To celebrate International Women’s Day 2026, Pacific International is amplifying the voices of female leaders who embody this year’s theme, “Give To Gain,” throughout March. These leaders champion inclusive leadership not only through their own success but through the intentional support they provide to others.
We continue the series with a conversation between Margaret Jaouadi and Bee Suan Aw, Executive Leader and General Manager, Asia Pacific, at Xylem and the Asia Pacific sponsor of the Xylem Women’s Network. In this discussion, Margaret explores Bee’s career journey, the role mentoring, coaching, and sponsorship have played in shaping it, and how she now gives back by developing talent, advocating for women, and using her influence to create opportunities for the next generation of leaders.
Huge thanks to Sabrina Freude, Client Partner at Pacific International, for introducing Bee to Margaret Jaouadi.
Margaret Jaouadi
Looking back on your career, what role did mentoring, coaching or sponsorship play in your progression? And can you provide an example of its impact?
Bee Suan Aw
When I reflect on my career, from my early days as a young professional to where I am now, I realize how fortunate I have been to have strong mentors and sponsors along the way. But the sponsorship I received and lessons I learned from an exceptional sponsor continue to shape who I am today, both as a person and a people leader.
Around 2000, as China was opening up, many foreign companies invested in building plants. I took up an overseas assignment and worked for a German company. Although I reported to the Vice President of Sales and Marketing during that time, I had the privilege of working closely with the business president in China, Mr Volker Raschert. He was a coach, mentor and sponsor rolled into one, and I learned some of my earliest and most important leadership lessons from him.
Although his official title was President, Mr Rashert carried a business card that read “General Manager.” He used the latter card most of the time. He was always at the gemba, speaking to partners and customers, engaging employees and constantly looking for ways to improve the business.
I once asked him why he did not use his title of President. He told me, Bee, the company does not need a president right now. It needs a general manager. I want people to know I am operationally involved, not just overseeing from above. That stayed with me. He showed me that leadership is about the value you add and the purpose you serve, not the title you hold.
My first experience of his leadership was actually one of empathy. I had to delay my start date because of a family bereavement. He gave me the time and space I needed without hesitation. That small act left a deep impression on me.
As a sponsor, he trusted me with significant responsibility at a young age. I was appointed Head of Marketing, leading a large and strategic function, despite having little experience at that level. He believed in potential, drive, motivation and learning agility. From him, I learned that you do not have to wait until someone is 95% ready. If a person is 70-75% ready and has the right traits, give them the opportunity and support them as they grow into the role.
One of the first objectives he gave me was to identify and develop a successor. About two and a half years into the role, I asked to transfer his executive secretary to my team because I believed she had the potential and ability to become Head of Marketing. She trained with me for over a year, and later succeeded me when I returned to Singapore. As Mr Rashert has placed his trust in me, I have learnt to place my trust in others.
That experience shaped my leadership philosophy. I learned to look beyond technical capability and focus on character, resilience and growth potential. I also learned the importance of actively creating opportunities for others, not just waiting for them to be ready on paper.
China remains the most formative experience of my professional life. It was where I built the confidence to scale up in my career. More importantly, it taught me that great leadership is not about hierarchy or stereotypes. It is about empathy, courage, humility, developing others and earning respect through the value you deliver.
Margaret Jaouadi
In your current role, which initiatives have you implemented that have proven most effective in developing female talent and creating opportunities for them?
Bee Suan Aw
I currently sit on the Xylem Women’s Network and serve as the Asia Pacific sponsor. In that capacity, I look beyond my own business segment and across all functions in Xylem to identify and support female talent. On the formal side, we focus on engagement, creating visibility, and connecting women with senior leaders. We discuss how they can contribute to the company’s growth and how we can support their development.
Equally important to me is the informal side of talent development. I have always believed in engaging people in a natural setting. That might mean a casual breakfast or a short, unplanned conversation to understand their aspirations and motivations. When someone is invited to present to a senior leader, they are highly prepared and often say what they think the leader wants to hear. In informal conversations, you see their authentic self. That is often where you truly identify potential.
I make it a point to regularly check in with individuals in a simple way, asking how they are doing and whether they would like to try something new. This approach allows me to assess talent in a more genuine context and understand what drives them.
Another very effective initiative is how I structure cross-functional projects. Each year, I sponsor several strategic projects that support the company’s growth. These projects are intentionally designed to include diverse team members from different functions and levels of seniority. I ensure there is strong diversity in team leadership, including opportunities for women and younger leaders to lead teams that may include more senior colleagues.
In these projects, leadership is not about title or rank. It is about bringing people together, aligning different perspectives, and delivering outcomes. Because the expertise comes from multiple functions, no one person can claim ownership based on hierarchy. This approach creates a level playing field where emerging leaders can step up.
The projects typically run for about a year. During that time, team leads engage with me, the sponsor, to provide updates and seek guidance. They encounter real challenges, from managing conflicting priorities to navigating people dynamics across functions. When they come to me for advice, it becomes a coaching moment. Over time, I see their confidence grow significantly.
What makes this powerful is that it gives individuals, especially women who may still be individual contributors in their formal roles, a safe environment to experience team and people management. They learn what it means to align diverse stakeholders, manage differing goals, and lead toward a structured, outcome-focused objective. It gives them a realistic view of leadership before they formally step into a people manager role.
For me, developing female talent is about visibility, access, and practical leadership exposure. When you combine formal sponsorship, informal engagement, and real stretch opportunities, you create meaningful pathways for women to grow into senior leadership.
Margaret Jaouadi
The International Women’s Day theme this year is Give to Gain. From your perspective, how has investing time, influence and advocacy in other women shaped your leadership and the impact you have been able to make?
Bee Suan Aw
I will go back to the example I shared earlier about B, who succeeded me in China. If you look her up today, she is now a very senior leader at one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations. We have stayed in touch for more than 20 years. Seeing her career trajectory is very gratifying. It reminds me that sponsorship is not just about filling a role at a point in time. It can change the course of someone’s career and life.
There is also another dimension to Give to Gain. By developing B as my successor, I was able to pursue a new opportunity within the company. When you invest in people and prepare them to step up, you create mobility not only for them but also for yourself and others. If we do not build successors or actively sponsor talent, we limit our own growth.
I have also seen how our decisions as leaders influence others more than we realize. At one point, I was approached for a role that was not financially driven but aligned more strongly with my personal purpose and motivation. It required a significant career decision, and I chose to take it.
Later, a senior consultant I knew told me she had been watching my decision closely. She said that, even at her level, she still felt vulnerable when making major career changes and needed reassurance that she could choose differently. When she saw me make that move, she found the courage to do the same. She transitioned from consulting into an in-house role, enjoyed it for several years, and later made another bold life decision to relocate overseas.
We are still in contact, and she has told me that moment gave her the confidence to act. That reinforced something important for me. Leadership is not only about formal mentoring or structured programmes. It is also about modelling choices, being open about trade-offs, and showing that it is acceptable to pursue purpose, not just position or pay.
Investing time, influence and advocacy in other women has made me more intentional as a leader. It has made me more aware that small acts, a stretch opportunity, a conversation, a visible decision can have a long-term impact. When we give opportunities, encouragement and belief, we do gain. We gain stronger teams, greater mobility, and the satisfaction of seeing others grow beyond what they thought was possible.
Margaret Jaouadi
What do you believe women leaders need most today from mentors, sponsors and allies? And how can leaders give that support in meaningful, practical ways?
Bee Suan Aw
One reality I have observed is that many women only put their hands up when they feel 80 or 90% ready. In contrast, men are often willing to step forward when they feel 30% ready. That difference in self-assurance is shaped by culture, upbringing, and social expectations.
As sponsors and allies, we need to encourage women to be bolder in pursuing their career objectives. Suppose someone is 50-60% ready and has the passion and drive; that is often enough. There is nothing wrong with saying, I am very interested in this opportunity. I may not be fully ready, but with support and space to learn, I will make it work. I genuinely appreciate when someone is honest about the gaps and asks for coaching. That shows self-awareness and commitment.
Sponsors must also recognize that men and women often face different external pressures. In many parts of Asia, in particular, caregiving responsibilities still fall largely on women, whether for children or ageing parents. We cannot ignore that reality.
For me, meaningful support includes flexibility. I tell my team that work-life balance is not about fixed hours. It is about outcomes. Suppose someone needs to start later because of family responsibilities or step out during the day to care for a loved one; that can be accommodated. The performance expectation and accountability remain the same for everyone, regardless of gender. What can be adjusted is the path to achieving that outcome.
I once had a situation where a team member considered leaving her role because a close family member had cancer. My response was simple. Why does she need to resign if what she needs is temporary flexibility during a difficult period? If she needs time to attend medical appointments in the afternoon, we can support that. It is a season in her life, not a permanent state.
Practical support means normalizing stretch opportunities before someone feels fully ready, being explicit about your belief in their potential, and designing work environments that measure performance by results rather than rigid structures. When leaders do that consistently, women feel both challenged and supported, which is exactly what helps them step into larger roles.
Margaret Jaouadi
What are your thoughts on communicating that? I often feel companies avoid making these kinds of decisions because they do not want to set a precedent that others might exploit.
Bee Suan Aw
I think this is where empathy has to be clearly understood and intentionally practised. There is a difference between compassion and empathy. Compassion can mean feeling sorry for someone’s situation but not taking action. Empathy means understanding their reality and being willing to respond meaningfully.
I have had situations where HR was concerned about setting a precedent. For example, one of my top performers has a child with special needs. As the child grew older, the caregiving demands changed. He came to me and said he needed time during the day to take his child to the special school, bring him home, and then continue working from home.
HR was hesitant and felt we should not allow it. My response was to ask a simple question. Do you think he wants to be in this position? Do you think anyone would choose to ask for special arrangements unless they truly needed them?
When we shift the conversation from policy to perspective, the tone changes. If someone is asking for flexibility due to a genuine need, it is about responding with empathy while maintaining accountability.
For me, flexibility must always come with clear expectations. The performance standard does not change. What changes is how we enable the person to deliver those outcomes during a challenging season of life.
Leaders need to communicate that flexibility is not a free pass. It is a structured agreement based on trust, transparency and results. When you frame it this way, it becomes less about setting a risky precedent and more about making thoughtful, case-by-case decisions that retain high-performing talent and demonstrate responsible leadership.
Margaret Jaouadi
For women who may feel they are not senior enough or too busy to mentor others, what would you say about the power of support even early in their careers?
Bee Suan Aw
I always challenge the idea that being too busy means you can’t support someone. Supporting, coaching and mentoring are not optional extras. They are part of being a leader, a team member and a contributor to the wider organization.
Mentorship does not always require formal structures or scheduled sessions. With the right mindset, opportunities to support others appear every day. There is always someone who needs encouragement, clarity or direction. It can be as simple as noticing a change in behaviour and asking if everything is alright.
If you truly understand your team, you can sense when something is off, even if the person is still performing. A quick conversation, a genuine check-in, can make a significant difference. That does not require an hour-long meeting. It requires awareness and intention.
I also believe that when you consistently support others, you build a stronger, higher-performing team. In the long run, that actually makes you less busy, not more.
Sponsorship, coaching and mentoring do not have to be formal titles. They can be part of your everyday leadership style.
Even if you are an individual contributor, you can mentor others. In fact, I often tell people that a sole contributor can be an excellent mentor to a team leader because they see the organization from a different perspective. Support is not about hierarchy. It is about willingness.
You do not need to be senior to make an impact. You need to be attentive, generous with your experience, and intentional about lifting others as you grow.
Margaret Jaouadi
Before we close, is there anything you would like to add?
Bee Suan Aw
You can probably tell that I am deeply passionate about growing leaders, especially female leaders. In the Asian context, we still see fewer women in senior roles, and societal and cultural expectations can limit aspirations.
I want women to know that many of us have faced those same barriers. We have all navigated doubt, expectation, and trade-offs. They are not alone.
I also believe we need more men actively involved in this conversation. Every man has a mother, a sister, a wife, or a daughter. If we frame the discussion that way and ask, “Would you see this differently if it were someone close to you?” it often shifts perspectives. When we bring men into the dialogue as allies and sponsors, progress accelerates.
This approach is not about a binary trade-off between men and women. It is about collective progress. When we support one another intentionally, the outcome is stronger than any individual effort. One plus one becomes more than two.
If we continue to champion one another, create opportunities, and challenge outdated assumptions, we will build a more inclusive and resilient leadership community for the next generation.
For a confidential chat about how Pacific International can assist you with your Strategic and C-suite hiring or Diversity challenges, please contact David Howells or one of our Heads of sector.