Wei Rong

Wei Rong joined GIC under the GIC Professionals Programme in 2019 and has been deployed to Investment Services Public Markets since 2020. The team partners the business in providing services to support public markets investment. As an Assistant Vice President, he provides close execution support to the New York and London trading desks across a wide spectrum of asset classes and works on strategic projects that aim to improve efficiency, productivity, or new business capabilities aimed at reducing cost or freeing up cash for higher yielding investment activities. 

Wei Rong has moved to the New York Office in 2022 and he has been taking the opportunity to travel around the region to broaden his horizons and experience new cultures.  

Why did you decide to join GIC?

I first learned about GIC when I was an intern in an external asset manager who managed funds for GIC – it was interesting to know that there would be a presentation made by the Operations department to GIC to highlight operational control and risk management frameworks in action. This impressed me as I did not expect a client to go to such a level of detail in assessing the skills of an external fund manager. Upon joining, I have come to learn that GIC is constantly on the lookout for frontier investment opportunities, deploying strategies that are increasingly complex as the years go by, even more so than our competitors, and not “just like any other bank”.  

What does your typical workday look like?

While no two days are alike, I begin the day by catching up on handovers received from Singapore teams to understand what are the high priority issues that I should focus on during my day. Throughout market trading hours, I handle queries from traders to allow them to focus on achieving best execution. As my team has been growing in the past year, every day is a teaching opportunity for me as I help my juniors hone their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. While we sit in a different time-zone from most of our department leaders, weekly night calls are crucial for us as we connect with the stakeholders to get buy in as well as to make decisions to drive key initiatives forward. 

What do you like most about working here?

It must be the opportunities I get to speak to industry leading firms to discuss best practices in tackling some business problems we have internally. It does not stop there! My manager gives me the autonomy to propose and implement changes. Since we are at the frontier of the investment management industry, I get a front row seat to understanding financial markets and macroeconomics as they evolve.  

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

While joining GIC through the Professionals Programme, I was given many opportunities for learning and growth. I see a strong commitment by the firm in training up fresh graduates, first through bootcamp where I was provided fundamental trainings as well as job rotations that allows me to get exposure in different business lines and to build internal networking. GIC provides strong mentorship to provide us guidance in my career as I progress and develop. I was able to speak to senior leaders who have walked the same path and understand what it takes to build a successful career. Every year, I make use of the learning budget to attend industry seminars to help build my industry knowledge and networks.  

What you should know before joining GIC

I encourage candidates to demonstrate their abilities to learn and adapt quickly, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Strong professionals are not defined by the knowledge they possess but rather how quickly someone can address a problem from different perspectives and identify the most ideal solution.