UOB FinLab

Recapping UOB FinLab’s First Masterclass – Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur+

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UOB FinLab witnessed many outstanding womenpreneurs and promising women-led businesses at this year’s Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur in April 2024. We strongly believe that the number of Singaporean womenpreneurs will continue to grow. According to a study by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, the proportion of Singaporean female entrepreneurs rose from 17.9 per cent to 24.9 per cent between 2016 and 2022.

As the number of women-led businesses continue to rise, it is important to understand that womenpreneurs face unique roadblocks in today’s business environment. Studies have indicated that womenpreneurs often face greater challenges in building robust professional networks and finding mentors – limiting their access to valuable support, knowledge, and opportunities for business growth.

UOB FinLab aims to remove this roadblock through our womenpreneur programmes that enables female business leaders to tap on industry experts within UOB FinLab’s vast network. This allows women-led businesses to gain unparalleled access to knowledge, best practices and tangible strategies to take their businesses to the next level.

Our womenpreneur programme in April was a huge success. The womenpreneurs gained insights and best practices on topics related to financial literacy, business model canvas, e-commerce and digitalisation strategies. To complement our successful programme and further empower womenpreneurs, we launched our first two-day masterclass workshop titled Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur+ (D.I.P:W+).

Introducing D.I.P:W+

The D.I.P:W+ is a series of masterclasses to empower aspiring womenpreneurs with knowledge from industry experts and tap into a  community of like-minded entrepreneurs. D.I.P:W+ aims to complement the two-week Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur programme and covers new topics that are crucial to the success of any business. The topics include crafting a brand narrative, effective marketing channels and LinkedIn strategies for organic growth.

The programme was held over two days and consisted of three insightful masterclasses conducted by industry experts.

Masterclass 1 - Crafting a Unique Brand Narrative

Joel Lah - Recapping Uob Finlab’s First Masterclass - Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur+
Joel Lah, Co-Founder & Fintech Lead, TriOn & Co

Joel Lah, Co-Founder and FinTech Lead, TriOn & Co conducted a deep dive into articulating a brand narrative and uncovering the unique elements to stand out from the crowd. Regardless of the type of business, be it B2B or B2C, a brand narrative will be the foundation and remain consistent throughout all forms of internal and external communication. The session showcased the ideal structure to build a brand narrative and explored how to give one’s brand a larger impact by linking it to larger macroeconomic activities. The participants engaged in a highly interactive session where they were tasked with crafting their unique brand narratives and tailoring it to their target audiences.

Masterclass 2 - Effective Marketing Channels and Strategies for Business

Janual And Jonathan - Recapping Uob Finlab’s First Masterclass - Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur+
From left to right, Januel Koh, Digital Marketing & Branding Lecturer, Singapore Polytechnic, Jonathan Lok, Digital Marketing & Analytics Lecturer, Singapore Polytechnic 

Januel Koh, Digital Marketing and Branding Lecturer, Singapore Polytechnic and Jonathan Lok, Digital Marketing and Analytics Lecturer, Singapore Polytechnic delved into the various marketing channels and strategies through an academic lens. The masterclass explored the use of effective marketing channel strategies for businesses to reach a wider range of customers. They shared insights and advice regarding the use of various marketing channels, which include digital platforms, traditional media, and direct marketing. Through a series of case studies, the session wrapped up with a game plan which broadened participants’ range of marketing strategies.

Masterclass 3 - LinkedIn Strategy - Building your brand on LinkedIn organically​

Charu - Recapping Uob Finlab’s First Masterclass - Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur+
Charu Srivastava, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer TriOn & Co

Charu Srivastava, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, TriOn & Co conducted the final masterclass which focused on leveraging LinkedIn to strengthen their brand narrative and enhance their profile’s impact. The masterclass explored strategies and the best practices for womenpreneurs to strengthen their relevance, reputation and relationships through LinkedIn organically. Participants were able to discuss their challenges, receive tailored feedback and bounce ideas off each other. This created an environment of open sharing and collaborative learning.

D.I.P:W+ reinforces UOB FinLab’s ongoing commitment to support womenpreneurs in Singapore and the region. We will continue to offer relevant and meaningful programmes that aim to catalyse business growth while building a strong, resilient community of like-minded individuals and industry leaders.

Keep updated with future womenpreneur workshops (and other digitalisation and sustainability programmes) by joining our newsletter here.

Recapping UOB FinLab’s First Masterclass – Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur+

Featured Image For Recapping Uob Finlab’s First Masterclass – Digitalisation Innovation Programme: Womenpreneur+

Melvin Gan

Senior Lecturer, Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Melvin Gan is a senior lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Business and Accountancy, where he specialises in sustainability in business management, ESG reporting, digital marketing, consumer insights, and human-centered design thinking. A founding member of the Sustainability Module Team, he has been instrumental in developing specialised curricula such as Corporate Governance and Reporting for Sustainable Business and has contributed to the growth of the Business Sustainability and Digitalisation specialisation.

Joyce Goh

Consultant & Trainer, CSO Centre

  • Singapore Institute of Banking & Finance (IBF) accredited trainer.
  • Ngee Ann Polytechnic associate lecturer.
  • Featured in a book on carbon trading (碳交易的28堂课) published by Taiwan Central News Agency in 2024.

Joyce was former Commercial Director at Climate Impact Exchange (CIX), a global carbon solutions provider established by Temasek Holdings, Singapore Exchange, DBS Bank & Standard Chartered in Singapore. She was hired as part of the founding team and represented CIX in multiple public forums on decarbonisation, market development and green finance.

Joyce has close to 20 years of experience in the financial industry. She has helmed leadership roles at Singapore Exchange, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse across various business and operation units. At CIX, she worked with C-Suites, NGOs and financiers on decarbonisation solutions, global carbon market development, as well as alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for long term impact and business resilience.

Lance Ng

Consultant & Trainer, CSO Centre

  • Singapore Institute of Banking & Finance (IBF) accredited trainer.
  • Ngee Ann Polytechnic associate lecturer.
  • Founder of CSO Centre.

Lance is an FSA Credential Holder and GRI Certified Sustainability Professional. Throughout his corporate career, he has worked at JPMorgan, Citibank and Singapore Exchange. As a marketing and corporate communications consultant, his clients have included DBS, Singtel, UOB, Bank of Singapore as well as many other government organisations, SMEs and startups.

He currently specializes in helping corporates with ESG and sustainability reporting as a trainer and consultant. His courses have been taken by individuals and companies from all over the world and accredited by the Institute of Banking & Finance (Singapore). He is also an associate lecturer with Ngee Ann Polytechnic for various sustainability-related courses.

Online programme

Start Smart Programme

Designed for business owners to enhance their digital capabilities through practical learning, this programme takes businesses to the next level.

Online programme

Start Smart Programme

Designed for business owners to enhance their digital capabilities through practical learning, this programme takes businesses to the next level.

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