Meet Michelle Khoo, a mentor with the Her World Mentorship Programme

Being a woman in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) can often mean being the lone female voice in meetings, or the unintentional target of unconscious biases. For the second year of our Her World Mentorship Programme, we want to empower young women by providing them the tools, guidance, and support needed to break down these barriers and overcome limiting beliefs.

Nine exceptional mentors – each with a wealth of experience and expertise – tell us why they are passionate about giving back and share the wisdom they’ve gleaned throughout their careers. 

Growing up, Michelle Khoo’s family faced financial difficulties. “That’s why I decided to study finance, which then led me to my first job in investment banking in Hong Kong – during the peak of the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-2008.” While in Hong Kong, she observed the protest movements inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in the US, sparked by the bailouts of investment banks in the wake of the crisis.

“Singapore, at the time, was also having its own debates on inequality. Given my personal experience with financial hardship, I wanted a meaningful career addressing inequality,” Michelle explains. She left banking and joined the Ministry of Finance, eventually heading a team that shaped policies around these very issues. While doing that, she realised how much business models and technologies influenced society.

When a role to lead a futures think tank at Deloitte came up, Michelle seized it. At Deloitte’s Center for the Edge in Southeast Asia, she engages and advises business leaders in the region on how to navigate disruption. Most people choose jobs based on their expertise, often finding themselves stuck in a particular job identity and fearing change. Michelle approached her career transition differently.

“In a world where disruption is accelerating, a varied career path gives me confidence in my ability to adapt. Now, versatility is my biggest strength, and that gives me limitless opportunities to keep growing,” she shares. “And it is the same advice I would give to a mentee: to hone their versatility. Particularly for women in STEM who might be developing their career as a specialist, it is still crucial to be able to flex beyond your field of expertise.”

If you could speak directly to those hesitant about pursuing a STEM field, why would you encourage them to do so?

I started learning about the technology sector quite late into my career. That actually helped me to be able to explain concepts in a simple way, better than some experts. I’m not caught up in technical jargon, because I’m able to think like an outsider or layperson. So I would encourage women, regardless of age, not to be afraid to enter the STEM field. There are many different ways to value add, and your diverse experiences could be what the sector needs.

Beyond technical expertise, what other skills or qualities do you believe are essential for women in STEM to succeed?

One is being able to critically ask questions to examine the downstream impact of your work on the people and societies it serves. This can help ensure that we reduce the unintended consequences, or could even lead to improvements to the original idea. Second is having a curiosity about the “edges” of your field. What are adjacent ideas or even different approaches taken in a completely different sector from your own? These could give rise to new innovations that no one had ever thought of before.

What excites you most about the potential impact of a mentorship programme like this?

In my work, I think a lot about the potential implications of AI and what our future would be. And what is clear to me is that there are a lot of ethical and moral issues that technologists cannot avoid thinking about, but for which there are no easy answers. And so, it is even more critical that we have a diversity of informed voices leading STEM fields to navigate these complex issues regarding the future of humanity. Mentorship programmes that give a leg up to under-represented groups (like women in this case) are important to develop a diverse pipeline of leaders who can add to the discourse. So I’m most excited to contribute to this important mission, even if it is just one person at a time.

PHOTOGRAPHY Veronica Tay
OFFICIAL BEAUTY PARTNER Cle de Peau Beaute
ART DIRECTION Ray Ticsay & Adeline Eng
STYLING Neo Lirong, assisted by Sabrina Kong
HAIR & MAKEUP Benedict Choo, Aung Apichai and Clayton Goo, all using Cle de Peau Beaute
LOCATION Mandala Club