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Empowering Womenpreneurs for growth through connection and collaboration
Women business leaders are increasingly making their mark across diverse industries and driving innovation and economic growth.
According to the UOB Business Outlook Study 2025 (SMEs & Large Enterprises), a quarter of all business leaders are women and more than half of the women in leadership roles within the business world are leading small enterprises.
Enabling women entrepreneurs in Singapore with networking and mentoring opportunities
The UOB Womenpreneurs series of networking events and business coaching programmes brings women entrepreneurs and business leaders in Singapore together in a community where they can learn from industry peers and foster new connections.
Selected womenpreneurs are also paired with dedicated mentors to guide them in areas such as business transformation, branding and marketing, digital innovation, managing business finances, and more under the Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur.
Ms Kavita Bedi, Head of Group Business Banking at UOB said, “Business connections drive growth and build stronger enterprises. We are committed to enabling women business leaders to meet new partners, foster growth opportunities and build capabilities. Through business coaching programmes such as our Digitalisation Innovation Programme for Womenpreneurs, networking events and comprehensive financing and non-financing solutions, we enable women-led SMEs to grow their business sustainably.”
At the Womenpreneurs Networking Event held on 11 April 2025 at the National Gallery Singapore, five established women entrepreneurs from diverse industries were invited to share more about their entrepreneurial journeys:
- Ms Claire Leighton, Co-founder of File.AI, a process optimisation tool trusted by many global brands
- Ms Evangeline Leong, Founder of Kobe, an award-winning influencer marketing agency
- Ms Goh Shu Yi, Founder of The Strengths Co., a strengths-based training and consulting firm
- Ms Jenny Tay, Founder of Flower Story and Managing Director of Direct Funeral Services, a company seeking to redefine the industry
- Ms Pek Lay Peng, CEO of SHINGDA Group of Companies, a leading construction and engineering firm, Founder of societyA, and co-founder of NAIIAN
They highlighted the importance of collaboration, harnessing one’s individual strengths and skills, managing difficult conversations, and finding purpose in business, amongst others.
Panelists Ms Pek Lay Peng, Ms Jenny Tay, Ms Clare Leighton and Ms Evangeline Leong shared their insights on leadership and building a resilient, purposeful business.
Here are 3 insights from the event sharing sessions which might be useful for entrepreneurs:
- Have a clear “why”.
You will require a strong and clear “why” – why you started your business (purpose), and why your business needs to exist (relevance). Knowing your “whys” in business will help you forge a clear path and disregard cynics.
- Understand your strengths, and above all, remain accountable.
Everybody has something unique within them. Understand your strengths as a leader by identifying what you can do better and learn faster than others, then build your team with people who bring complementary strengths. Independent of the size of your business and industry, it is important for leaders to build your confidence from within and remain accountable.
- Learn to manage negative self-talk.
Be able to differentiate between expectations from others and your own cognitive biases. Clarify the feedback from them and any assumptions you may have. Be aware that the internal stressors may sometimes arise from negative self-talk or expectations which you impose on yourself.
Speaker Ms. Goh Shu Yi shared her story of how she transited from being an employee in a tech MNC to starting up a consultancy and building her brand
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Speakers and attendees at the UOB Womenpreneurs Networking Event on 11 April 2025.
