No shortcut to success Getting a scholarship is just the first step to a fulfilling career, says Keppel scholar Goh Su Ye By Ahmad Osman BREAKING the language barrier was a tough challenge for Miss Goh Su Ye when she was in Shanghai for two months in 2005 for her first overseas assignment. Then 23, the Keppel scholar was a junior executive working in Keppel Land after getting a civil engineering degree from the National University of Singapore in 2004. Miss Goh grew up in Singapore speaking Mandarin with a mixture of English and Malay. In Shanghai, she had to speak pure Mandarin to reach out to the older and more experienced Chinese nationals working with her. They knew the policies and processes set by the authorities in Shanghai for Keppel Land to complete the construction of a 1,000-unit condominium. Their knowledge could pave the way for the smooth handover of the project to the new Singaporean project manager. The company could also use the information they provided to draw up a broad framework of the basic policies and processes for the completion of all its projects in China. “In China, it is hard to get things written down in black and white. Everything is negotiable,” says Miss Goh. To persuade her older Chinese colleagues to share their knowledge with her, she told them politely: “I am a young junior executive, you are the local experts, please teach me. “The experienced local colleagues were willing to share their knowledge, but one has to sieve through the myriad of information to arrive at the essence of the matter.” Elaborating on her experience in Shanghai, she says: “Everything was totally new to me as a young executive. With little ‘Singapore-style’ operations baggage, I could adapt to the way of workings in China fairly easily compared to a typical experienced working Singaporean. “Everything was in pure Chinese and I saw the world from a different angle. “I was in a different phase of my life. Living alone for two months, I had more control of my life and time for myself when I was away from work on weekends.” Miss Goh, now 26, joined Keppel Land’s marketing department after graduating from NUS. After six months, she was transferred to the project management department that manages the company’s regional investments outside Singapore. Short working trips to China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam are part of her job. In January last year, she was promoted to her current position as a senior project executive specialising in costs control and contracts. Her ability to build rapport with colleagues and associates is recognised by her boss, Mr Stephen Choo, the project management general manager in the regional investments department. He says: “She is an eloquent communicator demonstrating natural empathy. “She has a pleasant disposition and comes across as a confident and articulate young talent with the drive to excel in all her corporate undertakings. “Analytical and contemplative, she can be dynamic and resourceful in her thorough analysis backed by accurate facts, figures and supporting documents.” Miss Goh, who was involved in Keppel Group’s scholarship selection last year, makes it clear to aspiring scholars that they have to work hard to achieve success in their careers. “There is no breezy highway to success after you get the scholarship,” she says. “Your career has not been carved out for you yet. Getting a scholarship opens the door of opportunity for you to work hard in order to be successful in your careers.”