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By the time Yong Seek Ying obtained a degree in material sciences, along with a masters in safety, health and environmental technology from the National University of Singapore in the mid-1990s, she had already broken through many gender norms. Fast forward to today, and her illustrious career in the semiconductor and electronics industry has cemented her as a shining example for women in STEM.
"Engineering is traditionally perceived as a boring, unglamorous job. But it's actually quite varied. One moment you might be sinking in cement, and the next, you’re in an environment that’s so sterile you need overalls."
— Yong Seek Ying, vice president of operations and approvals manager of new business (APAC), FM
A maverick spirit
For Ms Yong, the turning point of her career came early when she first met with FM engineers as a safety engineer herself. She still remembers how they stood out from others in the field with their unique approach to insurance.
"You could see the difference in their intent and how they did certain things," she says. In particular, she was drawn to FM's reliance on scientific research and engineering solutions to deliver results that, to her, distinguished them from competitors.
So, when an opportunity opened up to work with FM as the company expanded in Asia, Ms Yong, based in Singapore, jumped at it. Twenty-four years later and counting, she has rotated through technical and people manager roles, and has overcome the various glass ceilings that once could have prohibited her progress.
Ms Yong attributes this professional success to FM's maverick spirit, which matched her own boundary-breaking story. She bought whole-heartedly into the company’s philosophy that a majority of loss is preventable, and that insurance contributes to the greater good. This is something a particularly formative experience in 2017 cemented for her, when Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. One of FM's clients, a major medical supplier, was able to withstand the damage, unlike other neighbouring buildings. "It was doubly rewarding because the company was able to continue providing medicines at a time of great need," she says.
Pioneering change
FM's willingness to buck convention isn't limited to its business; it is also reflected in its approach to gender diversity. Ms Yong says the cohort she joined featured more women than men, an unusual occurrence 20 years ago, much less today, where women are still catching up with the global engineering workforce.3
She is of the view that FM's success with promoting gender diversity in its workforce reflects the organisation's belief that performance is more important than gender or race. "People who can wear different hats are intrinsic to how FM hires," says Ms Yong, pointing to the company's founder, Zachariah Allen, a polymath with a varied career. "We're not just willing to hire people who are new to the industry, but also invest resources to train them in the right direction."
"To expand its pool of female engineering talent, for example, FM engages in "very purposeful outreach" through internships and its global membership with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). These steps signal that we embrace diversity and are in touch with issues that are close to the heart for a segment of our engineers."
— Yong Seek Ying, vice president of operations and approvals manager of new business (APAC), FM
To expand its pool of female engineering talent, for example, FM engages in "very purposeful outreach" through internships and its global membership with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). "These steps signal that we embrace diversity and are in touch with issues that are close to the heart for a segment of our engineers," she says.
Ms Yong herself participates in recruitment exercises on university campuses and forums to share her experience, and to act as a role model for female undergraduates. This is her way of encouraging more female STEM talent to join the industry and set them up to become successful leaders, a reflection of the experience she had when she first joined FM.
Leading the way
A diverse workforce begets real business benefits. Research has shown that companies with women leaders are more profitable, socially responsible and provide higher-quality customer experiences.4 Improving gender diversity, however, goes beyond just hiring women; it's also about supporting those already in the workforce and helping them reach their full potential.
For Ms Yong, FM's support was invaluable throughout her child's year-long medical ordeal in 2010, when she had been able to work with her manager to move into an office-based role, enabling her to focus on another important role, as a carer. These adjustments "made it possible to manage work demands and feel valued."
As a testament to the effectiveness of FM's approach, Ms Yong has since ascended into a leadership role. "I'm no longer just rowing the boat but determining the direction," she says. "I've become a lighthouse, guiding operations from afar." And from this vantage point, Ms Yong will be looking to pioneer further change, particularly in gender diversity.
In her experience, women bring fresh perspectives and varied strengths, such as "a more measured approach" to problem solving. "That's important when you need a group that can process data and provide solutions," Ms Yong says. "I use the analogy of a symphony orchestra—you need different musical instruments to bring out the music, and the magic comes when everyone puts their heart into it."
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