Day in the Life of Simon Xie, our Country Head

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What is it like to lead Funding Societiesā€™ Singapore team?

  1. How long have you been with Funding Societies?

    5 Years

  2. What is your professional background?

    I was previously a General Manager for a debt-based investment company, and a registered CEO of a fund management company carrying a RFMC (Registered Fund Management Company) license under MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore). In my 10-year career, Iā€™ve specialised in SME lending and Iā€™m passionate about people management.

  3. What are the 2 most important skills required in your daily work?

    The first is MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) structured thinking. This model of approaching problems helps me to handle complex situations, such as a discussion involving parties from various departments and functions where Iā€™m being consulted for a decision. I find that this improves decision quality as well. The second important skill I would say is the ability to learn and practise. If there is something I donā€™t know, I will make it a point to learn and develop my skills in that area until I master it.

  4. What do you like most about your team?

    They are reliable, fun, and care about each other

  5. 3 words to describe your leadership style

    Transformational, Strategic, Coach-style

  6. How are you different inside and outside of work?

    Let the pictures speak for themselves!At work:

    Image from iOS 12

    All smiles for a team photo!

    Image from iOS 11

    Serious Simon

    Outside of work:

    Image from iOS 10

    Cosplaying as a samurai

    Image from iOS 9

    Gotta invest your health first and foremost

  7. What do you look forward to at work the most?

    I look forward to challenges everyday. Managing a whole marketā€™s growth is no walk in the park but with every realisation of a new problem that our SMEs face, means we are closer to developing a solution for them.

  8. How would you describe your time at Funding Societies so far in 3 words?

    Exciting and challenging.

  9. What do you love about Funding Societiesā€™ work culture?

    I love the growth culture that we celebrate here. It demands that we constantly improve ourselves and the status quo. One of our core values that embodies this growth mindset is ā€œTest Measure Actā€, which gives us room to experiment and to succeed. Funding Societies also encourages all of us to serve with obsession, where each one of us goes beyond ourselves to support both internal and external stakeholders and help each other succeed. When I need help, I know the team always has my back.

  10. Whatā€™s your favourite piece of career advice?

    Growth comes from overcoming every challenge we thought was impossible.

  11. How would you explain what you do to a 5 year old?

    I create a better life for merchants and small shops by enabling them to do better.

  12. 3 emojis to represent what you do at Funding Societies

    ā¤ļøšŸ˜”āš”

  13. Describe a typical work day for you, from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. (Yes we know everyday is different :))

    I get in the car and read the newspaper, have a cup of tea or coffee and think about the day, enter into ā€œbattle modeā€ during meetings to solve problems and drive executions. Then Iā€™ll attend external meetings, and once Iā€™m back home Iā€™ll start thinking and planning for the following day.

  14. What is one most important career lesson you would pass down to your team or the next batch of leaders?

    I canā€™t seem to pick one, so hereā€™s three: To be selfless whenever you drive (metaphorically). Well, literally too. Be willing to listen whenever dissenting voices surface, and finally to be proactive to practise whatever you learn.

Like what you read about our team? If you’re interested in a FinTech career with us, check out our careers page.

Funding Societies Careers

Disclaimer: The information provided to you in this blog post is intended only for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice on any subject matter. The materials and the information provided are not intended to be and do not constitute an advertisement or solicitation. In no event will Funding Societies be liable to any party for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages for use of such information by you or any unauthorised third party.

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