Wong Sze Keed builds people‑first culture at AIA

‘Leadership must be anchored in clarity, courage and humanity.’

For Wong Sze Keed, becoming CEO at AIA Singapore Pvt. Ltd. at the height of the COVID‑19 pandemic was less a career milestone than a defining leadership test.

Stepping into the role in 2020, she was forced to make high‑stakes decisions under extreme uncertainty, balancing business continuity with the responsibility to protect employees, advisers and customers facing one of the most disruptive periods in recent history.

“These moments cemented my conviction that leadership at AIA must be anchored in clarity, courage and humanity—values that ensure we prioritise our people and customers above all,” Wong said in an emailed reply to questions.

Today, those principles shape how AIA Singapore builds its leadership pipeline, embeds equity into promotion decisions, and links diversity directly to business performance.

Under her leadership, women now hold 40% of senior leadership roles at AIA Singapore—double the industry norm. Wong credits this not to chance, but to deliberate design: measurable promotion criteria, bias‑aware evaluation, visible leadership pathways and senior advocacy.

For Wong, inclusive leadership is not a social initiative. It is a strategic discipline—one that strengthens decision‑making, sharpens risk management, and builds resilience in a people‑driven business.

The rest of the interview follows.

How has AIA made promotions to leadership roles more equitable?
"I’m a firm believer that equity cannot be left to chance; it must be engineered into the system. At AIA Singapore, we’ve deliberately and proactively focused on diverse, unbiased hiring and promotion practices, not just for women but for all emerging talent.

We recognised that more intentional efforts were needed to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion.principles into every stage of our talent development pipeline, starting at the very first step.

To do this, we re-evaluated our promotion assessment criteria to ensure they focused on measurable performance and leadership behaviours rather than subjective perceptions of readiness. We complemented this with unconscious bias training for hiring managers to ensure fairer evaluation. This ensures that potential is recognised and rewarded based on capability, not stereotypes or unconscious biases.

Through the Executive Committee mentorship programme, we nurture high-potential individuals—including women—and help them gain exposure to senior leadership conversations and strategic decision-making early in their careers."

How does leadership diversity translate to better business performance?
"At AIA Singapore, we are proud to have built one of the most gender-balanced leadership teams in the industry, with women holding 40% of senior leadership positions in an industry where women typically represent around 20% of C-suite roles.

This diversity of perspectives has translated into stronger customer empathy, more balanced decision-making, and sharper risk assessment—fundamental advantages in a people-first industry like insurance.

In my experience, a diverse leadership team improves financial performance not simply because of “better ideas,” but because of better decisions.

When leaders don’t all think alike, they are forced to assess risks and decisions from multiple perspectives and challenge assumptions early in the decision-making process, reducing strategic blind spots and avoiding expensive course corrections.

Diverse teams are also more likely to anticipate shifts in consumer needs, adapt to changing markets, and innovate boldly, helping their companies to gain a competitive edge."

How do you make flexible work viable for senior women leaders?
"As organisations navigate return-to-office expectations, we’ve been very intentional about protecting flexibility as part of our culture. Inclusive workplace policies such as flexible work arrangements enable women to balance multiple responsibilities without compromising their career growth.

Women can thrive in both their professional and personal lives, and at AIA Singapore, we are committed to creating an environment where they have the opportunity to do both. At AIA, “Believe in Better” is not just a programme; it is a core part of our culture. Through this initiative, we offer a comprehensive range of benefits designed to support our employees’ well-being, including wellness days, free counselling sessions, mental health insurance, wellness webinars, and flexi-cash to help offset wellness-related expenses.

As a unique feature of this initiative, we have introduced “Believe in Better Days,” giving employees the afternoon off on the second Friday of every month to focus on their personal well-being and enjoy quality time with their families.

To truly thrive at work, employees need more than just the right tools and skills—they need to feel supported both mentally and physically. By embedding inclusive policies and holistic wellness into our culture, we create an environment where people can bring their best selves to work. When leaders—women and men—feel supported in the workplace, they are more likely to stay, grow, and create meaningful impact. To me, these inclusive policies are about far more than retention; it is a strategic investment in building resilient leadership for the long term."

If you could change one industry norm overnight to accelerate gender equality, what would it be?
"I believe passion and talent should be the only prerequisites for leadership. One of the most persistent challenges female leaders face in the workplace is navigating unconscious bias. Unconscious bias still shapes how leadership behaviours are interpreted. Assertiveness, ambition, and confidence are often seen as “leadership potential” in men, but judged more harshly in women. These unconscious biases can overshadow real capabilities, limiting opportunities for talented and deserving individuals.

What career decision did you make that ultimately shaped your growth as a leader?
"A defining moment of my career was when I stepped into the role of CEO of AIA Singapore in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. In many ways, beginning my CEO journey under those circumstances was the best thing that could have happened to me professionally.

Throughout this challenging period, I leaned on AIA’s essentials of clarity, courage, and humanity to guide every decision, ensuring our values remained at the forefront as we navigated uncertainty. In this period of profound uncertainty, every decision demanded careful consideration. It wasn’t just about business continuity or financial performance; it was also about protecting livelihoods and supporting employees who were working remotely for the first time, guiding our AIA consultants who were on the frontlines serving customers, and ensuring policyholders felt secure during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives.

These moments cemented my conviction that leadership at AIA must be anchored in clarity, courage, and humanity—values that ensure we prioritise our people and customers above all. This experience was a true baptism of fire that tested not only my leadership capabilities, but what I valued most as a leader. Leading through this tumultuous time forced me to find clarity and cement, from day one, the leadership standard I would hold myself to: people must always come first."