Koh Yan Ping | Women of Power 2023

Prior to joining SCWO, Koh Yan Ping was the deputy director of the Women and Family unit (WAF) at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) – the labour movement’s initiative to support working women in Singapore through advocacy and programmes. She was concurrently deputy director at the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute, an established centre for labour education and training. 

At WAF, Yan Ping spearheaded women-centric career programmes, mentorship, and advocacy campaigns to improve workplace practices. She also established strong partnerships with government, employers, unions and community organisations to champion key policies that impact women and family. She was also active in WAF’s involvement in national-level initiatives, including the Citizens’ Panel on Work-Life Harmony in 2019, as well as the Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development in 2020. 

Now, as CEO of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisation (SCWO), she leads it to fulfil its vision and mission of achieving Equal Space, Equal Voice and Equal Worth for women. The national coordinating body of women’s organisations in Singapore since 1980, SCWO comprises over 60 member organisations representing more than 600,000 women. Yan Ping’s role also includes formulating and implementing strategic plans that unite these member organisations via collaborations and engagements to reduce and eliminate gender inequalities. 

A full-time working mum of three, Yan Ping is passionate about encouraging women who find it challenging to manage a career and family. She adds: “I’ve seen many of my peers giving up on their careers or switching to jobs that were less demanding to focus on family. I have deep respect for them in making the sacrifice, however, I hope that we can one day get rid of the term “motherhood penalty” and women no longer have to bear the bulk of caregiving.” 

Yan Ping strongly believes that women could have equal opportunities to excel in their careers if employers provided them support and understanding. “Such workplace culture makes all the difference in encouraging women, who juggle both work and family, to continue pursuing their professional goals. This is something we advocate for all workplaces, as well as within SCWO because of our commitment to building a society where younger generations of girls and women can thrive,” elaborates Yan Ping. 

She goes on to explain that beyond gender equality at the workplace, SCWO also champions a wide range of other initiatives to further women’s development. These are aimed at supporting women in distress, empowering them for leadership and educating the young to rethink gender stereotypes that have been passed down from previous generations. 

Among the many recommendations that were made by SCWO, some of the recent legislation and policy changes have been a result of the government actively engaging and seeking input from SCWO. These include the Workplace Fairness Act and most recently, the Family Violence (Amendment) Bill, where legislation has been strengthened to better protect survivors of family violence, as well as enhance the rehabilitation and accountability of perpetrators. “Along with my team, I look forward to continuing my work with SCWO to create greater positive impact through the people that we meet, while championing key policies impacting women and their families,” Yan Ping says. 

There’s no denying that working to unite the voice and efforts, and improve the status of women in Singapore is difficult and challenging, but Yan Ping knows that her efforts will inspire, encourage and motivate women and young girls. “That keeps me going. I hope I’ll succeed in breaking some of the gender stereotypes, at least for my daughter and two sons, by exposing them to the work I do and through my own personal career journey. Change can be a hard thing to accomplish, but you have to remember that it’s a process that requires little steps over a period of time. Don’t be discouraged if your efforts aren’t making visible impact at first, you’re building the foundation for greater progress to come!” she concludes.

Yan Ping wears the Hublot Square Bang Unico Titanium Jewellery 42mm

Art direction: Audrey Chan; Photography: Joel Low; Hair: Aung Apichai; Make-up: Sophia Chia; Photography assistance: Eddie Teo