100 Champions of Change

RON SIM

CEO and Founder
OSIM International
We have always had an open mind in terms of staff selection, focusing on intangible skills, besides tangible knowledge, regardless of gender. As a CEO, I have always said that it is all about meritocracy – that it does not matter if a person is male or female, as along as they are driven and show high eagerness to pursue the goals.
 
Almost every General Manager and Assistant General Manager in our country offices is a woman. It would seem that today’s women appear hungrier, more eager, and more meticulous, than men.
 
As a retail company focusing more on female shoppers, it does makes a lot of sense to have female drivers, and it is always good to have a gender balanced business. Most jobs today do not require physical strength, and so more women have entered the work force as well as managerial and leadership positions.
 
But women must be prepared that they still have an important role to play which the man can’t.
 
Physical work and domestic affairs can be shared, but a woman’s love and nurturing – eg., her role as mother – cannot be replaced by a man. While many women are able to juggle between work and household, few men are willing to be ‘house-husbands’. These are issues women have to be prepared to face.