Not being bound by the fears that limit others, Yong Wei is one experience seeker. He seeks pleasure by keeping on the move and loves to venture into a multitude of activities; from thrilling ones like bungee jumping and skydiving to more relaxing ones like stargazing and pottery making.

It was his high-spirited nature that propelled him to pursue Singtel’s Management Associate Programme (MAP). Yong Wei graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (BE, Mechanical Engineering) degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and started off as a deputy project manager in Fixed Networks Engineering, before crossing over to Product Management as a sweet spot for exposure in both business and technology.

Living on the cusp of incredible potential

Challenging boundaries and restrictions is a big part of Yong Wei’s work as a Product Manager. In a nutshell, he serves as the go-to person for various teams, providing guidance on Trustwave’s products and services. Trustwave is a Singtel company and the global cyber security arm of Singtel, Optus and NCS, with customers in 96 countries.

‘’No single day really looks the same in this role.’’ he reveals.

He often finds himself researching new cyber security solutions and market trends one day while defining solution features, creating service descriptions, or analysing cost models and prices on another. Other times, he could be joining forces with Operations or Engineering teams to architect, test, and document new solutions or collaborating with Product Marketing to come up with marketing collaterals.

‘’During product launch periods, I am heavily involved in conducting training for Sales and Sale Engineering teams while supporting go-to-market initiatives including campaigns, promotions and events. It really is a dynamic role where you find yourself dabbling in all parts of the business!’’

Overseas stint in Australia

Yong Wei’s international rotation to Optus, Australia, fed his daredevil personality. As part of the Management Associate Programme, he spent two months with the cyber security team over there and embarked on a project to augment their implementation capabilities.

‘’It was my first overseas work trip and an especially pleasant one. I was only 28 years old then. I was greeted with warm ‘welcomes’ and was introduced to various colleagues who made sure I was well taken care of. It was incredible to have this chance to work up close with my Australian counterparts and learn about the subtleties and nuances of their working culture.’’

‘’Work aside, I got to spend my weekends exploring their vibrant towns and charming beaches and also took the chance to pick up scuba diving and skydiving!’’

He also highlights that the connections he forged during his time in Sydney were unforgettable, together with his leisurely trips.

‘A lean, mean, fighting machine’

Yong Wei is part of a tenacious team of product managers who work tirelessly to keep the engines of the business humming. Being a well-balanced team with members of different levels of experience, different personalities and backgrounds, everyone constantly brings in new ideas and perspectives that enrich the team.

Delivering quality solutions and outcomes for clients is at the heart of Yong Wei’s colleagues. Undeniably, there are challenges — understanding client needs and serving them better is a continuous and never-ending process.

“I hope to continue learning and developing myself and to draw on my past experiences to help make the organisation a trusted security partner of our clients,’’ he shares.

Aspiring to become a product manager

Yong Wei has some words of enlightenment for those headed towards product management and related roles.

Yong Wei encourages to always keep oneself up-to-date and aware of the next best thing in the industry due to the changing nature of the ICT industry. He advises potential MAP candidates to understand the intricacies of the different aspects of a business, the contributions of each of the different teams, and how their performances are deeply intertwined with each other.

‘’Grow yourself to be comfortable enough to zoom in to examine the fine details of a problem, and also to zoom out to see the big picture and keep things in perspective.’’

‘’MAP has exposed us to the various possibilities we could ever imagine from career coaching sessions to hands-on achievements, locally and internationally. It was a great career kick-start for me and such beginnings really do have some sort of genius, power and magic within them’’.

If you are an experience seeker (or want to be one), the Singtel Management Associate Programme will allow you to explore and stretch you beyond your limits. Known for expanding one’s horizons, the programme will broaden your knowledge of the local market as well as that of the world. MAP 2021 is now open for application. Click here to join us today!