STEPHENISMS

For any organisation to have good HR strategies, policies etc is one thing, to have a HR head who is able to constantly innovate and deliver effective HR strategies that transcend, as demographics and workforce behavior changes is another. I have known Stephen for 15 years, and his uncanny ability to connect and empathize with people from all walks of life his stethoscope to hear and feel the pluses of any organisation workforce. Stephen's flexible and approachable nature makes him a great leader who can identify, harness and put together a team of talents that can drive any organisation to greater heights. Looking forward to have a chance to work with you again!

Stephen has a wealth of experience in wide areas encompassing best practices in especially HR, leadership and management. He is highly respected for his professionalism, tenacity, great interpersonal skills and a strong passion to drive excellence. His commitment in volunteering in numerous capacities is another impactful accomplishment. Being helpful and empathetic to people in need, he is known to go the extra mile.

I had the privilege to be part of Stephen’s team since I moved into the HR specialization many years ago. Stephen is a very creative individual who works with the team to bring many (ahead of its time) initiatives to life. Stephen has an uncanny ability to engage individuals as well as groups. This allows discussions to be open and candid with staff and management alike. Through Stephen, I also had the opportunity to work on talent development and employee engagement projects in our organization. Indeed, these were valuable experience that I thankful for.

Stephen holds talent development very close to his heart, both for the professional community at KPMG as well as for tertiary students participating in Enactus. He was instrumental in helping Enactus Singapore set up the Responsible Leader's Programme. He is a supportive Board member and always had time to meet with me, whether to catch up or and to give guidance on various aspects of running our non-profit organisation.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Stephen for some 10 years in my role at CPA Australia and have known him for a way longer period. He’s a great people person – always listening, championing and thinking through professional collaborations from a people perspective. He has also always had a heart for education and developing leaders. With this approach, he has supported CPA Australia with many practical ideas that have energised our annual International Accountants Day event which seeks to raise the profile of the accounting profession and encourage professionals to give back to society. At the core, Stephen is an inspirational professional of people and leadership development.

Stephen was an active member of the Board of Enactus Singapore for over 8 years when I was Chair. Representing KPMG, he was highly supportive of the program and made many contributions, one of the most significant was developing the Responsible Leadership model. He was also a mentor to many student members and projects. Stephen is a pleasure to work with - he is grounded, always willing to lend a hand, measured and composed. His views and advice was certainly much appreciated.

I worked with Stephen in the first 3 years of my role in HR. He was a good friend, a trusted colleague and a great mentor given his 20+ years of experience in HR. Stephen was undeniably a great listener, and at the same time, he was full of ideas. One of his best qualities was his communication and writing skills. His choice of words was always genuine and positive. Every announcement he created was always creative and persuasive, regardless of how challenging the messages he wanted to send across. I learned a lot from Stephen and I look forward to an opportunity to work with him again.

I've had the pleasure of working with Stephen Tjoa for more than 20 years. It was Stephen who introduced me to KPMG, recognising that I could play a role that I couldn't even envisage in the early years. And that's one of Stephen's strengths - identifying people and helping them to be successful at what they do. He's a great listener too and has undoubtedly played a part in the career development of many.