Smooth sailing The macho world of shipping is a perfect fit for soft-spoken MPA scholar Ong Pui Hoon By Lynn Seah WHEN Ms Ong Pui Hoon makes the clicking sounds characteristic of the Xhosa language, they are usually greeted with delight by her South African counterparts. She meets them at the international meetings she attends in her work as a policy analyst with the Maritime and Port Authority of Sin-gapore (MPA). “It helps in networking when they know that you know their culture. It’s like us meeting a Caucasian who can speak Chinese,” says Ms Ong, 25. She learnt the African language during a three-month exchange programme in South Africa while she was studying at the University of Chicago on an MPA scholarship. It is one of the things that helped smooth the way in an arena dominated by men older than her. The maritime industry may seem an odd fit for this soft-spoken young woman, but her family background explains why she gravitated to this se-tor. Her father owns a logistics firm and she also has an uncle in the ship chartering business. “While shipping is invisible to most people — they don’t see how it contributes to bringing in their goods — in my case, because my dad and uncle have always been in this industry, I understand its importance,” she says. So, applying for the MPA scholarship was a no-brainer. Another plus was that MPA had no issue with her chosen course of study — Economics and East Asian Studies. “I was interested in these areas. I think that what you study does not necessarily have to be directly applicable to your work — it is basically teaching you how to think,” she says. That was one of the reasons she chose to study at the University of Chicago — it offered a wide-ranging curriculum that emphasised the development of the mind rather than just training students to become experts in their chosen majors. The curriculum had a general education component that required students to take subjects under certain categories. One of these categories was Civilisation Studies and she chose to study African civilisation, which was how she came to be on an exchange programme to South Africa. “I was already doing East Asian Studies as my major, so I took the opportunity to learn something else,” she says. During her university education, she interacted with people from different countries — besides the exchange programme, there were students from all over the world on campus — and this stands her in good stead in her work now. When she returned to Singapore in 2005 and started work at MPA, she opted to join its international department. “I like going out and talking to people and I felt that the international department would allow me to do so,” she explains. She is part of the team that scrutinises international shipping policies in relation to Singapore’s interests and puts forth Singapore’s position during negotiations at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). There are two to three major meetings a year at the UK headquarters of IMO, which is the body responsible for the international regulatory framework for shipping. While it is usually the head of delegation who formally voices Singapore’s stand at the meetings, all the team members have to do their part in lobbying for support at the sidelines, and in speaking up for Singapore within the smaller working groups. “It was daunting at first,” she admits. But by taking her out of her comfort zone, the job has stretched her. “I’ve become more assertive,” she says. It is not all lobbying and negotiations at these meetings, though. She has managed to form friendships too. “People understand that each delegation has its own interests, but it’s not personal,” she says. She is happy with all the opportunities she has been given at MPA so far. “The work here is challenging. And they are not worried about letting young officers take on more responsibilities. So we get to be at the forefront — I’ve learnt a lot.”