Grace

Grace is a Managing Director in the Enterprise Strategy department. In my role, I support the GIC’s Group Executive Committee in the development of both long-term and annual enterprise-level strategic plans. 

Outside of work, Grace is a mum of two fun-loving and curious toddlers and dedicates her time to exploring new experiences with them. Grace is currently exploring ballet dancing with her children, as well as learning to ride a bicycle. Post COVID, with the return of international travel, Grace spends quality time with her adventure-seeking family, exploring new cultures, cuisines, and landscapes.  

Why did you decide to join GIC?

After spending a fulfilling decade in management consulting, I felt ready for a career change. At the time, I was weighing my options between pursuing a graduate degree in Silicon Valley or accepting a position at a private equity firm. 

When a recruiter first approached me about an opportunity with GIC, I initially had reservations. I pictured a serious and formal workplace with executives who were difficult to approach. The prospect of attending formal meetings and wearing business attire every day seemed daunting, and I almost declined the offer to discuss the opportunity further. 

Despite my reservations, I decided to give it a chance. Throughout the recruitment process, I had the pleasure of meeting many remarkable individuals who were collaborative and supportive. I was thrilled by the prospect of collaborating with such talented people who were intrinsically motivated by GIC’s mission to secure Singapore’s financial future. It was these people and the positive work environment that convinced me to join GIC. 

What does your typical workday look like?

Every day is a new adventure for me. Depending on what is on the agenda, I could be doing anything from attending meetings to discuss our long-term strategic plans, to delving into the latest external trends and practices of peer institutions to help with our long-term planning.  

At the Enterprise Strategy department, one thing is for sure—we always have exciting and impactful projects to work on! One of our projects involved a thorough review of our long-term plan to ensure we were on track to achieve our strategic objectives. Through this exercise, we fine-tuned our investment framework and equipped our investment strategies with the necessary capabilities to deliver outstanding long-term returns. To support these objectives, we also assessed the type of cultural attributes, institutional, and people capabilities we would need. It was an invigorating challenge that pushed us to think beyond the immediate future and consider every aspect of the organisation. 

What do you like most about working here?

GIC invests across a diverse range of asset classes, including public equities, fixed income and bonds, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, and private credit. Through these projects, I had the opportunity to tap into the expertise of exceptional investors in each area and gain insights into the unique challenges associated with each asset type.  

I consider myself fortunate to collaborate with numerous teams across GIC on various strategic topics. What I enjoy most about my role is the ability to tap into the wisdom and creativity of employees from all departments and offices. We are committed to championing innovation and continuous improvement, which is why we value the importance of collective intelligence and encourage employees to share their ideas with us. 

How would you describe the learning & development culture at GIC?

The learning and development culture at GIC is centred around continuous growth and improvement for all employees. We believe that investing in our people is crucial to achieving our long-term strategic objectives. To that end, GIC offers a variety of learning opportunities for employees to tap on, including online courses, in-person training, mentoring, and coaching.

What you should know before joining GIC

I highly recommend GIC to any candidate considering a new opportunity. It is essential to take the time to map out new colleagues and stakeholders in the organisation and get to know them in advance. These conversations will enable candidates to assess their ‘cultural fit’ within the organisation and evaluate how the company’s business objectives are interpreted in daily work.