I am a big believer in the importance of being in an inclusive and engaged environment, in both my personal and my professional life. Being engaged – whether its physical, mental, spiritual or emotional – is essential to our wellbeing and happiness.
My mom always told me that you are your actions, that the things you do make you who you are. That mindset has really defined the way I look at life, and how I interact with people. Being positive, doing positive things and being engaged helps me stay positive and engaged, inside and outside of work.
Getting involved
I’ve brought that mindset to my eight years at Standard Chartered, where I’m always keen to get involved in wellness and mentoring activities, and to encourage others to do the same. I am a member of the US Wellness Committee, which organises events for staff such as yoga, meditation and a wellness fair. In addition, for the past seven years I’ve been the organiser and captain of the Standard Chartered team that runs in the annual JP Morgan Corporate Challenge race, which is held in Central Park, New York City. I’ve also participated in the annual Standard Chartered charity bike ride each year over the same period, and organise many of our soccer tournaments. Our Hong Kong dragon boat racing team, which I’m the captain of, recently won $2,000 to donate to a charity of our choice. We donated those funds, through the Bank’s Futuremakers programme, to the Fresh Air Fund, which sponsors other programmes that cater to under-served youth in the New York City community.