Meet Susan Chen 👋
Dr. Susan Chen is an HR strategist with 17 years of in-house leadership experience, passionate about making strategic HR and quality succession planning accessible through fractional HR and embedded technology powered by multi-dimensional data.
Insights from Susan Chen
1) On Culture: What’s one thing you or your team does regularly to build a strong, positive workplace culture?
We believe culture is the worst behaviour you’re willing to tolerate. That’s why we build a culture of clear, explicit behavioural expectations — and make space to regularly check in on how we’re showing up. Through team charters, fast feedback loops, and light rituals, we keep culture real and evolving. It’s not a poster — it’s a daily design conversation.
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?
We help founders and leadership teams think about their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) not as a branding exercise, but as the foundation for everything — how they design roles, HR policies, build compensation philosophies, lead performance, and grow people. One client rewrote their EVP through a series of listening labs, which became the anchor for their hiring process, onboarding, and leadership messaging. The clarity brought coherence across teams and made performance expectations real. EVP is not fluff or marketing, they are real anchors to build the company.
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 next generation of HR needs to practice first-principles thinking — the ability to break problems down, ask “why” repeatedly, and rebuild with curiosity and grit. That means letting go of default “best practices” and instead crafting solutions that fit the company’s real context. A growth mindset is essential — not just in others, but in how we work too.
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 embed succession thinking into everyday work — not just leadership planning once a year. Succession is how you future-proof your team by building clarity around who owns what, where strengths are, and who’s ready to grow. Our tech-enabled approach makes this lightweight but powerful.
5) What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting their career in HR or people leadership?
Become fluent in both business and behaviour. Learn how to translate company goals into people systems — hiring, comp, reviews, team structures. And don’t wait for permission to ask better questions.
6) What’s one workplace trend you’re excited about — and one you’re cautious of?
I’m excited by the rise of fractional HR — experienced operators bringing targeted support to scale-ups without the overhead. I’m cautious of over-automated culture tools that remove context and nuance. Culture isn’t something you measure once — it’s something you shape daily.
Connect with Susan Chen.
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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.