In Singapore schools, there is an equal ratio of men and women in the science and tech streams. But at tertiary levels and in the job market, men in tech outnumber women. Efforts are being made to correct this imbalance, as well as that in other sectors where women are under-represented.

But can this be considered tokenism? Shouldn’t women — and men — be hired based purely on merit? Besides hiring practices, what else needs to change? And what role do men have to play in this?

In the final episode of this season, we speak to two female trailblazers in the Singapore tech industry. They share their experiences with conscious and unconscious gender biases and other barriers that may have stood in their way over the course of their respective careers. Despite these factors, our guests also highlight the opportunities and ways in which women can thrive in their careers, regardless of industry.

Find out more about women in tech and gender inequality in Singapore:
TODAY Online (19 November 2020). Singapore can be a model of a country that has women in tech: Tharman
TODAY Online (4 December 2020). We shouldn’t make a big deal about women in tech — a female entrepreneur’s perspective
Infocomm Media Development Authority (8 September 2020). 100 Women Honoured for Outstanding Achievements in Tech
Ministry of Manpower (10 January 2020). Singapore's Adjusted Gender Pay Gap Narrows to 6%

About our guests:

Anna Gong, CEO & Founder, Perx Technologies

Ms. Anna Gong has over 20 years of global technology experience in enterprise software. She has transformed Perx Technologies, a Singapore-based enterprise software startup, from a consumer loyalty app to a category-creating lifestyle marketing SaaS platform helping enterprises to deliver meaningful engagements and experiences in the digital economy. She is the Chairwoman of SEA Founders Organization, sits on the Advisory Board of Duke Corporate Education Asia, and is a Board Member at Genius Group. She is listed as one of Singapore’s Top 100 Women in Tech 2020 and is the winner of the Singapore Women Entrepreneur Awards 2017. Anna, a TedX speaker, was also featured in the LinkedIn CEO Power Profiles 2017 and is a frequent keynote speaker on leadership, technology, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship, for large corporates and global conferences such as C2 Montreal, SaaStock Dublin, InnovFest Unbound, RISE, and European Business Leaders’ Convention. 

Wynthia Goh, Head, NCS NEXT Digital

Wynthia Goh leads NEXT Digital in NCS and is responsible for growing the digital business in areas such as digital transformation, mobility, user experience, and analytics. She has led regional digital teams in Asia Pacific for companies such as Aviva, SAP, eBay, and Nokia. Wynthia was the Chief Digital Officer for Aviva in Asia and set up their Asia digital centre of excellence in Singapore. Most recently, she was with NTUC Enterprise where she was seconded to FairPrice to lead and grow their B2B online business and partner ecosystem. She holds a Bachelor of Business from Nanyang Technological University. She was a Fulbright scholar and completed her Masters in Public Policy at the State University of New York.

Find out more about the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), a research centre of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. 

Follow IPS on Linkedin, Facebook and Instagram to keep updated on upcoming events and discussions. 

This is the end of the first season of On Diversity, a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Deputy Director Ong Soh Chin chats with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making, and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. 

More from On Diversity: 

Episode 1: The Cancelled and the Woke, with career journalist Lydia Lim and poet and writer, Theophilus Kwek

Episode 2: Reclaiming Dementia, with Dr Chen Shiling, dementia physician, and Johnson Soh, founder of SanCare Asia

Episode 3: What is Multiculturalism?, with Low Sze Wee, CEO of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, and singer-songwriter Jamiel Said 

Episode 4: Diversity and the Singapore Media, with Mark Tan, founder and CEO of Rice Media, and Dr. Chew Han Ei, Senior Research Fellow at IPS Social Lab

Episode 5: Sex and People with Disabilities, with Dr. Lohsnah Jeevanandam, Director of the Clinical Psychology Programme at the National University Singapore, and Dr. Justin Lee, Senior Research Fellow at the IPS Society and Culture Department.

Episode 6: Arts vs Culture, with Shaza Ishak, Managing Director of Teater Ekamatra, and Clarissa Oon, Head of Communications and Content at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

Episode 7: Empathy and Healthcare, with Dr. Mohan Tiru, Senior Consultant Emergency Physician at Woodlands Health Campus and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, and Dr. Maleena Suppiah Cavert Deputy Director of Clinical Education at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, NUHS

Episode 8: Of Marriage and Migration, with Dr. Kalpana Vignehsa, Research Fellow at the Governance and Economy Department at IPS, and Colin Miles, Co-CEO of Zilliqa Research Pte Ltd

In Singapore schools, there is an equal ratio of men and women in the science and tech streams. But at tertiary levels and in the job market, men in tech outnumber women. Efforts are being made to correct this imbalance, as well as that in other sectors where women are under-represented.
But can this be considered tokenism? Shouldn&rsquo;t women &mdash; and men &mdash; be hired based purely on merit? Besides hiring practices, what else needs to change? And what role do men have to play in this?
In the final episode of this season, we speak to two female trailblazers in the Singapore tech industry. They share their experiences with conscious and unconscious gender biases and other barriers that may have stood in their way over the course of their respective careers. Despite these factors, our guests also highlight the opportunities and ways in which women can thrive in their careers, regardless of industry.
Find out more about women in tech and gender inequality in Singapore:
<ul>
<li>TODAY Online (19 November 2020). <a href="https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-can-be-model-having-women-tech-tharman">Singapore can be a model of a country that has women in tech: Tharman</a></li>
<li>TODAY Online (4 December 2020). <a href="https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/we-shouldnt-make-big-deal-about-women-tech-female-entrepreneurs-perspective">We shouldn&rsquo;t make a big deal about women in tech &mdash; a female entrepreneur&rsquo;s perspective</a></li>
<li>Infocomm Media Development Authority (8 September 2020). <a href="https://www.imda.gov.sg/news-and-events/Media-Room/Media-Releases/2020/100-Women-Honoured-for-Outstanding-Achievements-in-Tech">100 Women Honoured for Outstanding Achievements in Tech</a></li>
<li>Ministry of Manpower (10 January 2020). <a href="https://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/2020/0109-singapores-adjusted-gender-pay-gap-narrows-to-6-percent">Singapore's Adjusted Gender Pay Gap Narrows to 6%</a></li>
</ul>
About our guests:
Anna Gong, CEO &amp; Founder, Perx Technologies
Ms. Anna Gong has over 20 years of global technology experience in enterprise software. She has transformed Perx Technologies, a Singapore-based enterprise software startup, from a consumer loyalty app to a category-creating lifestyle marketing SaaS platform helping enterprises to deliver meaningful engagements and experiences in the digital economy. She is the Chairwoman of SEA Founders Organization, sits on the Advisory Board of Duke Corporate Education Asia, and is a Board Member at Genius Group. She is listed as one of Singapore&rsquo;s Top 100 Women in Tech 2020 and is the winner of the Singapore Women Entrepreneur Awards 2017. Anna, a TedX speaker, was also featured in the LinkedIn CEO Power Profiles 2017 and is a frequent keynote speaker on leadership, technology, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship, for large corporates and global conferences such as C2 Montreal, SaaStock Dublin, InnovFest Unbound, RISE, and European Business Leaders&rsquo; Convention.&nbsp;
Wynthia Goh,&nbsp;Head, NCS NEXT Digital
Wynthia Goh leads NEXT Digital in NCS and is responsible for growing the digital business in areas such as digital transformation, mobility, user experience, and analytics. She has led regional digital teams in Asia Pacific for companies such as Aviva, SAP, eBay, and Nokia. Wynthia was the Chief Digital Officer for Aviva in Asia and set up their Asia digital centre of excellence in Singapore. Most recently, she was with NTUC Enterprise where she was seconded to FairPrice to lead and grow their B2B online business and partner ecosystem. She holds a Bachelor of Business from Nanyang Technological University. She was a Fulbright scholar and completed her Masters in Public Policy at the State University of New York.
Find out more about the&nbsp;<a href="https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/ips">Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)</a>, a research centre of the&nbsp;<a href="https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/">Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy</a>.&nbsp;
Follow IPS on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-of-policy-studies-lee-kuan-yew-school-of-public-policy/%22%20/%22%20/">Linkedin</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=136982159795537&amp;ref=br_rs">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ips_sg/">Instagram</a>&nbsp;to keep updated on upcoming events and discussions.&nbsp;
This is the end of the first season of On Diversity, a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS&rsquo; Managing Diversities research&nbsp;programme. In each episode, IPS Deputy Director Ong Soh Chin chats with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making, and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.&nbsp;
More from On Diversity:&nbsp;
Episode 1: The Cancelled and the Woke, with career journalist Lydia Lim and poet and writer, Theophilus Kwek
Episode 2: Reclaiming Dementia, with Dr Chen&nbsp;Shiling, dementia physician, and Johnson Soh, founder of&nbsp;SanCare&nbsp;Asia
Episode 3: What is Multiculturalism?, with Low Sze Wee, CEO of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, and singer-songwriter Jamiel Said&nbsp;
Episode 4: Diversity and the Singapore Media, with Mark Tan, founder and CEO of Rice Media, and Dr. Chew Han Ei, Senior Research Fellow at IPS Social Lab
Episode 5: Sex and People with Disabilities, with Dr. Lohsnah Jeevanandam, Director of the Clinical Psychology Programme at the National University Singapore, and Dr. Justin Lee, Senior Research Fellow at the IPS Society and Culture Department.
Episode 6: Arts vs Culture, with Shaza Ishak, Managing Director of Teater Ekamatra, and Clarissa Oon, Head of Communications and Content at Esplanade &ndash; Theatres on the Bay.
Episode 7: Empathy and Healthcare, with Dr. Mohan Tiru, Senior Consultant Emergency Physician at Woodlands Health Campus and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, and Dr. Maleena Suppiah Cavert Deputy Director of Clinical Education at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, NUHS
Episode 8: Of Marriage and Migration, with Dr. Kalpana Vignehsa, Research Fellow at the Governance and Economy Department at IPS, and Colin Miles, Co-CEO of Zilliqa Research Pte Ltd

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme.

In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.

On Diversity features new episodes every week.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme.
In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society.
On Diversity features new episodes every week.

IPS On Diversity Podcast

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. On Diversity features new episodes every week.

"On Diversity" is a podcast series of new insights and fresh discussions, inspired by IPS’ Managing Diversities research programme. In each episode, IPS Associate Director Liang Kaixin will chat with guests to explore what diversity means to them, the changes they are making and the changes they hope to see in an increasingly fragmented society. On Diversity features new episodes every week.

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