Sharon is a Senior Investment Data Engineer from our Data Strategy Group and she has been with GIC for about 16 years. She runs the engineering team at GIC’s enterprise data warehouse for investment analytics and reporting. Her role is to keep the data trustworthy, discoverable and available for stakeholders ranging from analysts, researchers, reporting teams, to senior management, while continually evolving the technology stack and developing her team to keep pace with business needs and industry changes.
When she’s not busy at work, Sharon keeps healthy with her fitness goals like taking regular swims, brisk walks and stretching exercises.
Why did you decide to join GIC?
At that time, it was my husband who chanced across the job advertisement and forwarded the newspaper clipping to me. He was more knowledgeable about GIC than I was and felt it would be a fantastic opportunity. I was eager to give it a shot and was glad I did after an interesting conversation with Hian Leong, our Technology director at the time. He was also gracious enough to request that HR make an offer to me within the same day after I shared with him that I was deferring other job offers in order to attend that GIC interview. I’ve never looked back since.
I used to think GIC would have a civil service-like environment but the pace of change here is so fast that not everything can be done in the most structured way. That’s why being in a competent team with a supportive manager and positive collaboration culture makes all the difference.
What does your typical workday look like?
Every morning, I juice for a healthy start to the day. My typical workday then revolves around topical meetings, project stand-ups, brainstorming sessions, and dealing with ad-hoc matters that arise from time to time, such as operational issues and external vendor engagements.
Prior to the pandemic, I enjoyed informal interactions with my colleagues through water-cooler chats, lunch dates, tea breaks, and so on. Before I log off for the day, I’ll look at tomorrow’s calendar to get a sense of what’s coming up. I’ll then unplug from work by going for a brisk walk or a swim.
What do you like most about working here?
The fast pace of change keeps me engaged, and because I have always worked in the Data and Tech space, which has grown rapidly in recent years, there is always something new to learn. GIC provides me with the opportunities to apply what I know, encouraging my professional growth. The most exciting projects are always the ones that I am currently working on.
I also like how GIC demonstrates diversity and inclusion well in our hiring, deployment, and career progression across our business. When making such decisions, we look at how our people perform and conduct themselves professionally, and we are very careful not to stereotype with a tainted lens. The company has been raising awareness of this issue, and meaningful initiatives like GIC Enable Programme that offers internships for physically disabled undergraduates make me proud to be a part of GIC.
How would you describe the learning & development culture at GIC?
Right from the beginning, I learned most of my skills on the job, ranging from programming languages, design thinking, architectural concepts, financial knowledge, time management, stakeholder engagement, and many others.
Many of these are life skills that are also applicable outside of work. In addition to learning the trade from mentors and teammates, I’ve also benefited from GIC’s structured training courses. I like that our training system has an auto-approval feature that allows me to choose the most relevant course for myself without first seeking my manager’s approval; this reflects GIC’s trust in its people to responsibly take charge of their own development.
What you should know before joining GIC
Prepare to embark on an exciting journey with us! If you have the right attitude and drive to succeed, you will appreciate GIC’s generous support for professional development and career advancement.