Joined Capco: 2016
Role: Consultant
Primary skills: Regulatory Compliance, Financial Crime
Interests: Volunteering, working, reading latest developments on financial crime

Prior to becoming a consultant at Capco I was an in-house lawyer, having trained in both Singaporean and English law. My interest in the law was sparked when I was seven years old due to a personal family matter. I resolved to become a lawyer as I believed that being equipped with legal knowledge would allow me to help others in need. While the law is an exciting career, the demands the role placed on my time and energy took their toll. I saw a vacancy for an Associate in consulting on a job portal and, given my legal background, the opportunity to  be involved in compliance-related projects was very intriguing. I enjoyed my first interview session: a Senior Consultant’s description of Capco’s pipeline of projects in Singapore for the coming year left me keen to join.

In Capco, there is a project to suit everyone’s individual interests and skill. For my part, I’ve been fortunate to have had various opportunities to hone my craft in Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism. I started my time at Capco Singapore with a transaction surveillance project and have been involved in Financial Crime & Compliance projects ever since. I have drafted policies, standards and have also provided compliance training to clients. I am also a member of our internal consulting pod for financial crime, KYC [Know Your Customer] and cybersecurity. I have been fortunate to work for Capco in Malaysia and also Hong Kong, where I am currently based for a Basel III project. The difference in client cultures, the journey, the work, and the people that I meet and work with mean they have both been incredibly humbling experiences. 

A notable project involved a global investment bank that was enhancing its client due diligence standards to meet new regulatory requirements. I was initially part of training and communications team, but other circumstances arose that saw responsibility for creating new training materials fall solely to me. I had to become very familiar with the new regulations so ensure the accuracy of those materials –  and had less than two weeks to come up with very targeted content for use globally and across different end-users. I worked closely with the managing director of Corporate & Investment Banking and other very senior stakeholders to successfully deliver the project, and have since maintained very good relationships with those internal clients. 

Capco has offered me a myriad of opportunities to excel in areas that I’m passionate about and where I have a keen interest. I get to hone my strengths and improve on my weaknesses.  As a woman, I have always been made to feel that I am an equal of my colleagues: Capco respects the interests of its employees and supports us in expanding our horizons. I am inspired by strong female role models, notably Amal Alamuddin, a Lebanese-English human rights barrister from London. She has represented very high profile public figures such as Gloria Arroyo, ex-president of the Philippines, former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, and was an adviser to Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations. She has been outspoken on the issues that matter to her, and her advocacy, her beliefs,  and her litigation experience inspire me to be the best version of myself.

I lead Capco’s CSR activities in Singapore, and have initiated volunteer opportunities with Willing Hearts, Food from the Heart and the Aida organisation among others. I love writing and have also contributed articles published regionally. I am the APAC representative for the local Affinity network, and am the events lead for its planned virtual launch. I have also organised our International Women’s Day 2021 event in Singapore, and learnt a lot from the experience. In my spare time, I volunteer to help low-income Singaporeans, helping them to write appeals relating to legal, housing, financial, employment and other issues. On some occasions, unsuccessful appeals have led to further discussions with Members of Parliament on how to best to assist a distressed individual. I have also organised and participated in law talks with a group of young legal professionals on scams, Lasting Power of Attorney, and on Syariah law. 

I also speak seven languages – English, Malay, Mandarin, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic and French – which, the first two aside, I acquired through copious television watching and interaction with locals. My French probably needs more work, however!