Singapore-based Deborah Chew (GEMBA ’15) is chief operating officer at Emergenetics International – Asia Pacific and co-founder of nonprofit organization Project Happy Feet, which supports the training and education of underprivileged children in developing countries. With more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality, academic and education industries, Chew co-founded Caelan & Sage, a creative think tank focusing on strategic communications for international organizations. In addition to her dual MBA from UCLA Anderson and National University of Singapore, where she also earned her B.A., she holds a postgraduate diploma in education and has had experience teaching in local secondary schools. She explained how she thrives on doing good worldwide — and how she finds the energy for it.
Q: Your combined academic and business experience seems like an ideal skill set to launch a nonprofit devoted to enriching the education of underprivileged children. How did your own education, especially business school, help prepare you for different management and leadership roles?
I must admit that before enrolling in business school, I was running my nonprofit like a school project. When I started Project Happy Feet nine years ago, I thought it was just a one-off project to support the education of children and youth in Cambodia. But it took off! Project Happy Feet has since raised more than half a million dollars through fundraising initiatives such as Chefs for a Cause and the PHF Slipper Race, and we’ve supported more than 5,000 children and youth in Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, the Philippines and Nepal. And I just let it grow organically, juggling the demands and figuring out what to do as and when it came up.
But since completing the UCLA Anderson Global Executive MBA program in 2015, I have begun to reexamine my nonprofit, and I am strategizing to restructure the organization so that its efforts are more impactful and sustainable. I have also developed business skill sets that allow me to grow and redesign the nonprofit model to further empower other nonprofits. The knowledge gained through business school, together with my experience in the nonprofit space, puts me in a good position to be able to look at developing frameworks to help other charities and nonprofits run in a more effective and productive manner.
Through business school, I have also reflected on my leadership in the nonprofit space. I see how nonprofit may call for a different approach among the people I work with, compared to how I work in the for-profit sector. The experience in both areas puts me in a great position to connect with private organizations and get them to better support charities and nonprofits in a meaningful way.
Q: You also volunteer within your church community and offer pro bono graphic design services. What motivates you to reach out and engage on these levels?
I didn’t come from a well-to-do family. When I was pursuing my undergraduate degree, my parents went through a divorce and we were financially and emotionally drained. I had to find jobs whilst studying to make ends meet, choosing to spend only $1.00 a day on meals. Surprisingly, despite the odds, I did well, placing myself on the dean’s list. I went on to find a job after graduating, forgoing an opportunity to pursue an honors degree. But I was always thankful for my education, which I saw was a means for me to be the person I am today. And so I felt that since I could, I should empower underprivileged youth and children through education to help them get out of the poverty cycle. That has been my motivation to give back in any way I can. And it’s always heartening to see the impact created, and see these youth grow up to be independent and self-sustaining. That’s where I get my energy from!
Q: Do you think companies both in the U.S. and Asia should integrate and implement a certain corporate social responsibility? Have you seen this succeed anywhere?
Yes, I do think that companies both in the U.S. and Asia should integrate and implement a CSR program somehow. However, I also recognize that it hasn’t always been successful.
Corporate social responsibility has evolved and matured in the U.S. and Asia. Singapore and Hong Kong, for example, have taken measures to ensure corporate organizations have good CSR programs that look beyond feel-good charity work. Still, we have a long way to go.
In my opinion, in order for CSR to be integrated and implemented successfully, whether in the U.S. or in Asia, companies need to fully understand what CSR truly entails. I would say Asia lags behind the U.S. in this area. In Singapore, I still get calls from companies who want to “play with children” or “paint a school” as part of their CSR program. I spend time sharing with them how this isn’t the full extent of what their company needs to do to make a difference. It’s a tough battle, but I think we will get there soon with better education. Perhaps CSR implementation and integration can be part of a core module in business school to plant the seeds of deepening one’s understanding in this area.
I met up with the Sino Hotels Group once and I felt that they had a really great CSR program that was integrated into the heart of their business — where staff members participated in the activities willingly, with a greater mission and belief that giving back to the community they thrive in is part of their core values. Truly inspiring!
Q: What does it mean to you to “drive change”?
Project Happy Feet’s tagline is “Making Footprints of Change,” so this certainly resonates with me. For me, to drive change is to make an impact for the betterment of others, and for the betterment of the world. And to do so is to set an example for others — to influence, to encourage. Driving change for me has never been about imposing my view on others. And so, part of driving change is about listening to what others want, so that the change created can be sustainable. That’s what we do at Project Happy Feet with our beneficiaries. And as we leave footprints of change, we create a pathway for others to follow as well.
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