WOMEN power reigned at this year’s my paper Executive Look contest.
Three female finalists swept the top awards at the second instalment of the annual contest which drew 502 applicants this year, compared to last year’s 300. The finals were held at VivoCity last Friday.
Scientific-affairs associate Evelyn Pang, 27, bagged the top prize of $10,000 and the Most Stylish Look award.
Second prize went to lawyer Meryl Koh, 25, who also won the Readers’ Choice Award, while senior marketing executive Cai Suqi, 25, took third place. They won $5,000 and $3,000 respectively.
Only three men – finalists Toh Jin Wei, 26; Aaron Yeo, 27; and Nicolas Leong, 24 – made it to the top 10. The contest drew a crowd of around 300 invited guests and 800 onlookers.
Indeed, it was a reversal of fortunes for the contest’s finalists. Last year’s instalment saw three men – led by winner Yip Ren Kai, a civil servant – bag most of the prizes. The only rose among the thorns was Ms Dorcas Tan (now the director of talent acquisition at the Singapore Sports Council), who came in third.
The six judges this year said the winners epitomise the qualities of the ideal modern executive.
“The winners are all very astute professional women who were very much on par with the guys,” said Ms Andrea Ross, managing director of recruitment firm Robert Walters.
Ms Jill Alphonso, my paper editor of lifestyle and entertainment (English), added: “They are cosmopolitan and effectively bicultural, which is why they placed so highly.”
The other judges included Mr Lim Kok Hin, senior director and general manager of Canon’s Business Imaging Solutions; Ms Elisabeth Gwee, editor of Her World magazine; Mr Goh Sin Teck, my paper consulting editor (Chinese); and Mr Chang Yeng Cheong, deputy general manager of VivoCity.
Finalist Leong, a Mauritian- Chinese project engineer who moved here six years ago, said he knew the women stood a better chance as soon as the top 10 names were announced. “They had the X-factor and were very impressive onstage,” he said.
USING PRIZE MONEY SENSIBLY
IN TODAY’S world, being a power woman in the workforce also means balancing work, family and extra-curricular activities.
Ms Pang, for example, showed where her priorities lie when asked how she would use her prize money. Part of it will go towards paying for a holiday for her parents – Mr Pang Chee Seng, 54, a foreman at an engineering company, and Madam Teo Gim Hua, 52, a factory operator – next month. She said: “They work very hard, and I think they deserve a mini-honeymoon.”
The second winner, Ms Koh, is prudently “saving her money for a rainy day”, while Ms Cai – who is getting married at the end of the year – will be “donating” her cash prize to her “marriage fund”.
Ms Pang, who is also the vicechairman of Boon Lay’s Youth Executive Committee, revealed that work is very much at the forefront in her life. Last Saturday afternoon, she headed to a diabetes symposium to listen to lectures and get to know her doctor clients better.
That sort of attitude makes her an inspiration to those like her sister, Ms Marilyn Pang, 24, a civil servant. “I’ve always admired her for her determination,” she told my paper.
Talk about being a role model for the younger generation. That’s what power women are supposed to do.
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With additional reporting by Dewi Sriwahyuto and Cheryl Chia
