Women, Invest Your Life!

What a morning of Finance, Fitness and Fabulousness!

The Z Club had its much needed mid-year boost with a healthy dose of Finance, Fitness and Fabulousness as we invited 3 power ladies to share their lives, knowledge and beauty with the Club on 24 June!

First off, we had Shinya open the floor as he shared an inspiring speech on how "Women hold half the sky" (Mao Zedong).

Then, I had to introduce Next Gen and the Z Club of course!

Things started to get exciting as Tiffany shared about the recent Gansu trip that she, Shinya and 2 members from the Greater China Chapter went on. It was a trip to one of our scholar's (Kayla BAI) hometown and on the trip, they gave out 100 copies of《大赢家》to a middle school in Qingyang, a rural part of Gansu Province. We also played a video summary of the trip. Not to worry, you may catch the video here. We are proud of the impact that the Z Club is making to change lives across borders and economic backgrounds.

Next, we had Eric ONG from The Good Whale to share about their company. The Good Whale is a fintech startup that gives you access to expert tips, interactive tutorials, and real-world examples that will transform you into a savvy investor. They were also the kind sponsors of the venue and even provided every participant with a goodie bag of investing books and skincare products!

We kicked off the sharing proper, starting with Olivia HIGGINS. She is a Singaporean-Australian TV journalist and researcher (academia) in Finance and Technology, Miss Charm 2023 and Top 5 Miss Universe Singapore 2022. Talk about brains and brawn.

Amelia LEE (EIP batch of 2024) hosted the session with grace, and what stood out was how Olivia had a wide range of interests and skills, and yet how she was consistent in her desire to inspire and connect with people from all walks of life.

We catch Amelia's takeaway from the session with Olivia:

I found great inspiration from attending the MTI session. It was truly enjoyable hearing all three speakers share their experiences and key takeaways, particularly because they each came from diverse backgrounds. The session underscored the significance of investing in oneself. As the host for Olivia, I had the privilege of conversing with her to gain deeper insights into her motivations. Her unwavering commitment to personal growth and self-improvement was truly inspiring. I admired her determination to make a positive impact by leveraging her social media presence—a commendable endeavor. Manya's account of her journey to becoming an investment analyst at Arisaig Partners was incredibly motivational. Especially compelling were the challenges she faced in a predominantly male-dominated industry. Her story served as a testament to the resilience required to overcome such obstacles. Coco's emphasis on body positivity and prioritizing fitness over appearance offered invaluable advice, particularly in an era where social media often presents a deceptive image. Her insights shed light on the importance of cultivating a healthy relationship with our bodies. In conclusion, this session left a profound impression on me, and the advice shared by all three speakers proved to be immensely helpful.

Next, Manya MISHRA, Research Analyst at Arisaig Partners, shared her very relatable and encouraging journey on how she started investing and found her way to Baring Private Equity Partners, and then to Arisaig. She reminded all the students present that it is important to find the right mentors, and do not be afraid to approach people. In fact, she kindly extended herself as a mentor. Please reach out to her on LinkedIn!

Iris TAN (EIP batch of 2025) hosted the session with confidence, and also shared her reflections from the event:

Reflecting on my role as the host at the MTI, I was deeply impacted by Manya's insights. Her emphasis on confidence, networking, and the power of uplifting other women underscored their crucial roles in navigating a male-dominated industry. Manya's experiences and the way she overcame challenges as a woman in the industry were a testament to her resilience. Importantly, she conveyed how crucial it is for women to support and uplift one another. This sense of solidarity and mutual progression offers a compelling approach to breaking barriers within the field. This session was an invaluable learning experience, not only highlighting the struggles and triumphs of women in finance, but also emphasizing the importance of mentorship and collective growth among women. It offered actionable advice for those looking to enter the field, reinforcing the idea that we can foster a more inclusive finance industry by lifting each other up and take the first step to break barriers.

Now, we sure had breaks in between! Here are some snaps of the engaged participants, some of those who asked questions, and also the fun and happy networking that took place in between.

Last but not least, we ended the morning with a fitness briefing by Coco CHE, Chinese Bodybuilding Association Fitness model 1st Runner-up and the China National Bodybuilding Team Member in 2019. She was so informative and engaging at the same time as she brought us through bone structure, diet, different body types and more. We certainly left the session feeling the need to love our bodies and keep fit!

Pearline PANG (EIP batch of 2024) share her reflections on all 3 speakers here:

At the Invest Your Life for Women event, I was really inspired by the various speakers as I felt that each of them brought a different dimension to what it means to be a woman. Olivia, an effective communicator and beauty pageant queen, shared with us about the power of connecting with others. Because of her, I am inspired to learn to better empathise with others and to communicate more effectively to spread messages that matter. Even when things get tough such as when receiving harsh criticisms, she shared that it is crucial to give yourself time but nevertheless to eventually keep moving forward. I believe that such passion and strength is one that she embraces as part of her identity as a woman to push frontiers in her career and in the beauty pageant world. Our second speaker Manya is an analyst at Arisaig Partners. She shared with us about her career journey thus far from private equity to public equity in the male-dominated finance industry. It was particularly heartening to hear about how she eventually learnt to hold her ground in meetings where she used to feel unconfident through sheer hard work, preparation and emotional regulation. Her story is inspiring to me as she has demonstrated the maturation process of a woman over her career journey, and I hope to be able to work hard and mature with grace as she did too. Last but not least, we have Coco who shared with us about her fitness journey. She highlighted the importance of taking care of our health and self-love. She made me realise the importance of embracing our natural body shape, and that all women are different and should not have to conform to having the same kind of body shape. We should learn to love ourselves the way we are as we work hard towards achieving a healthier body. I am inspired to take care of my body, exercise regularly and develop a healthy relationship with food.

Thank you lovely speakers and Junxian LEE, Founder & CEO of The Good Whale, for the Saturday morning! It was certainly well spent and we cannot wait for the next time!