Meet The Board - Yvonne Foo
Briefly, what is your role?
As Head of Business Management for ANZ, I support the Country Heads in 6 markets - Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and the Middle East - to ensure the successful execution and delivery of ANZ’s banking activities and strategic priorities across the region.
Any advice for doing business in Singapore and/or the region?
Networking is so important for building a business in Singapore. It’s a great way to form relationships with others which in turn can help the business to find new customers, partners and grow. There are various ways to do this via chamber events, social networking sessions, business associations etc.
When did you move to Singapore? Where from?
We relocated to Singapore as a family in 2005 from Auckland.
Where were you born? What country do you call home?
I was born in Sabah in Malaysia, which is home to Sipadan, one of the world’s top diving spots where sealife is in abundance. I moved to New Zealand when I was in high school which has been home for me ever since.
What do you like most about Singapore?
The food, the park connectors (PCN) and the multiculturalism in Singapore make our little red dot an easy and safe place to live.
What do you do to relax?
I love to bake. When we all stayed home during COVID, I caught the ‘sourdough bug’ (pun intended) and have never stopped baking ever since! I have also been known to enjoy a glass or two of our NZ Sauvignon Blancs after a hard day’s work baking!
What's top of your bucket list?
Definitely a road trip to lesser-known places in Thailand such as Khao Kho – famous for its Sea of Clouds view, Sam Phan Bok – the ‘Grand Canyon of Thailand’ and Khao Sok National Park – for its epic limestone cliffs and bright emerald lake!
Why did you join the New Zealand Chamber (Singapore) and what do you like most about it?
New Zealand’s home to me and Singapore is where I currently work and live right now, which makes the NZ Chamber a natural fit for me. Also, working for a Bank that supports trade and capital flows between ASEAN countries and home markets of Australia and New Zealand, I am passionate supporter of the strong connectivity between NZ and ASEAN. I believe that my involvement as a Board Member of the NZ Chamber can help to further strengthen those ties and promote opportunities both ways. Through the events and networking sessions, I have made so many new connections with the Kiwi community in Singapore and it has been amazing!
Any last words?
I am excited to see us resuming back to normal (new normal perhaps!) life again in 2022. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone in person at the Chamber events and networking sessions.
