HR playing a key role in building sustainable enterprises

IHRP’s “The People Behind People Forum” recognises the contributions of Singapore’s HR community to wellbeing and business continuity.
By: | December 8, 2021

Zaqy Mohamad, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Manpower (centre of picture) attended the People Behind People (PBP) Forum organised by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals.


Themed “Revival, Renewal, and Renaissance – HR’s Role in Building a Sustainable Enterprise”, the People Behind People (PBP) Forum was organised by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) to recognise the contributions of Singapore’s Human Resource community to the well-being of employees and the sustenance and continuity of enterprises.

The forum also looked beyond the immediate challenges of COVID-19 to imagine new opportunities to explore the future for HR and HR professionals – the people behind people.

Mayank Parekh, IHRP’s CEO, said, “As we reflect on the past two tumultuous years, it is important to recognise the critical role played by HR professionals to keep our businesses going and saving livelihoods. Looking ahead, we will continue to be challenged with change and uncertainty at the workplace.”

“Employees now expect greater flexibility in where and how work gets done. Enterprises must not only embrace this new reality but see this as an opportunity to co-opt new sources of skills, enhance productivity and ultimately build a more sustainable business through people.”

The event also saw Zaqy Mohamad, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Manpower, launch two new additions to IHRP’s Human Capital Playbooks – Digital Transformation and Work Transformation playbooks.

Both playbooks, according to the IHRP, serve as a guide to SMEs and HR practitioners involved in developing and implementing transformation-related plans for their organisations.

The Digital Transformation Playbook guides companies to address their digital adoption challenges and determine what skills, processes, mindset, and infrastructure considerations required for a successful digital transformation journey. The Work Transformation Playbook, meanwhile, guides on the steps to evaluate the impact on business strategy, workflow on jobs and workforce capabilities.

This year’s event also saw the conferment of IHRP Master Professional (IHRP MP), the apex credential under the National HR Certification Framework to six HR professionals, namely:

  1. Tan Chee Wei (CHRO Global Lubricants; VP HR for NE & SE Asia, Shell)
  2. Lilian Tan (Chief Human Capital Officer, SATS)
  3. Deanna Ong (CHRO, GIC)
  4. Charlton Ong (VP, Group Enterprise & HR Lead for Singapore, Singtel)
  5. Sheela Parakkal (EVP and Chief HR Officer Singapore, Prudential)
  6. Arina Koh (Director of HR, Ministry of Manpower)