Every International Women's Day, we shine a spotlight on the journeys of our female colleagues who have made significant strides in their careers.
With the theme for 2024 centered around 'Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress,' we thought it fitting to empower our fellow Klookers with inspiring career stories from colleagues who have been on this rollercoaster ride with us.
This year, we invited three female colleagues Midori Aihara, Associate Manager, Business Development (Japan), Michelle Xue, Associate Director, Payments & Fraud Management (Singapore) and Dolly Chan, Manager, Supply Innovation (Bangkok) to discuss how they navigate change throughout their career journey here at Klook.
Moderated by Vincent Ng, General Counsel, this internal panel sharing rendered us inspiration that we think could give you, our dear readers, a light bulb moment!
But first, get to know our panelists as global citizens
Midori Aihara, Associate Manager, Business Development
I'm the longest-tenured employee on the Japan team. 2024 is my 5th year at Klook. I was born, raised and studied in Tokyo. During university, I was fascinated with international work camps, where you live with people from different countries and do voluntary work together for 2 to 3 weeks. I experienced it in Italy, Iceland and Kenya. Living and working with people from various countries was a valuable experience that greatly enhanced my open-mindedness and flexibility.
Michelle Xue, Associate Director, Payments & Fraud Management
To begin with, my family is a blend of various cultures. I was born in China and grew up in Singapore. Meanwhile, my husband was raised in Canada. And now I have a very Singaporean toddler. Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to work with individuals from diverse countries. In my past roles, I collaborated extensively with colleagues from Europe and the US. Additionally, I spent six months working in Shanghai. At Klook, I've had the privilege of closely working with local teams. All these experiences expanded my understanding of different cultures and enriched my knowledge of the local payment industry and more.
Dolly Chan, Supply Innovation Manager
I grew up moving to different parts of Asia and because of this, I was lucky to get exposed to different cultures. This shaped how I interact with people as it taught me to be more open-minded and mindful of different perspectives. This is why I'm working in travel. I enjoy gaining new experiences and believe that there are many types of ways to enjoy traveling. This allowed me to be more understanding of diverse perspectives in the workplace and enabled me to be more aware of how sometimes one solution doesn't work for everyone.
International Women's Day panel discussion in action!
What's the biggest highlight in your career at Klook so far?
Midori: My biggest career highlight was my involvement in a travel-related event in partnership with a famous Japanese travel media company. As a ticketing lead, I oversaw the structure of the ticketing page. Despite numerous requirements and sudden changes in direction from the organizer, we successfully sold over 4000 tickets for the on-site events. It was a valuable learning opportunity. It allowed me to closely collaborate with the Japan Marketing team and observe how our customers use our Klook platform.
Michelle: I joined about 4 years ago when COVID hit in 2020. It was a different situation going into a travel business and looking after payments with the impacts of the pandemic. In the first two years of the pandemic, I worked with a lot of local markets to roll out localized payment methods so that we could grow domestically when everyone was trapped at home. Not only did we see growth in these regions, but in terms of personal growth, it also gave me a deeper understanding of each local market. Another key contribution factor to the company's growth is to bring down our cost of payments. The last four years have been quite a ride; we've onboarded many new partners and are continuing to do so.
Dolly: It was two years after I joined. I was involved in my first major project, where we enabled our merchants to self-register online. Before that, everything was done manually. Through this project, I had my first collaboration with the product managers, Legal, Finance and Business Development teams and owned the project end-to-end. This also marked the beginning of my ongoing collaboration with these stakeholders.
Time management and willingness to seek support are key
Midori admitted that she has experienced a lot of work-related changes in her life. But one change that stretched her was after having her second child in 2022. Juggling a full-time job and motherhood in 24 hours was tough for her in the beginning. A year later, she went through another transition in her career at Klook.
"Last October, I moved to the car rental team from the Tour & Attraction team, where I spent 4 years since joining Klook. Car rental was different from other business units, so I had to reset all my prior narratives and start learning from scratch. While adapting to this change, there were two tips I always kept in mind. The first one was to take ownership of my time management. I always set my work deadlines and made sure that everything stayed on schedule. So in case of any sudden absence from my kids, my tasks wouldn't be affected or delayed."
"Secondly, don't be afraid to ask for support. Currently, I'm working closely with the Car Rental Planning team in Shanghai. They're all incredibly supportive and persistent in solving numerous issues from detail-oriented Japanese merchants. I'm so fortunate to work with the team and expand our car rental business. Keeping in mind our 'Ask for and Give Feedback' belief has helped me to get adequate support from my colleagues."
Midori (center, in a grey top) meeting with the Car Rental team in Shanghai
Build connections with industry peers and maintain a support network
Another proud mom of two kids, Michelle finds balancing responsibilities between two kids to be a steep learning curve. "I often joke with my husband that parenting feels like studying for a new college degree course – a realization that no one warned me about before. I'm grateful to have a supportive manager who provides a safe space for open communication on non-work-related topics, which allows me to share my struggles, concerns, and achievements."
Working with a team spread across different time zones and countries, Michelle is no stranger to forming interpersonal relationships. In fact, she sees that as something that inspires her daily.
As someone who finds bouncing ideas off colleagues and peers energizing, she has a tip when it comes to getting the right support.
"I highly recommend building connections with peers in the industry. Engaging in meaningful discussions about their experiences and how they navigate challenges both inside and outside of work can be helpful. Don't hesitate to seek therapy and talk to a professional if needed. They can provide valuable suggestions to enhance coping mechanisms and improve mental health. Personally, I have this on my to-do list."
"Outside of work, maintaining a close circle of supportive friends, especially fellow mothers, can be incredibly comforting. Knowing that you are not alone in your situation and having a network to share support and encouragement can make a significant difference in overcoming challenges together."
Michelle (second last on the right row) took time to unwind with her R&D colleagues in Singapore through a pottery making session
Stay focused on personal growth while navigating a transition into a new team
Dolly transitioned into a new business unit in late 2023. This meant collaborating with a new set of teams and projects, which presented both challenges and opportunities. One of the main challenges she faced was maintaining motivation during this adjustment period. She shared, "I had to adapt to working with new teammates and projects, which required some effort. However, staying focused on personal growth, particularly in stakeholder management and leading impactful projects, helped me navigate through this transition. Understanding the significance and impact of our projects made it easier to adjust to the change and become more organized in the process."
A change of perspective was what kept Dolly going throughout the transition period. "Working with a new set of team members and stakeholders was indeed challenging, but it also provided new learning opportunities. We could see things from different perspectives and identify areas for improvement, allowing us to support each other and fill in any gaps."
She expressed gratitude to her supportive team, saying "Working closely with my team, they were there for me during stressful times, offering encouragement. My experience collaborating with various colleagues from different teams over the years at Klook gave me a strong support network that I could depend on for advice."
Dolly (spot her in glasses, dressed in a white sweater) celebrating a colleague's birthday in the Bangkok office
Have flexibility in your career and be open to new projects
Having taken on multiple projects and transitioned into different teams, Dolly has exposure to new territories. She shared her nuggets of wisdom, "By taking on new projects you're passionate about, you may find things you enjoy or strengths that were previously untapped because you didn't get the chance to experience them before. If something seems unfamiliar at first, nurture your passion for what you do because, without it, it will be hard to keep yourself motivated."
When asked how she maintains a work-life balance amidst her hectic schedule, she said, "I try to remain fully present when I'm with my family. I'm mindful of avoiding work discussions or bringing work pressure home. By maintaining this separation, I can better prioritize my personal time and family time, while not forgetting to take care of my health. When work gets challenging, I think of it this way: It's just another day. By this time next week, you will have already moved past whatever challenge you're facing now."
What about you? Whether you're a male ally or a woman in tech, how have you navigated changes in life as you shaped your career trajectory?
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