Few Singaporeans, if any, are ignorant of the extent to which Lee Kuan Yew shaped Singapore as the country’s founding father. For Gina Toh, CEO of facility services provider ISS Singapore, the late Prime Minister is the epitome of what a strong leader with an equally strong vision can achieve.
“I reflect back on what he has done for the country,” she says. “The strong visions behind the opportunities he saw – all it takes is to have a strong leader behind it. I have to constantly grow and build upon myself so as to drive the organisation forward.
“One of his famous motivational quotes was, ‘There is a glorious rainbow that beckons those with a spirit of adventure. To the young and to the not-so-old, I say look at that horizon, find that rainbow, go ride it.’ That’s resonated a lot with me, particularly through the early years of my career, and has inspired me to constantly be bold and have the courage to pick up opportunities.”
Gina started out in facility management before ISS, initially with private developer Far East Organization. As a result, she first got to know the company as a customer, with Far East being supplied with cleaning services by ISS. In ISS, she saw the chance to fulfil an interest in a role more focused on sales and business management. In the intervening years since she first joined, Gina has risen through the ranks, starting as Sales Executive before being appointed CEO at the end of 2019.
This story is from the May 2021 edition of The CEO Magazine Asia.
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This story is from the May 2021 edition of The CEO Magazine Asia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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