30 November 2022

Tania O’Brien, Chief Financial Officer at Westpac, Mischa Mannix-Opie, Executive Director at NZTE G2G and Wendy Baker, Group HR Manager at Brosnan have one thing in common: they have spent multiple years of their careers in Singapore and successfully capitalised on that experience.  

The three women leaders were at the Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence’s breakfast morning held at Wellington Club on 29 November to share their experience on developing their career and managing the regional markets for the companies they have worked for. 

Speaking at “SEA in Focus: Insights from women leaders”, the session was moderated by Dr Vivienne Hunt, Director of NUKU TOI, who herself has spent over 10 years working in Singapore for A*STAR and Abbott Nutrition, and during her stint there, initiated Māia, a network at the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Singapore, linking Kiwi women working in Southeast Asia. 

Tania was with ANZ prior to joining Westpac, providing professional and strategic financial guidance for its Singapore and South Asia’s operations, while Mischa had worked with Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand to lead their business strategies for South and Southeast Asia. Wendy’s work in human resources brought her to various roles in companies such as American Express and Global Workplace Solutions.  

During the one hour session, they talked about the highlights of their Southeast Asian experience, the adjustments to a different work culture, and advice for young people wanting to develop their career in Southeast Asia, among other topics.

The morning session was attended by more than 40 people, and there were plenty of chances to network, catch up with old connections, and make new friends.