Works that last a lifetime

Singapore

Taking the path less travelled

Choosing to work in a male-dominated industry would be a hard enough decision for most women, without the added complication of doing so in another country. BT catches up with three women who left Singapore to make their names in traditionally male-dominated industries overseas.

SEEING the fruits of her labour on public display and knowing they will be used for years to come gives construction project manager Neo Lay Kiat a feeling of accomplishment.

Her work is even an iconic part of Singapore's skyline, as she helped to develop Marina Bay Sands in her first job after graduating from university.

"I often picture myself in my old age, pointing to a skyscraper in some part of the world and telling my granddaughter that I was involved in the construction of that building. Hopefully, she'd look at me in awe and think, 'That's cool!'" Ms Neo says.

The Singaporean, who has been based in Dubai since 2014 with British construction firm Faithful+Gould, coordinates schedules and troubleshoots problems for construction projects all over the city to ensure that the works follow agreed timelines and stay within budget. Her days are hectic, but the work is rewarding.

She says: "It is like getting constant affirmation of your hard work every time you see the structure or whenever you hear people talk about it."

Settling into her role was straightforward enough in terms of technical requirements when she joined Confluence Project Management in 2011. The company was later acquired by Faithful+Gould in 2013.

Ms Neo credits the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) with preparing her well for the rigors of her project manager role. There, she picked up a fundamental technical understanding of on-site work, as well as the necessary background knowledge to challenge contractors to increase efficiency in construction sequences.

She adds that a project management module she took in university stands out in her memory for teaching her about critical paths and helped her avoid focusing on irrelevant tasks. "Learning this fundamental principle of project scheduling in NUS Engineering enabled me to pare down the noise, and discern the essential items that would impact the project schedule," says Ms Neo.

"This has been invaluable in enabling me to manage all my timelines and projects efficiently, and remains a vital part of my success very much so far."

Despite her capabilities, Ms Neo felt invisible at work, where clients and others often ignored her during discussions even when she was standing right next to them. She decided to put aside her feelings and focus on the discussion instead, to understand the issue and offer constructive solutions.

"After all," Ms Neo says, "showing them the quality of my work was the best way to counter any preconceived notions that people may have about me or my capabilities."

To prove her worth and credibility, she makes sure she is prepared for meetings, is able to field all questions and can empathise with clients, even handling issues on their behalf.

Other than the bumpy start to her working life, Ms Neo says her path has been relatively smooth. She adds that while she garners a significant amount of attention in her unusual position as part of what she describes as an "extreme minority" of women in leadership positions in the industry in Dubai, it has been mainly positive so far. "I also think it is important not to have a mindset that women are treated unfairly to avoid falling victim to a self-fulfilling prophecy," Ms Neo notes.

"Instead, (we should) be objective and reflect on how we can better tailor our management style to suit different individuals according to their backgrounds, personalities and cultures."

Ms Neo has to navigate working style differences every day in her job, as her project committee teams are made up of diverse individuals from all over the world.

She learned the hard way that she needed to identify each person's work methods early on, in order to work most effectively with them throughout the project. In an early project, she presented a comprehensive report of a project's status to a key stakeholder, but he did not react positively as she had expected him to.

"I later learned that he was a 'big picture' type who only wanted to know what the major risks were, and wanted only high-level project updates," said Ms Neo.

"In another project, I met others who expected to receive updates at least twice a day, and in detail. I could not quite put my finger on why some people responded well to my working style and some didn't."

A management tool called the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument, which she picked up during a Management Development Course through her company Faithful+Gould, boosted her understanding of how different people prioritise information.

Some people prefer more visual, "big picture" approaches, while others need to know details in order to be in control.

Working in the United Arab Emirates has expanded her circle of friends to include people from Africa, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. The international friendships are a constant reminder of how little each person experiences of what the world has to offer, says Ms Neo.

It may be daunting to move one's whole life to another country for work, but Ms Neo says that keeping an open mind and being excited about trying and enjoying new things gives her the courage to venture out of Singapore.

"I am a firm believer that even a bad experience is a good life experience," she says. "With this in mind, what is there to stop us from stepping out into the unknown?"

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