“Operations Design & Excellence” Panel Discussion RECAP 2022

With the leading organizations in the world ever-so hinged on growth and executing related strategies to out-perform their competitors, how do they accomplish operational excellence in today's rapidly changing business environment? To address this question, the Business Career Development Committee (BizCare) invited Director (Operations) at FairPrice Group Supply Chain, Ernest Yee, Procurement Manager at CMA CGM, Clifford, CK Fong, and Assistant Vice President at PSA Singapore, Sean Tian, for the Operations Design and Excellence Panel Discussion on 21 March 2022. The aforementioned individuals all have over 10 years of experience in the field with relevant innovative, resourceful and analytical skill sets providing them with an open perspective to tackle onboard difficulties that arise and aid in their fruitful operations ventures.

The three speakers provided a plethora of insights during the discussion. Clifford first stressed the importance of having good interpersonal skills when working in the operations sector due to the many interactions involved with international suppliers. Moreover, he emphasised that one should also possess good judgemental skills when interacting with others in the field. Sean further elaborates that one should not only keep themselves updated on news pertaining to the industry, but also adapt to its changes over time.

When asked about career progression, Ernest provided valuable insights into 2 key categories ‒ front-end specialists who work in the field, and backend warehousing who handles big data and planning. He expressed that learning how to manage multiple and varied divisions and grooming the next batch of potential leaders is a huge challenge to progressing forward in the supply chain sector. Clifford believes that in operations design, there are ample job functions and roles for young students to take on.

In sharing some of his thoughts and advice for juniors, Sean candidly pointed out that it would be very important to be kept abreast with industry standards across the supply chain fraternity. Undergraduates who are interested in joining the industry would need to understand the nature of the work that they would be doing, and how interconnectivity across departments plays a crucial role. As the industry pivots towards digitalisation, it would be important for students to adapt and find creative solutions that can help make their work more reliable and efficient.

Rebecca Tay, BizCare’s Event Executive and moderator for the panel discussion, managed and executed the event. She remarked:

“The panel discussion provided great insights and was highly informative for all of us! We were really honoured to have experienced and passionate speakers join us to share and enlighten us on the industry. Overall, the panel discussion proceeded smoothly, owing to our speakers' relentless support to one another as well as to BizCare.”

Following the speakers’ sharing and insights, our students gained a greater understanding of the current trends in this important sector and became more aware of the skills to thrive in the industry going into the future.