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Unlocking the Opportunity for Change
Chia Chee Yong - The Vice President of Digital Ecosystem Partnership at a reputable bank, took up a new role in the FinTech sector and has since grown from strength to strength in his career. Find out how he did it to overcome the challenges.|
A Financial Times article published in March this year highlighted that a “successful career pivot starts with a student mindset”. It could not be more apt to describe Chee Yong’s career transition across industry verticals from engineering, business consultancy and infocomm technology to his current business role in banking. The Vice President of Digital Ecosystem Partnership at a reputable bank, took up the new role in the FinTech sector and has since grown from strength to strength in his career. He described his switches as one of the biggest career challenges he has encountered but the willingness to learn enabled his career change. “I see difficulties as opportunities to develop new expertise and strengths. I put in significant efforts to overcome the steep learning curves. I learnt as much as possible within a short time to make myself effective and productive at work.” We asked Chee Yong to share his secret in convincing the hiring manager on being the right fit for the job. He shared, “I looked into my transferable skills and was able to demonstrate to my hirer that my business and market expertise, as well as knowledge of technology which I’ve acquired actively, provided me with a headstart. Plus, I am all poised to continuously learn as I progress in the job.” Indeed, active learning ranks as one of the top 10 job skills of tomorrow, according to the World Economic Forum in a recent report. In his work of facilitating and managing digital ecosystem partnership, Chee Yong collaborates with partners such as e-commerce and food delivery platforms to design innovative banking propositions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He contributes his experience in business development, strategising, digital marketing and data analytics to help partners explore and realise business opportunities by leveraging on digitalisation and financial solutions. The varied nature of his work spurs him on. Coupled with a good career support network, Chee Yong saw progress in his personal development which inspired him to pay it forward by being a Career Guide with Young NTUC. “I get a sense of fulfilment guiding individuals to explore and navigate through unchartered career territories and unlock their potential. Industry and job roles have changed in a post-COVID world. In mentoring youths, I place emphasis in getting them to adopt a growth mindset. As futurologist Alvin Toffler once said: ‘the illiterate of the 21st century won’t be those who can’t read and write. It will be those who can’t learn, unlearn and relearn’,” said Chee Yong. A keen learner himself, Chee Yong highlighted how he was constantly picking up invaluable insights through his interaction with mentees of different backgrounds. His greatest satisfaction in providing mentorship? To know he has played a part to empower youths in making a difference in the lives of others. We are certain that Chee Yong’s can-do spirit and positive vibes have been a great source of inspiration for his mentees – so much so that one of them went on to set up a university club to help other students explore their career pathways! |