‘The investment we make will pay off’: 3 Singaporean leaders explain why they’re prioritising mental health

THE way we work was fundamentally changed by the Covid-19 pandemic; for many, that process was stressful and difficult to navigate. The Business Times (BT) spoke to three corporate leaders in Singapore, who shared how they emerged from the crisis with a better appreciation of the importance of mental well-being.

Starting as a leader of an empty office

Kelvin Ho was appointed to the role of chief executive officer at Nomura Singapore in April 2020, right when the Covid-19 “circuit breaker” was announced.

“Exactly one week into my role, we had to force everybody out of the office and to work from home. That was a big challenge for me,” he told BT. “I actually broke down. I had just started my new role, (which is) very different from what I used to do as an investment banker, and all of a sudden, when no one was around, I had this huge task ahead of me to run the office.