Announcing the winners of the inaugural SheXO Young Leaders Challenge, a Deloitte Singapore and United Women Singapore initiative that supports the development of young women leaders 

SINGAPORE, 14 December 2021 – Today, Deloitte Singapore and United Women Singapore (UWS) announced the ten winners of the inaugural SheXO Young Leaders Challenge, an initiative designed to draw focus on diversity and inclusion in the Singapore workplace.

The winners are female students from Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, and Singapore Management University, across various areas of undergraduate study. Out of 59 submissions received, these ten winners were chosen based on their analysis of and solution to the challenge question “If you were a leader in current time, how would you improve the commonly used practices to promote gender diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities in Singapore corporate organisations today?”, and their presentation delivery in the final round of judging.

The virtual award ceremony took place this afternoon at 3pm. The winners were awarded a paid internship either with Deloitte or with a supporting organisation of the SheXO Young Leaders Challenge and mentorship with an experienced woman business leader from the same organisation. They will also receive a cash prize and given access to networking opportunities at Deloitte events.

“I was impressed by the diversity and thoroughness of research into the topic of presentation. The participants were all well prepared and articulate in putting their views across. It is important to nurture young people, in particular women, to aspire to take leadership positions as they advance in their career. I urge all young people, especially women, not to be bound by gender perceptions as they advance in their career, regardless of the industry they are working in,” says Ms Sheila NG, Chief Financial Officer, Raffles Medical Group and SheXO Young Leaders Challenge mentor.

“While I hope for better representation for women in leadership in the future, true equality can only be achieved when one is recognised for one’s contribution and efforts and not through a quota,” adds Ng.

“My hope is that women do not hold themselves back and trust their potential to pursue their dreams,” says Ms Edna YAP, Risk Advisory Executive Director, Deloitte Singapore and SheXO Young Leaders Challenge mentor.

“Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural SheXO Young Leaders Challenge. It was a pleasure to witness the fire and zeal as they shared passionately their vision of a future without bias and discrimination. They displayed their leadership potential, and it is our hope that these young women will build on this momentum and support other young women that aspire to make an impact that benefits the society and the economy. This will certainly be an important step towards creating a pipeline of young women leaders, and opening doors for them so that there can be a more diverse voice in many organisations,” says Ms SEAH Gek Choo, Deloitte Singapore’s SheXO Program Leader.

“Initiatives such as the SheXO Young Leaders Challenge provide real-life opportunities for outstanding young women to demonstrate their capabilities and strengths. Importantly, they have a chance to build their leadership skills in preparedness for their future careers and community engagement,” says Ms Georgette TAN, President, United Women Singapore.

About the SheXO Young Leaders Challenge

Anchored by Deloitte Singapore’s SheXO program, the Young Leaders Challenge (YLC) gives participants the opportunity to examine real-life issues around diversity and inclusion in current workplaces, and offer ideas and solutions to tackle these issues.

The YLC is open to all female students currently enrolled in any undergraduate program in a Singapore university, and candidates participate in an individual capacity to propose a solution to a challenge question based on the topic.

The goal of this challenge is to nurture and inspire young women, and give them a head start in their leadership aspirations before they enter the workforce.

About the Deloitte SheXO program

The SheXO Program supports the personal and professional development of established, emerging and aspiring women leaders. By championing diversity and inclusion, we hope to create a safe and supportive environment for women leaders to be inspired, grow, connect and drive meaningful change in our communities to advance women in leadership.

About United Women Singapore

United Women Singapore (UWS) is a local non-profit organisation, with an Institution of Public Character (IPC) status, that advances women’s empowerment and gender equality, and builds a pipeline of women leaders and influencers in Singapore. The organisation works towards narrowing the gender equality gap through education and raising awareness and advocacy on issues such as anti-violence and women’s empowerment.

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