There’s a perception that as a retiree, life is over, just relax, go out with friends, have lunches out, watch movies. For me, this is the time to do something for the community, something that brings a change in behaviour. The whole world is suffering because of climate change and plastic waste.
"Most of us on this island are pretty complacent because we feel safe. We know that someone will clean our waste, we assume that someone will combat rising sea levels, someone will solve climate change. Seeing my daughter turn an ocean pollution health issue into a way for everyone to step up and lead change made me realise that supporting my daughter out of love also benefits humanity. After all, aren’t we all humans living on the same planet?"
Ocean Purpose Project launches to a pandemic
"You have to have the resilience and the willpower, and the positive mindset to face any challenge. I said we can do it together. Every problem has a solution. It’s all about how you look at it. If you think positively and assure yourself that you can find a solution, then you can."
Stitched into Ocean Purpose Project
"It wasn’t easy for her to switch industries, especially such a complex one which many people struggle to understand"
Today she can commandeer conversations with engineers and PhDs at international conferences; give media interviews in multiple languages, decipher complex contracts and unpack project timelines and project financing. Her intuition is legendary – from sussing out questionable agendas to bringing joy and motivation to a team. As a daughter I am proud to see her flexing those corporate muscles.
For so long, she was not a part of my life’s adventures, and now she’s an integral part of them. I love that we can go shopping and have brunch but also work as a team at UN conferences. People often find our mother-daughter conversations bizarre – her wealth of current affairs knowledge and detailed information of every power station and train line is riveting.
"So much of ‘Madam Margaret’ is stitched into OPP – not just the SOPs she’s stuck on the wall, the exercise warm ups she leads at the beach clean-ups, the lovingly-tended herb garden or the global leaders who are enthralled by her beauty and brains. I'm so happy to have built this dream together with her."
Image courtesy of Ocean Purpose Project
Why I do what I do
3 Forces To Build Strong Teams
- Trust
"Human beings are complex and building trust takes time. But everything we do in life is about trust, whether it is trust in others or in ourselves. To win trust, you must give trust. I have built a career based on integrity and trust — it is a priceless quality that is rare. Once you have it, nothing is impossible."
- Relationship
"I had been told that I was too ‘soft’ in my HR role of managing a multinational staff of more than 100, many of them experts in their field. So I got to know them as individuals just like me, dealing with work, family, health, financial issues and more. These relationships helped us understand each other at a deeper level, and helped me to better manage them, which translated into tangible results at our high-risk workplace environment. Many of them are still friends today."
- Team Spirit
"Even though I worked in an MNC under five different bosses, the approach was always one of sharing knowledge as peers, learning from each other and from others. No one knows everything about everything. I believe in constantly learning and taking the challenge to find answers – hard to do at 70 but all the more rewarding when we work as a team."
The impact of Ocean Purpose Project so far
