Future Women Leaders Forum 2025: Finding Your Path

The Future Women Leaders Forum (FWLF) is YWLC’s annual flagship event dedicated to empowering young women as they embark on their professional journeys. This year’s edition, organized in partnership with Goldman Sachs, was graced by Guest of Honour, Minister Grace Fu, and Minister of State Gan Siow Huang. It provided final-year female undergraduate students and fresh graduates from Singapore’s universities with the opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with established female leaders and industry professionals.

The event brought together an inspiring lineup of established women leaders and industry professionals, featuring an opening keynote by Minister Grace Fu, who shared her journey transitioning from the private to public sector, balancing career and family, and finding purpose in her work. This was followed by a thought-provoking panel discussion with Ainul Md Razib, Back-end Engineer at IBM and Founder of AinLovesCode, Sharon Tan, Chief Operating Officer of DBS Singapore, and Monica Bhatia, Head of SEA & Korea, Enterprise Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn. Moderated by Ash Ang, Head of Macro Sales for Hong Kong & Singapore at Goldman Sachs, the discussion explored career choices, overcoming challenges, redefining success, and finding purpose in work.

A Career Path is Not One Size Fits All

The perception of success evolves over time, and our panelists highlighted the importance of defining success on one’s own terms. Sharon reflected on a quote by Trevor Noah: “We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.” She emphasized the value of mentors in broadening one’s vision of success and exploring different career paths. Similarly, Monica shared how her definition of success shifted, from excelling in her tasks, to adapting quickly, and now, to balancing personal aspirations with career growth.

Finding Meaning in Work

Passion and purpose in one’s career can take unexpected forms. Ainul’s journey in tech led her to create AinLovesCode when she realized that existing content creators did not reflect the Singaporean context of working in technology. By sharing her experiences as a Muslim woman in tech, she has been able to give back to the community while aligning her personal and professional passions. Sharon’s experience was similar, her management trainee stint at POSB unexpectedly led her to discover the impact of financial literacy initiatives, igniting her commitment to community work within DBS.

Embracing Setbacks and Staying the Course

Setbacks and slow progress are often part of one’s career trajectory. Sharon shared how she was the last in her batch to be promoted, but learned to focus on her own growth rather than compare herself with peers. A key realization was that promotions are sometimes tied to organizational structure rather than individual performance, prompting her to make more strategic career decisions. Minister Grace Fu also emphasized the importance of self-awareness, understanding what one truly wants, weighing trade-offs, and being open to taking risks in order to carve out a fulfilling career path.

Building a Supportive Network

A strong support system is key to navigating the ups and downs of a career. Monica encouraged participants to find their “cheerleaders”, those who support and celebrate them along the way. She shared her personal habit of keeping a folder of encouraging emails to revisit whenever she needs a confidence boost, reminding herself of past successes and the people who believe in her.

Managing Your Online Presence

The event concluded with a hands-on LinkedIn workshop by Monica, where she shared practical tips on building an effective personal brand online. She encouraged participants to view their LinkedIn profiles as more than just a resume, but as a representation of their professional identity, one that allows them to connect meaningfully with industry peers and future opportunities.

YWLC extends our deepest appreciation to our partner, Goldman Sachs, as well as our esteemed speakers and participants for making this event a success. We look forward to continuing to support young women leaders as they take charge of their professional journeys.