Delivering conscious business philosophy in Singapore with Serene Seng

In this Candid Craic, we talk to Serene Seng about how she is working with Singaporean companies towards the delivery of a conscious business philosophy in the city.

After Serene explains what she means by conscious business and why it isn't anti shareholder value, we find out the four ways in which conscious business practices positively impact organisational performance. Serene and Oscar then reflect on the level to which companies in Singapore and Hong Kong are (or are not) embracing the concept, and explore whether those failing to do so will struggle to attract or retain future talent.

The Craic then takes a long tangent into the educational challenge in the region, as Serene laments that Singaporean education is producing great production workers when it needs to be producing great knowledge workers. We discuss where the future talent for Singapore and Hong Kong is going to come from; why Asian educational systems need to support and embrace ambiguity, sport and arts; how and why the current models are failing to help children discover their talents, and possibly delivering a life of poor mental health along the way; and how a conscious awareness of business and self might start addressing this issue.

We conclude with a dive into the future of work and leadership in the region, with Serene suggesting that the guild model might re-emerge in the Singaporean gig-work ecosystem, and exploring how leadership might need to be reimagined alongside such a development.