Meet Nicole Poon 👋
Nicole Poon is a seasoned People and Business advocate bringing two decades of rich experience to the forefront of workplace innovation. She champions the implementation of progressive practices that foster continuous growth and innovation.
Insights from Nicole Poon
1) On Culture: What’s one thing you or your team does regularly to build a strong, positive workplace culture?
The organization actively fosters a culture that values recognition, learning, and collaboration, supported by the HR and leadership teams. A learning environment is promoted through regular interdepartmental knowledge sharing to enhance employee understanding. The quarterly all-hands award recognizes employees embodying Dedication, Innovation, and Collaboration, with peer nominations identifying significant contributions. This peer-driven recognition process across departments and locations strengthens the strong, positive workplace culture.
2) On Impact: What’s one HR initiative you led or supported that made a clear impact on your team or company? What changed because of it?
Achieving the TAFEP Exemplary Employer Award. It wasn't just about receiving the award itself, but the entire journey of learning and discovering how to be a fair and progressive employer. This process allowed us to build and communicate robust internal processes that genuinely improved our workplace practices.
3) On the Future: What’s one key skill or mindset you think every HR professional in Singapore will need in the next 5 years - and why?
The combination of strong soft skills like persuasive communication, critical thinking and a growth mindset, alongside the ability to adopt new technologies and ways of working. This is essential because HR professionals will need to effectively communicate and drive change, while also being adaptable and open to learning new tools and methods to navigate the rapidly evolving work landscape in this diversified and globalised city we call home.
4) What’s one HR initiative or practice you believe more companies should adopt to build stronger teams or workplaces — and why?
More companies should focus on truly understanding the nuances of their organization and recognizing talent effectively. HR should act as the connector, helping to maximize efficiency and productivity across the workplace or with different teams by aligning talent with organizational needs and fostering collaboration.
5) What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting their career in HR or people leadership?
There are so many to share!
- Listen attentively and be relentless in becoming a kinder and better person.
- Learn how to sell and persuade to effectively articulate ideas and push the needle forward.
- Be business savvy and aware of trends and movements that will impact how we work and drive workplace changes.
- The importance of not burning bridges and remaining humble and employable throughout one’s career.
6) What’s one workplace trend you’re excited about — and one you’re cautious of?
I'm excited about the AI efficiency and effectiveness in enabling us to do more with less. However, I'm cautious of the massive changes to the workforce. As AI changes the landscape, there will be a period where AI takes away some jobs before new ones are created and employees will have to be reskilled or upskilled quickly.
Connect with Nicole Poon
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About the Campaign
As Singapore marks 60 years of progress, SG60: 60 People Leaders Shaping Workplaces honours the people leaders building cultures where people thrive.
Each spotlight captures authentic experiences and actionable wisdom from HR professionals making a difference in Singapore’s evolving world of work.