The young chairman of Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore tells what her organisation has a huge responsibility towards improving the lives of the people working in her industry
Your journey with the waste management and recycling industry begun 15 years ago, with you taking over your father’s business. What motivated you to take this step?
I didn’t have a choice (laughs). My father’s company, Wah & Hua, was a very small business 15 years ago and my father did not have someone to help him manage it. When he asked me to join him, I agreed. Little did I know that this was to be the only job I’ve had since I left school.
You were 21 years old when you started out. How did you get veterans in the business to take you, a young woman then, seriously?
I had many interesting ideas for the business when I first started and I was eager to implement them, but they were all thrown out by the seniors. They told me I knew nothing. That fired me up and I wanted to know everything.
So I hit the ground to find out all there is to know about my company. I went through all the departments to learn how things were done and why they were done that way, and to know the people in those departments. That took me a year.
Once I’ve understood my company, I looked at other companies in Singapore and overseas. I studied their business models, and I read up on issues related to waste management and recycling including topics that are beyond the scope of my business such as renewable energy and clean technology.
With the knowledge I gained, I was able to better hold conversations with industry veterans and they were no longer able to brush me off as a young woman who knew nothing.
Did you have trouble connecting with the experienced staff on the ground too?
I have 110 employees today, up from 20 or so people 15 years ago. Most are Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, with some foreign workers serving the blue-collar roles.
I’ve always regarded my staff as part of the Wah & Hua family and I show that in my actions. I do not order them around. Instead, I get them to understand my decision and have them buy into my plans. With my foreign blue-collar workers, I eat with them and chat with them about the family they have left behind in India to make more money here in Singapore, and find out how they are coping at work. This bond is important and makes working together a lot easier.
You are a people-centric leader then.
Oh yes. I am most passionate about my people. In fact, they were the reason why I agreed to return to Singapore to take over the business after my studies overseas. My father told me then that if I did not take over the business from him, the company would shut down eventually and his long-serving workers would be without a job.
I did some calculations. One worker probably has a family of five to feed. If Wah & Hua were gone, a few hundred mouths would be without food. That’s a huge responsibility!
I’ve forged a relationship with my staff – many of whom have been with us for a long time – and we’ve gone through thick and thin and now the business is well and stable. This relationship motivates me to do more for them.
How does your people-centric leadership style impact your decisions at Waste Management and Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS)?
I work closely with my core team and we maintain an open line of communication. We always seek common understanding and agreement on decisions impacting the association and its members. Before a decision is made, we will look at how it will impact the smallest waste management and recycling company in Singapore as well as the biggest one. If the decision will adversely impact one of them and their workers, we will reconsider it. At the end of the day, WMRAS functions for the good of our members and Singapore’s waste management and recycling industry.
I strongly believe that the purpose of an industry association is to be the voice of its members and their staff, to raise the standards of the business and to look at ways to improve the jobs and lives of the industry workers.
What has WMRAS done so far to deliver these?
Prior to me stepping in as chairman in 2013, WMRAS has been contemplating the provision of Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) courses (by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency) to our industry workers. We are now the only public organisation appointed to provide WSQ courses, and we have mandated the certification of all drivers and crew. This is part of the career progression path for our blue-collar workers and, at the same time, they will learn the proper procedures attached to their job.
For example, although a person with a Class 5 driving license is allowed to drive the waste truck that is commonly dispatched around housing estates in Singapore, WMRAS has made it compulsory for our drivers to undergo a WSQ certification course that will teach them the safe and right ways to handle such a vehicle.
Another thing WMRAS has done for the industry is the implementation of a safer solution for covering waste bins on hooklift trucks. The Land Transport Authority and Singapore Traffic Police require all hooklift trucks with bins filled with waste to be covered when they are on the roads. To do this, drivers had to climb up and manually pull sheets over. It was dangerous and there were accidents. WMRAS was concerned about the drivers’ safety so we created an automated cover system that is mounted on the trucks, allowing the driver to use either a remote control or a lever while standing on firm ground to deploy the sheets. The system gets the job done in a few seconds, compared to at least 20 minutes when done manually.
WMRAS also organises many events a year to educate members and help them find new business opportunities.
Tell me more about these events.
Twice a year we do the WasteMET Asia Symposium (the most recent was on October 22-23, 2015 at MAX Atria @ Singapore Expo). In the past two editions, the symposium was tagged to the WasteMet Asia Exhibition. Not in 2015 though, as we wanted to redirect resources to support the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore Integrated Expo led by the Singapore government in July 2016. WMRAS will manage the Singapore pavilion and feature our member companies.
The 2015 symposium took a different approach. We realised how conferences and symposiums in other countries often featured presentations by scientists and researchers specialised in this field. It is great to have these specialists share predictions on how waste management and recycling will move in 10 years’ time, but we feel that we can offer a more realistic take-away for our attendees.
So in 2015 we got company owners in Singapore and elsewhere to share best practices in their operations to give attendees real examples of what can be done to improve their business. It drew overwhelming interest. While we targeted 150 pax for two days, we welcomed 220 people in the end.
We also run a number of seminars, workshops, networking events and business matching sessions. Our professional sharing sessions are held every quarter, led by international experts who are invited and flown in by WMRAS. In the last session, the president of the International Solid Waste Association came to talk about recycling and waste management challenges in Europe, while I spoke about the issues we face in Singapore. A dialogue was then held among attendees.
Most of our events are focused on waste management and recycling matters, although we also tackle other subjects, such as government grants and insurance coverage and claims. You’d be surprised how many companies, particularly the smaller ones, are not quite sure how these things work and they are important to the well-being of the company. WMRAS will soon begin a consultancy service to help member companies (in administrative procedures and more).
Why do you think these events are important?
WMRAS events are a critical part of our service to our members. Our members are busy and the only time they can sit down to exchange ideas and discuss hot issues is at our events. They are friendly competitors with a common goal of achieving a sustainable environment. At WMRAS’ WasteMet Asia Exhibition, for instance, we see industry players bringing in their latest technology and vehicles, and sharing with each other what they are using in their operations while also keeping an eye out for new business deals.
Besides WasteMet Asia Exhibition, Singapore does not have any other show dedicated to the waste management and recycling industry.
Membership growth is one of the key responsibilities of associations. How’s WMRAS faring in this area?
It is a challenge to draw young people into this industry (which impacts WMRAS’ ability to attract new and younger members). Most would prefer to work in the office, in comfortable jobs like banking, finance or retail. The majority of our companies in Singapore are SMEs and they are led by older male bosses. Fortunately things are changing now with the second-generation taking over family-run operations, and we are seeing a little more female chiefs.
Improving the standards of the smaller companies is part of the solution, as it will raise the overall image of the industry and correct the public’s impression of it being a dirty and smelly business.
To raise awareness of the scope of work this industry handles, we will be doing talk show videos in February that feature owners and entrepreneurs. These videos will be distributed to tertiary education institutions to sell the industry and encourage students to pursue a career with us. Without seeing the real faces behind this business – and we do have young, good-looking and educated people in this business – it is hard for students to visualise a career in waste management and recycling.
The videos are also part of our efforts to build student members in WMRAS. Presently we offer student membership at a very affordable annual fee of S$20 (US$14.20), which allows them access to our networking and sharing sessions.
One needs a healthy dose of creativity to correct the image of this industry, to show that it is a sexy business and not a stinky and disgusting one.
You have been busy with a new association. Tell me more.
An MOU was recently signed to form the Asia Pacific Waste and Environmental Alliance (APWEA) which comprises six national waste management associations in Asia, specifically from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. Singapore – that means WMRAS – will chair this alliance for three years.
APWEA aims to raise the knowledge and level of expertise of its members in waste management and recycling.
WMRAS mooted this alliance in early 2015 when we recognised that land and manpower are scarce in Singapore and the only way for local companies to prosper is by raising productivity, perhaps with new technology, or by identifying new business opportunities. We hoped that a cross-border alliance would facilitate this. When this idea was presented to fellow national associations in Asia, it drew great support and many were eager to form this alliance right away.
What will APWEA be doing right away?
The alliance will organise several symposiums and exhibitions throughout the year, conduct networking activities for industry players whenever the alliance calls at one of the members’ destination, and produce an e-newsletter for alliance members.
APWEA members have agreed to adopt WMRAS’ WasteMet event brand when organising events in their respective countries. This allows the WasteMet series of events to grow beyond Singapore.
We are still deciding when to host the first overseas WasteMet event though, either in 2016 or 2017. Our consideration here is to not over-stretch ourselves, as the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore Integrated Expo in July will be a massive affair since it is part of World City Summit. Ministers, city mayors and national stakeholders including researchers and academics from all over the world are expected to fly in to attend the event and APWEA members will be busy too.
We have plans to duplicate WMRAS’ Training, Advisory & Promotion (TAP) Centre events in APWEA member countries this year too. TAP Centre is a project with the International Solid Waste Association and National Environment Agency, and features training courses led by international experts, running over three to four days and including industrial site visits.
