“I’m really happy that I started my career with Synpulse. On top of learning about the various topics and training up my soft skills, I think the most valuable takeaway from Synpulse for me is the professionalism.” Find out what Yibo Dai has been up to and how her time at Synpulse has shaped her.
Yibo Dai started her career in Singapore back in 2016, and after almost three years a Consultant, she found herself in Hong Kong, navigating unfamiliar waters of a new career path in a new city. She credits her time at Synpulse for teaching her the importance of professionalism, which continues to serve her well in her current role in the Advisory and Sales Management team of a global private bank.
Yibo speaks with us about what she’s been up to and how her time at Synpulse has shaped her.
What have you been up to since you left Synpulse in 2019?
After almost three years as a Consultant, I left Synpulse and made the decision to move from Singapore to Hong Kong in March 2019.
Currently, I’m in charge of the roll-out of advisory-related projects in HSBC Global Private Banking in Asia. The team has two main deliverables: one is to design and launch a two-tiered advisory mandates, and the other one is to work with BlackRock to launch a new risk engine and a proposal-building tool. I also work on ad-hoc projects such as client segmentation exercises, client service model transformation, and very recently the Wealth Model Transformation with the objective to define a new HNW proposition with new wealth products and investment service offerings.
And do you miss most about Synpulse?
The people, for sure. I do miss the people a lot.
The generally young crowd at Synpulse (including all management levels), the self-driven individuals with very similar mindsets and ways of thinking, the very capable team that supports each other during projects, and the fun we’ve had together are all aspects that I miss about Synpulse. It is the people that we work and connect with that makes all the long hours really fun and memorable.
The flat hierarchy at Synpulse is also something that I appreciate a lot – even more so now. Having members of the management team such as the Partners and Associate Partners sitting next to us in the office, either answering work-related questions or having a chit-chat is kind of heart-warming to me.
What are some of your favourite memories of Synpulse then?
The most memorable – although not necessarily the most fun or favourite – experience I had happened late at night one Friday. I’d only joined Synpulse for three weeks, and now-Managing Partner and CEO Yves Roesti spent his Friday night training me on my PowerPoint skills at our client’s pantry, from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
How has your Synpulse career impacted you?
Honestly, I’m really happy that I started my career with Synpulse. On top of learning about the various topics and training up my soft skills, I think the most valuable takeaway from Synpulse for me is the professionalism – the proactiveness and always going the extra mile even though your clients or colleagues are not expecting the deliverable. It sounds cliché, but I believe it’s very important. It’s thanks to Synpulse (and Yves) that during my annual reviews, my current boss always tells me that I “work like a machine”, although I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.
I’m also grateful and lucky that through my time at Synpulse, I’ve built a group of great friends in both Singapore and Hong Kong.
What made you move from consulting to client side?
At that point, I felt it was time for me to experience the other side of the story by joining a bank. I wanted to become more specialised in one topic and train myself to navigate across the hierarchies, and in some ways, politics of a multinational bank – I guess that’s a necessary evil that we all have to experience at a certain point.
Outside of work, what else have you been up to?
I’ve been getting better at wakesurfing, and I’ve been learning surfing too. I’ve also adopted a cat which has been keeping me very busy, and I’ve started a podcast with my friend.
How has the COVID-19 lockdown been for you?
As much as I miss traveling and visiting home without having to quarantine, I actually enjoy my solitude quite a lot. I’ve since moved to a nicer apartment, cooked at home much more often – which was something I’ve always wanted to do but never had the time to, and developed a workout routine. I’ve actually become fitter than before COVID. And with all the restrictions, I’ve replaced my drinking time with reading and studying. My Mom would be proud.