by Jan Hester
photography by Patrick currey
Singapore is on record as a great place to live. In 2017, the city topped Mercer’s list of cities in Asia offering the highest quality of life, and its infrastructure was deemed the best in the world.
The recent blockbuster movie “Crazy Rich Asians” shined a light on the island nation’s stunning vistas, cultural heritage and culinary delights.
According to ConocoPhillips employees, the company’s Singapore business unit is also a great place to work.
Rita Carolina, accounts executive, Commercial, has been with ConocoPhillips for eight years. Originally from Bengkulu on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, she earned a double major in finance and information technology at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia and took night classes to earn her chartered accountant professional designation.
Rita moved to Singapore because she had friends there. “It’s a vibrant city, with great public transportation, so you don’t need a car.” Rita can get from home to the office in just half an hour by bus.
In Singapore all conversations eventually turn to food. “It’s the best thing. Singapore has a great cultural mix, and you can find any kind of food here — including Chinese, Indian and Malay.”
Rita enjoys being physically active and works out regularly at the gym, where she does yoga and Zumba. She and others from the office take advantage of its central location to go for brisk walks at Gardens by the Bay.
“I get 10,000 steps every day.” Her tactics include getting off the bus one stop earlier.
Rita spends her leisure time going out with friends, including shopping along upscale Orchard Road and going to Chinatown for the evening.
Senior IT Analyst Derek Sum’s diverse roles and responsibilities include supporting Commercial IT systems, managing IT enterprise rollout projects for the Singapore office and serving on the regional analytics team.
Born and raised in Singapore, Derek has been with the company almost six years and appreciates the workplace culture.
“Because the office is small, it’s a close community, and you’re exposed to a lot more roles. The only limit is your imagination.”
Derek also leads the business unit’s corporate social responsibility efforts. Each year, the American Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Embassy organize Corporate Community Day to encourage American organizations and their employees to build stronger ties with their adopted home through community work.
“Every year we try to do something different. One year we cleaned up forested areas on one of the islands to support the environment. We’re making plans to visit homes for the elderly, and we donate to charity organizations.”
Derek takes advantage of Singapore’s central location as a travel hub and is planning a trip to Japan in January to celebrate his wife’s birthday.
Like most Singaporeans, when he travels to other countries he misses his favorite food, Hainanese chicken rice. “You don’t realize it until you’re away from it.”
HR & Office Facilities Manager Sharon Wong Ho was born and raised in Singapore and started with ConocoPhillips in 1989.
Sharon sheds some light on how the nation evolved over its short, 53-year history as an independent country.
“As a young nation with no natural resources, Singapore was dependent on its deep-water port and its people. The government has a vision for all its people to have an opportunity to be educated and reach their potential. I feel like we have great leadership and an open economy that attracts talent from all over the world.”
Sharon enjoys spending time with her family, including her two daughters ages 26 and 27. She also enjoys playing golf.
“I’m not fantastic, but I do it to get outdoors and exercise.”
As a human resource professional, Sharon has a special vantage point on working in Singapore.“We have a diverse population, and everyone brings a different perspective.”
Sharon’s biggest challenge is nurturing an environment that’s a good place to work for employee retention.
“We have a low attrition rate, but losing even one person with critical skills and deep experience is too many.”
She also loves to travel.
“Singapore is great for traveling in and out. We love our Changi Airport!”
Sharon is planning to visit Berlin next year to visit her daughter, who works for Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and will be studying the German language.
When asked what else she’d like for people to know about Singapore, she responds: “It’s a small country, but it’s beautiful, with plenty of opportunities. Everyone with a passion can come here and realize it.”
