As the Centre of Excellence (COE) lead for young talent, I provide strategic and operational directions for GovTech’s young talent initiatives, which cover campus outreach, talent acquisition, talent management, and learning. In addition, I am a part of the HR leadership team at GovTech, working closely with our Chief People Officer, Senior HR Business Partners and other COE leads in pushing forward-looking HR solutions for the organisation.
Back in SUSS, my Master’s in Human Capital Management has provided me with the opportunity to think more critically about organisational issues and how people initiatives can be better measured for success. In particular, the lessons learned from a module on “Evaluating HCM programmes and initiatives” were very useful and realistic to the everyday HR work that we do. To sum up my learning from the module, would be “What gets measured, gets done!”
Besides unforgettable lessons, the comradeship from my coursemates forms the largest part of my memories in SUSS. The exchange of ideas and experiences during lessons and project groups was insightful and enjoyable. While it was challenging managing work, family, and assignments during my studies at SUSS, the experience was certainly a fruitful one!
I have been in this field, dealing with young talents as I have always enjoyed working with young people, and I believe strongly they are our future leaders. Organisations that are serious about future-proofing themselves should invest more in our youths; guiding and nurturing them in discovering their talent. It has been a rewarding journey working with the youths, witnessing how they become successful and give back to their community by helping the next generation. Like many fresh graduates, I did not know what I would do upon graduation but I guess I was lucky enough to have found my passion in developing others. Over the years, this motivation grew stronger and led me to constantly exploring different ways how our young people can be nurtured.
Desmond Teo
Master of Human Capital Management
Class of 2017