SINGAPORE: When Temasek CEO Dilhan Pillay agreed to join the business, he was meant to have a four-month split between jobs.
His next day as the managing partner of the local laws strong WongPartnership was on August 31, 2010. In January of that year, he was expected to begin working for the state-owned purchase firm.
However, a crisis was unfolding in Europe and then-CEO Ho Ching requested he send his launch date forward.
At the time, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain were struggling in the aftereffects of the 2008 global financial crisis. European leaders approved a €750 billion ( US$ 837 billion ) stabilisation package to support these economies.
Mdm Ho informed Mr. Pillay that there was a lot to be done at Temasek. He consented to work beginning on October 18.
” And finally, she told me later on it’s also becoming more serious, but Sep 1″, he said. ” I left ( on ) Aug 31 and started Sep 1. What a baptism of fire”.
He was the co-head of the Singapore company from where he began to learn, according to an exclusive in-depth interview with CNA as part of the Temasek Explained line.
” But if you are willing to learn new things, start your mind, acknowledge that you may never know everything, and rely on others who know more than you- yet your subordinates- Temasek is an amazing learning journey”, he said.
Mr Pillay , has now been with the business for 14 times.
After Mdm Ho spent three years convincing him to operate for Temasek, that was not what he anticipated when he joined the company.
” I thought I was temporarily giving up the law, because I did n’t intend to stay in Temasek for long”, he said.
Otherwise, he transitioned from his previous position at Temasek Holdings, including taking over the Americas and Europe offices.
Running a local business represented a significant opportunity and a good way to develop skills, according to Mr. Pillay.
Small but crucial knowledge, or people knowledge, that you might not be able to acquire usually in a position like Temasek in Singapore, he said.
He discovered that running a local office involved several things, including meeting people to negotiate the best deals.  ,
Because you have your feet on the ground in the market, he said, “your knowledge solutions are different from what you have in Singapore.”
In the funding world, data flow is very important, he added. ” One wise told me awareness is great, know-how is better, know-who is best”.