Collaboration comes naturally

Can you tell us about your role?

I work in the firm's education team, focusing on leadership and, more recently, graduate talent programs. Prior to this, my role was a transition manager in an HR strategic change project. I joined UBS as part of the Graduate Talent Program, where I had the opportunity to experience a number of very useful and interesting rotations.

How has collaboration helped you?

With the help and collaboration of different HR managers across different regions, I was given the opportunity to have a rotation in Zurich. I was also given the chance to gain experience working in China. Working with colleagues in different locations allowed me to put faces to names, expanding my network and making collaboration that much easier.

How have you encouraged collaboration?

The nature of the work in HR gives us the opportunity and privilege of connecting people across divisions and locations. While in China, I acted as the bridge. I encouraged and facilitated collaboration to bring regional expertise and resources to the China team. At the same time, I shared country-specific nuances with my regional colleagues in Hong Kong and Singapore.

What about challenging others in the Asia Pacific regions. How well do we do this?

In Asian culture, to challenge might seem counter intuitive at first due to hierarchy, distance and other cultural factors. However, it is and should be part of our DNA at UBS. I see more and more often colleagues consciously making the effort to challenge because that is the only way we can strive for excellence, and ensure that we are making the right choices.