What is your role at Sabre and what does it involve?

My role at Sabre Hospitality is to set the innovation strategy for future product roll outs. To keep up to date with the latest market changes, innovations, and technologies including AI. I also look at innovative ways we can solve for current gaps in the market.

Career highlights to date?

Setting up my own business, Techsembly, which was an eCommerce platform for hospitality. One of my biggest highlights was managing to secure VC funding and managing a successful exit by selling the business to Sabre in June last year.

What has been the greatest challenge in your career, and how did you overcome it?

Raising funds for my startup and getting VCs/investors to invest/believe in me. This was no easy task, especially being a women founder in Asia. It’s not easy when ‘alleged experts’ say no to you, you start to doubt yourself, but you have to remain resilient, believe in yourself and prove them wrong.

What is your momentum?

I love learning and the excitement of building new things, from idea formation to launch, whilst delivering meaningful results.

Role model?

Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx. Why? She is an inspiring women founder, who saw a gap in the market and went about solving for it. Despite all of the initial negative feedback and criticism in a market no one wanted to invest in, she persevered. She is open and honest about her journey, and I admire her courage to tell her story her way and inspire others.

Women in executive positions – hard to find your niche?

My advice would be to become a specialist, focus on something you believe in, find a gap and do everything you can to fill it. But most importantly, enjoy and love what you do and believe in your mission. When you have that mindset, you’ll be able to create those opportunities and never stop believing in your capabilities.

Last book read?

‘All the light we cannot see’ by Anthony Doerr.