The fifth and final Jabil Joules Regional Power Forum of 2018 was held in Penang and brought together employees across all local sites and Singapore, as well as China, to talk about empowering others and themselves through balancing work and family life, personal and professional growth. Alex Parimbelli, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Enterprise and Infrastructure, welcomed attendees to the South Asia event, setting the tone for an educational and empowering day: “Jabil is investing in Jabil Joules Power Forums taking place at our sites around the world, provoking thought and action; encouraging more women to take leadership positions; and supporting career development.” Alex also shared a personal story of his 19-year-old daughter and her views of work-life balance as she enters the next phase of her life. Alex’s coaching to his daughter was to position herself to have future opportunities and encouraged participants to do the same.
Patricia Lim, senior director of Business Management and leader of the Jabil Joules Regional Steering Committee in South Asia, continued to inspire by sharing her experience balancing career progression while also being a mother and wife. “Here’s a secret: I’m still learning. Each day brings a new set of challenges, and you never know how the day will end. But, it’s okay to ask for help – you aren’t alone.” She continued on how the balance of being a parent, spouse and growing in your career is something everyone faces – whether male or female, entry level or executive management – explaining how having a career and personal life is a partnership.
The event featured keynote speaker Boonsiri Somchit, author of When the Chicken Dies, Everyone Cries and chief operations officer and chief conceptualist of Xtrategize Technologies, who talked about her experience climbing the ranks in multiple finance and operations professions throughout her career and expressing how life is about paying it forward – as she now speaks at events around Asia regarding leadership skills and diversity and inclusion to help build up future diverse leaders. Beth Walters, Jabil senior vice president and founder of Jabil Joules, hosted a panel of industry and Jabil leaders, including Esther Ng, Jabil’s regional controller for South Asia; Jabil’s Patricia Lim; Dato Seri SH Wong, chief executive officer Malaysian Electronics Industry and former Intel executive; and Tony Ong, chief executive officer of Xtragegize Technologies. The panelists spoke about the importance of communication to create an open dialogue at home and at work about how a career is a partnership.
The final portion of the event gave employees an opportunity to speak with Jabil leadership, including: Beth Walters, Jackie Darling, senior director of Diversity & Inclusion; Joel Leong, director of Talent Management; Vivian Yao, vice president of Human Resources; Ying Guo, director of Business Management; and Zanariah Nordin, senior line manager (and 2018 STEP Ahead Nominee). Topics ranged from mentorships and networking to workplace diversity and unconscious biases.
Beth Walters spoke to the event’s enthusiasm: “These Regional Power Forums were not part of any of our full time jobs, and we really relied on the passion and dedication of our Joules around the world. This is an incredible event full of people ready to make positive change! I’m humbled to be with you all today and can feel the energy of the room, the energy to grow and learn from another. As we finish off this year strong, I ask that you all help us keep this passion and momentum going forward.”