUGH THEY MAY

HAVE DREAMS THAT

SEEM IMPOSSIBLE,

THEY SHOULD

NEVER FORGET

WHAT THEY ARE.

• SUSAN, ON KEEPING SIGHT
  OF GOALS

101