OUR PEOPLE
TY Lee
Country Manager
Taiwan
“After seven years in the financial services industry in Singapore, I moved to Hong Kong with my wife. While exploring new job opportunities there, I was introduced to the recruitment business. In 2006, I started my career in Robert Walters as a Consultant in the banking and financial services specialist division. I was later promoted to Manager in 2008, with the responsibility of starting up the banking front office and operations division.
My team focused on mid-to-senior level hires and the business quickly grew to be a strong market leader in Hong Kong. In March 2011, I was given the opportunity to lead the due diligence and market feasibility for setting up a Robert Walters office in Taipei. Within seven months, I successfully established Robert Walters Taiwan and was appointed Country Manager.
When I first joined Robert Walters in 2006, I was motivated by the cohesive teamwork and strong entrepreneurial spirit among my colleagues. This characteristic is inherent in all Robert Walters’ employees across the globe and still continues to motivate and inspire me. Driven by the energy of my Taipei team and the strong support from global management, I have managed to grow the Taiwan office from just three consultants to a sizeable office today.
If you are looking for a career that provides you with opportunities across the world, Robert Walters has an established network of international offices and strongly advocates internal mobility and a “promote-from-within” culture. I am very fortunate to have worked in three global offices within the Robert Walters Group to date – Hong Kong, Singapore and now Taiwan. I look forward to advancing my career further in this industry-leading organisation.”
Sally Raj
Country Manager
Malaysia
“My entry into the recruitment industry was an accidental one as I stumbled upon recruitment as a temporary job while looking for a career change. I was pleasantly surprised by how exciting and fulfilling it was and have not looked back ever since. Prior to joining Robert Walters, I was in the executive search and selection industry in Malaysia for 15 years, followed by three years in a regional HR role with a leading American multinational.
I began my career with Robert Walters Malaysia in 2006. I was drawn to the company’s strong and established global brand name, which was renowned for its quality service and standards. The opportunity to be a pioneer hire in their newly-established Kuala Lumpur office was one I could not pass up on.
When I first joined the company, I was responsible for establishing and growing the Sales and Marketing specialist recruitment division in the Kuala Lumpur office. Over the years, the company expanded quickly to cover professional recruitment across the FMCG, retail, healthcare, pharmaceutical, media and broadcasting, oil and gas, IT&T, as well as supply chain and logistics sectors.
In April 2010, I was offered the opportunity to head up the Malaysia office and was promoted to Country Manager. I am a strong advocate of our company’s “promote-from-within” policy. It gives me great satisfaction to develop the skill sets and expertise of industry professionals, and watch them grow into highly successful specialist recruiters.
With an extensive global network and a strong sharing culture across the offices, Robert Walters has opened my eyes to a whole new world of regional and global business perspectives. For driven professionals seeking a career with comprehensive training and international mobility opportunities, Robert Walters is dedicated to developing its people and with offices across the world, the opportunities are endless.”
Joanne Chua
Associate Director
HR, Supply Chain & Business Support
Singapore
“In 2006, I sent my resume to Robert Walters with no relevant recruitment experience or any multinational background. I was drawn to Robert Walters as it had an impeccable brand name with excellent training and development opportunities. To my surprise, I was called for an interview and offered the role of Consultant in the specialist Human Resources division.
Surrounded by energetic, dedicated people who worked and played hard, I was motivated to devote time and energy to my new job. The commitment paid off after a year into the business - I was quickly promoted to Senior Consultant and then made Manager six months after. In 2011, my remit was expanded to include Supply Chain specialist recruitment. I was further given the responsibility to grow the Business Support division and was promoted to Associate Director in 2012.
Robert Walters strongly believes in promoting from within and awards numerous opportunities to those who deserve it. I have seen myself grown professionally over the years, and that has spurred me to continue improving myself and the work I do.
Seeing candidates I have placed in regional roles move on to global positions gives me great satisfaction and I’m grateful to have contributed to their career development. I believe that the right candidate for an organisation goes beyond prerequisite skill sets and I push myself to recommend candidates who not only possess the necessary requirements, but will also be a good fit for the company in terms of personality and attitude.
I have been and continue to be deeply motivated by the tireless passion, support, company camaraderie and spirited hard work from my fellow Robert Walters recruiters and management team.”
Ricky Mui
Associate Director
Legal, Compliance & Commerce Finance
Hong Kong
"I studied Law and Psychology at the University of Western Australia and worked in Perth as a lawyer for top tier law firm Phillips Fox until 2000. Before making my decision to come to London, I attended a Robert Walters ‘Working Overseas’ roadshow in Perth and thought the opportunity to work and travel abroad was exactly what I was looking for.
While interviewing as a candidate in 2003 I was offered, and accepted, a position as a legal consultant at Robert Walters. I was subsequently promoted to Manager of the Legal Contract division and eventually Director of the Legal division in the UK. I was then offered an exciting new opportunity to establish and expand the Legal division in Hong Kong. This is one of Robert Walters’ key benefits where it offers international mobility to successful employees with an outstanding track record.
My job allows me to leverage my legal experience in a commercial environment, to provide professional services to both candidates and clients. It has been and still is one of the most satisfying jobs I have ever worked in, and is a perfect fit for me and my personality.
At Robert Walters the people make the company. You can’t beat the work ethic and culture of the firm. It is a fantastic opportunity to work in such a professional environment with like-minded colleagues who have solid legal and recruitment credentials. The work ethos cultivates a team working environment and a great support network which allows consultants to get the most out of each other."
Kimberlyn Lu
Associate Director
Sales & Marketing, Supply Chain and Engineering
Malaysia
“I started my career in account management, mainly in corporate and commercial banking. My role mainly involved building long-term relationships with clients across different sectors and managing their business financial needs.
In 2008, I moved to Malaysia and joined Robert Walters as a consultant, specialising in sales and marketing recruitment. Why Robert Walters? I was attracted to its brand name, professionalism and the team-based environment it stood for. Like most colleagues, I did not come from a recruitment background but within the first six months, I managed to achieve a good measure of success through building bridges with multinational clients within the FMCG, pharmaceutical and retail sectors. After three years, I was promoted to senior consultant and shortly after, took on the role of Manager with the remit to grow and develop the Sales & Marketing and Supply Chain divisions for Robert Walters Malaysia. I now manage one of the largest teams in the Kuala Lumpur office, with a bunch of highly talented and driven consultants.
My job allows me to experience something new every day. I enjoy meeting and picking the minds of outstanding, high-calibre professionals, and assisting organisations to source for the best talent in the market. At Robert Walters, I am a consultative sales person, an account manager and a career consultant all rolled into one. My vision has grown in the four years I’ve been with the business. This is a truly unique and rewarding experience that is second to none.”
Arthur Wang
Managing Director
China
“Prior to joining Robert Walters, I was the Managing Director of a leading European organisation in China. After graduating from Nanjing University with a Bachelor of Science in 1990, I went on to complete my EMBA in INSEAD, France in 1997. In 2005, I participated in the Stanford Executive Program in Stanford GSB, USA, and later furthered my education in London Business School in 2012.
I have always loved working with highly motivated people which I believe are the building blocks of an exemplary company culture. This was what attracted me to Robert Walters. I was aware of the company’s remarkable reputation, business model as well as culture and was also impressed by how internal growth and employee mobility was highly encouraged throughout the Group.
I started my career with Robert Walters China as Director of the Suzhou office in 2008, and was later given the remit to establish the Group’s Nanjing office in 2011. In February 2013, I was promoted from Director of East China Region to the Managing Director of Robert Walters China, managing the Group’s operations in Shanghai, Beijing, Suzhou and Nanjing.
Over the past few years, I have witnessed the accelerated growth of Robert Walters not just in China but across the world. I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work with a diverse group of highly motivated and driven professionals in a dynamic economy such as China. The team rapport and collaborative effort across all the offices create a highly conducive work environment, and allow our staff to form strong relationships with their peers on a local and global level.
I truly believe that in the coming years, the Group will continue to expand whilst ensuring every single employee is valued, recognised and rewarded.”
Sinead Horigan
Regional Director
Brisbane
"After completing a degree in English at University College Dublin, I started my professional career as a graduate in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. In 1999, I took a year out from my role with the Irish government and travelled to Australia, where I spent a few months working for a ‘Big 4’ accountancy firm in Sydney. After doing some research about the recruitment industry, I decided to become a recruitment consultant and joined a small specialist recruitment firm.
Notwithstanding the amount I learned in my first recruitment role, it soon became apparent to me that I was better suited to a large scale corporate environment where the right infrastructure and support was in place to allow consultants to focus purely on recruitment. As a result I joined Robert Walters in 2003 to help launch the government accounting team. This team has since experienced great success and is now one of Robert Walters’ most profitable divisions. Within 12 months, I was given the opportunity to take on the role
of Director for the Brisbane office. My current mandate is to develop strategies to further grow and enhance our business. Robert Walters has provided me with outstanding opportunities to progress my career and I am proud to be part of a global organisation with such a great reputation."
Nathaniel Pemberton
Associate Director
Osaka
“After graduating in London, I had spent a lot of time travelling abroad which made me realise I wanted to pursue a global career. What initially drew me to Robert Walters was their extensive international network and reputation as the largest foreign recruitment firm in Japan. I joined the Tokyo office in 2006 and a well-structured training programme helped me quickly grasp the fundamentals of recruitment. The culture Robert Walters cultivates is professional, while retaining the fun and energy of working with like-minded individuals.
It was not long before I was growing my professional network and in 2008 I was promoted into a management position helping multinational companies place key financial and accounting executives. Performance incentives allowed me to travel to many of our offices throughout the world and have really made me feel part of a global team.
In early 2010 I was offered an exciting opportunity to head our Osaka branch. For driven professionals, Robert Walters can offer the training, support and opportunities to succeed on a global level.”
Anthony Modrich
Country Manager
Seoul
“After finishing my master’s degree, I turned down an offer to work as a wastewater engineer in favour of a sales position in the marine industry. After a year, I moved overseas and took on another sales role in a Sydney ‘boiler room’ before joining a local recruitment firm in Vietnam where I managed the Sales & Marketing division – making inroads into a new industry and an emerging economy.
I was introduced to Robert Walters through a client in early 2006, and decided to join its Hong Kong office based on the Group’s strong reputation for career opportunities and professional development. With my previous recruitment experience I took on the role of a Senior Consultant and was eventually promoted to Associate Director in 2009 with the remit to establish and grow both the Supply Chain and Commerce Finance divisions. After a fruitful and challenging four and half years in Hong Kong, I was offered the opportunity to set up our first office in Korea. I readily took on the challenge and was appointed Country Manager for Robert Walters Korea. I’ve always felt I was lucky to find a company which strongly believes in promoting from within, and where you have control over your career progression.
The organisation is growing at a rate where you will constantly find amazing opportunities opening up all across the world, and if you can deliver results there are no limits where Robert Walters can take your career. For those who are driven to achieve, desire to work with the best in the industry and yet want to have fun doing it, I can’t think of many companies which are able to offer the same level of opportunity as Robert Walters.”
Violet Sha
Associate Director
Shenzhen
“Prior to joining Robert Walters, I worked for five years in a sales and business skill training role for a multinational manufacturing firm, after graduating from the Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology. I have always been a people person and enjoy communicating with others. Seeing the tremendous potential for the recruitment business in China, I joined Robert Walters’ Suzhou office in 2007, and was one of the pioneer consultants along with my boss Arthur Wang. Since then, we have tripled our staff strength and are currently the leading recruitment firm in the Jiangsu province. In December 2011, I was promoted to Associate Director and was given the remit to spearhead our new Shenzhen office in China. What I truly like about Robert Walters is its great culture - which is all about team work, open communication and long-term career development. As I have experienced first hand myself, a career with Robert Walters will give you extraordinary rewards.”
Jeremy Jones
Financial Controller
Asia
“I have worked both in the large CA firms as well as general commerce and industry. Gaining my CA with PwC in New Zealand in 1995, I moved to the UK in 2000 and gained working experience in various publicly listed companies. I returned to Australia in 2002 and have since worked in various Financial Analyst and Financial Controller roles, including three years as National Financial Controller in Robert Walters Australia.
Since joining Robert Walters Australia, I have been greatly impressed with its highly dynamic culture, along with its strong brand and corporate values. My colleagues have been excellent to work with, and the company’s promote-from within
culture has given me the opportunity to grow and develop my career not
just locally, but regionally.
My latest promotion to Regional Financial Controller in early 2011, moving to Singapore, has increased my level of responsibility to cover all financial management across Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Taiwan.
Robert Walters understands that maintaining a strong brand and ensuring optimum levels of service provision is paramount - qualities which although critical for success, are often overlooked by other recruitment firms. The company also consistently strives to maintain a high level of professionalism, as well as having clear and concise goals, and solid organisational structures. These factors make a compelling case for me to continue to grow my career within the organisation.
My new role has opened up a brand new world of opportunity for me in Asia, and I find myself thriving in the vibrant, positive and goal-driven environment that has become such an appealing element of the Robert Walters culture all across the world.”
Rena Tan
Associate Director, Marketing
Asia
“I started my first job in MTV Asia and worked there for eight years, first as a TV producer and later as a Marketing Manager for the Licensing & Merchandising department. I moved on to the Singapore Tourism Board where I spent 1.5 years marketing Singapore as a shopping, events and entertainment destination. It was then that Robert Walters offered me an opportunity to establish the marketing department for its Singapore office, with the compelling promise of a regional portfolio in five years.
Robert Walters enjoys a long-standing reputation in the market and is one of the few truly global recruitment brands in the world – which led me to join the Singapore office in 2006. Between the years of 2007 to 2010, my remit was expanded to cover marketing, branding, communications and PR activities for the Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and China markets.
In 2011, I was promoted to Associate Director of Marketing with the mandate to oversee launch and marketing strategies for our planned new offices in other Southeast Asia markets, which include Vietnam, Indonesia and Taiwan. What I really appreciate about Robert Walters is its open culture, and the level of autonomy it gives to its employees. My career in Robert Walters has been nothing short of extraordinary. I have been given many opportunities to grow my career, develop my leadership skills and bring all my creative ideas to reality. I also receive a lot of support from my boss as well as my peers and colleagues across the world. I started off as a one-man team in the Marketing department, and now manage a team of 10 marketing and editorial staff across Singapore, Hong Kong and China. I am absolutely loving what I do – and I still come to work each day feeling as motivated as I was when I first started."