At Moxy, we believe in inspiring action by highlighting real stories of real women. Meet Kit Lim, a global DEI leader based in Singapore, who transitioned from a 12-year career in the legal industry to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Previously a co-founder of two startups, Kit's professional journey is marked by bold explorations and innovative endeavors.
In this post, she shares her unconventional approaches, surprising workplace encounters, and invaluable advice for women navigating their careers.
Introducing Kit Lim
Can you briefly share about yourself, your professional journey and the most important milestones that have shaped your career?
I am Kit and am currently a global DEI leader at a MNC, based in Singapore. Prior to this, I was working in the legal industry for 12 years where I was managing the business development, marketing communications and client servicing piece. I am also the co-founder of a minimalist website and have co-founded another startup before. My entire career and experience has always been very much about trying new things and navigating the unknowns and that plays a huge role to shape me to who and where I am today.
What unconventional approach or lesson learned in your career has had the most significant impact on your success?
Be open to try new things. Just like our days in college, where we are involved in not just the academic aspects of it but all the extra curricular activities that makes our college life interesting and fulfilling, I believe in having the same mindset at the workplace. Aside from work, I am often participating in additional activities such as leading the employee resource groups at work, or volunteering for DEI initiatives etc. These experiences were instrumental in crafting some other skillset which I might not have been exposed to in my core work.
Surprising encounters in the workplace
What is the one of the most shocking or surprising encounters you have had in the workplace as a woman?
How women are often relegated to doing office housework. There have been so many occasions where female professionals at the workplace have been “tossed” the office housework such as coffee runs or even the administrative duties. I remember in one of the organisations that I was working in, as they did not have an admin department, they would always ask a lady in HR to contact building management for toilet clogs etc. I recalled asking this question:
“If this individual was a male HR executive, would we have asked the same of him?”
We probably don’t think about it that much but there is a lot of gender stereotyping at the workplace.
In building a world where everyone has equal opportunities, what advice would you give to emerging professionals, particularly women, navigating their careers in your industry/field?
Always take the lead in your personal development. I know many people who are looking at development based on the opportunities available within the organisation and some of which might be pretty limited.
I think we should always take charge of our own development and not have others design it for us.
Focus on what you want out of career, whether it be moving to the next level, pivoting towards something else. Design how you want to get there.
If granted the creative freedom to shape a distinctive, gender-inclusive employee well-being initiative for your workplace, what would it look like, and how do you foresee it fostering a positive and inclusive work environment for all?
To build a truly inclusive work environment for all, we must start with the basics: our company's purpose, vision, values, and code of conduct. Common values such as integrity, respect, and honesty should be the foundation. Inclusive behavior is about how we present ourselves, communicate, and act—principles that should be ingrained from the beginning.
The key to fostering a positive and inclusive work culture lies in taking these values seriously and ensuring that any behavior contrary to them is not tolerated. By focusing on these core values and maintaining a zero-tolerance policy for behavior that contradicts them, we can create a supportive and inclusive environment for all employees.
How do you think a collective approach, as advocated by the Moxy Movement, effectively drives positive change in workplace gender dynamics?
I think this is a fantastic movement as I always believe in leveraging the power of networks and groups to help drive awareness in this space. Not everyone wants to be the first mover and more often than not, settles in the “average” space, which is where the majority are. Some organisations adopt a more wait and see approach, while others are trailblazers. But I think we can agree there are more in the former than latter. A collective approach like the Moxy Movement is powerful because it draws conversations from everyone to be committed towards moving things forward and driving collective change in the process.
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Thank you for sharing your insights with us Kit!
If you wish to share your experiences, join the movement on Moxy Movement to make your voice heard! And if you are an employer looking to get some help on how to bring retain female talent, contact us to know more here.
