Parents in Tech

Aligning priorities on family, fitness and work, migrating from England to Singapore and breaking parenting stereotypes, especially around dads. I talk to Sammy Elazab on having a well-balanced work, personal, and family life.   In this episode, we speak to Sammy, Senior Sales Manager and Head of Online Sales Organisation - Southeast Asia at LinkedIn. Sammy and his wife moved to Singapore a decade...

Raising children in a digital age, having more patience as a dad and prioritizing family over work. I talk to Lennard Lim on loving and raising two kids, and how family goes beyond bloodlines..    Lennard is a Product Manager of Trust and Safety at TikTok. He has more than a decade of product management experience at Yahoo, Singtel, BBC and most recently, GovTech, and a strong believer in making u...

In this special collaboration series with Workato, we talk to parents to find out how they create work-life integration and balance their career ambitions with family aspirations.   In this episode, I speak with Amanda Lau, Campus Recruiting Program Manager at Workato. She has more than a deacade of HR experience, helping people and organisations succeed through coaching, relationship building and...

In this special collaboration series with Workato, we talk to parents to find out how they create work- life integration and balance their career ambitions with family aspirations.   In this episode, I speak with Steven, Senior Manager of Business Technology Operations at Workato. Steven is father to three children, ages four, nine, and 13.    Steven shares the importance of coordinating with his...

Nurturing an open and inclusive work environment, encouraging employees to use their parental leave, and respecting everyone's hours. In this special collaboration with Workato, I talk to Choon Yen about how she is able to balance her time with work and family through the policies and initiatives that Workato has for working parents like herself.    Choon Yen is the Head of People Operations and S...

The creation of a safe space, encouraging environment, and getting rid of the stigma.  From Work to Home is a special collaboration series with Stripe , the financial infrastructure platform for businesses. I speak with Rahal Kansara on how she creates work-life integration and balances her career ambitions with family aspirations. Rahal is from Stripe's APAC recruiting team who focuses on core bu...

Getting uncomfortable and challenged in a new environment, seeking help in times of need, and setting boundaries between work and family.  From Work to Home is a special collaboration series with Stripe , the financial infrastructure platform for businesses. I speak with Meenakshi Dhingra on how Stripe creates work-life integration and balances their career ambitions with family aspirations.  Meen...

The preparation it takes to take on a new job and a new life in a different country, facing and overcoming the challenges of raising a family upon just moving, and setting time for yourself.    From Work to Home is a special collaboration series with Stripe , the financial infrastructure platform for businesses. I talk to Vivian about her career with Stripe, her experience of moving to Singapore f...

Developing a supportive culture, coping with work from home adjustments, and embracing flexibility with Lisa Harris   From Work to Home is a special collaboration series with Stripe , the financial infrastructure platform for businesses. I speak with Lisa Harris about how Stripe’s policies and activities actively support working parents like her.  Lisa is from Stripe’s People Partner team at APAC....

The journey of raising a child with special needs, overcoming the anxieties of being a first-time dad in a difficult situation, and learning how to show more support for one’s spouse. In this special episode, I speak with Jonathan Seow about the challenges and lessons he learned as a father of two.   Jonathan is the Chief Financial Officer at Moleac and a board member at Down Syndrome Association...

Establishing family support and parenthood communities, being upfront on the topic of parenthood, and learning the love languages of your wife and kids.    From Work to Home is a special collaboration series with Stripe , the financial infrastructure platform for businesses. I speak with Chek Lim on how Stripe creates work-life integration and balances their career ambitions with family aspiration...

Coping with pandemic changes, breaking parenting stereotypes, and taking a break with Sandeep Nair   From Work to Home is a collaboration series with Stripe , the financial infrastructure platform for businesses. I speak with Sandeep Nair about how important flexibility and crisis management skills are to parenting. Sandeep is from Stripe’s Customer Success and Payment optimization team at APAC. H...

Finding the right balance between career and family, building relationships with your children and spouse, and teaching children the value of discipline, patience, and humility. I talk to Praveen about his experiences as a dad with two boys aged two and five. Praveen Velu is Strategic Partnerships Lead at Meta. Praveen started his career in financial broadcast journalism during the Global Financia...

Moving with a young family and living in different parts of the world, being an optimist at work as well as in parenting, and the fungibility of skills as a parent and an angel investor. I talk to Jachin Cheng on his take on parenting and investing.   Jachin Cheng is a Senior Product Manager at Google Pay and Google AI. He was born and raised in the US before joining Google in 2007. His 15-year ca...

Preparing for unexpected fatherhood was the beginning of Eric’s parenthood journey, as the career-oriented product manager shares how he had to pivot from a mindset focused on himself, to the life of an actively involved husband and father. Eric talks about how he balances his zeal for career growth with a passion for parenting and supporting his wife. He highlights the importance of setting bound...

Encouraging kids, especially with twins, to think critically, using a routine to allocate time between work and family, and finding meaning. I talk to Mark about banned words in their house (“can’t”), achieving work-life balance, and spending quality time with family.   Mark Leadercramer is the Head of Enterprise Sales and Cryptocurrency for Stripe in Southeast Asia. Mark started his career in med...

Creating a space that encourages deep work for you and your peers, energy management as an introvert, and embracing adversity as a parent. I talk to Samuel Hall as he shares the wisdom and enlightenment he has collated over the years as a high-performing parent.   Samuel Hall is the CEO of Rainmaking Asia Pacific Venture Studio. Samuel was born and raised in the UK and started his career as a lawy...

Taking a career risk switching from public to private sector with a young child, becoming a nurturing father and leader at work while building strong networks. I talk to Royce Wee on his views on work-life balance and the importance of being a loving father.    Royce Wee is Head of Global Public Policy at the Alibaba Group. Royce is a lawyer by training, and his foray into technology began as Depu...

Building a company as parent entrepreneurs, prioritization in decision making, and the role of technology in parenting. In this special episode of Parents in Tech, I speak with David and Linh Smooke on what it is like to be husband-and-wife entrepreneurs, maintain a routine to balance work and family, and manage their child’s exposure to technology.   David and Linh are the Co-Founders of HackerNo...

Transitioning to the new reality of being a mother, learning how to parent from your parents, and balancing career and parenting ambitions with your husband. Gladys shares with us her experience as a first-time mother who also aspires to have a thriving career.   Gladys Kee works in Client Services at The Trade Desk, an advertising technology company. She is also my wife and the mother of our 15-m...

The physical and emotional effects of a miscarriage, advocating for paternity leave to become a norm, and having an empathetic and vulnerable leadership style. I talk to Sandra Ernst about being a working mum and responding to the challenges of pregnancy and motherhood.    Sandra Ernst has been working in C-level roles in fintech since 2016. Prior, she worked in finance roles across Central Europe...

The impact of childhood experiences on parenting styles and career decisions, the importance of being a role model for your children, and the place of women in the workforce. We talk with Lynette about her thoughts on bringing up children in a technology-saturated world.    Lynette Tan is Chief Executive and Board Member of Singapore Space & Technology Limited as well as co-founder and Executi...

Changing jobs in the first year as a mother, cultivating values in children, and experimenting with a Japanese baby schooling method. Cynthia recounts her adventures since she became a mother less than a year ago.   Cynthia Siantar is Go-To-Market Leader at Bank Jago, Indonesia’s first fully digital bank. With more than 10 years of background in banking, start-ups, and fintech, Cynthia held key po...

Giving and receiving feedback, empathizing with the perspectives of others, and fighting the guilt of putting yourself first. Samantha relates the motherhood experiences that have made her grow as a person and as a professional - from calendar management and prioritization, to conflict management and task delegation.    Samantha Pearlson is General Manager of South-East Asia Client Services at The...

Managing expectations placed by society on mothers, pursuing passions despite a busy work and family schedule, and carving out time for yourself. Xin Wei shares with us her experience mothering two young children, and how she learnt to be physically and mentally present no matter how busy work gets.   Ngiam Xin Wei is Managing Director of Deliveries at Grab, the iconic Southeast Asia technology co...