Mr Teo Eng Dih was preparing himself for his job at International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore) long before he officially began working there.
Mr Teo, a FIREFLY scholar who studies at London’s Imperial College in 2003, currently has two portfolios at the organisation formerly known as the Trade Development Board, a practice that is not uncommon at the statutory board. He is an assistant manager for North Asia and the Pacific in the international operations group, and an account manager in the corporate group.
"We help local companies grow and internationalise successfully," said the 28-year-old chemical engineering graduate. International exposure is practically a prerequisite for IE Singapore officers. "My line of work calls for it. It is difficult to give advice and direction on a city if you have not been there yourself," he added.
With this in mind, Mr Teo, who always had a keen interest in science, chose Imperial College’s four-year chemical engineering course, which led directly to a master’s degree. It promised students a year abroad, which Mr Teo spent at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States.
In between semesters, he accumulated thousands of frequent flyer miles jetting all over the globe for summer school and holidays. In 2001, it was an eight-week stint at IE Singapore’s New York office; in the summer of 2002, Mr Teo sat in on economics and political science classes at the Shanghai Foreign Studies University. He later did his three-month industrial attachment---a course requirement---with Shell Global Solutions in Amsterdam.
Mr Teo even made the best of the sliver of time he had between his final examinations and his first day at work: In 2003, he took off to Tokyo’s International Christian University to brush up on his Japanese, a language he first picked up in secondary school. He even found the energy to tour four countries in South America.
Between 1999 and 2003, he came back to Singapore only twice: Once to fulfil internship commitments to IE Singapore in 2000, and the other while on a stopover between Tokyo and Amsterdam in 2002.
While deepening his understanding and appreciation for foreign cultures, all that travelling has stood Mr Teo in good stead in almost three years at IE Singapore.
"Having an international education helps put into perspective what we do," he said.
In his capacity as account manager in the international trading division, Mr Teo attends to about 20 accounts at a time, helping Singapore-based chemicals and energy outfits source for overseas partners, advising on local legislation and trade information, or giving them a hand with finding an office space or hiring the right employees. "Basically, we shorten the learning curve for clients," he explained.
As assistant manager in the international operations group, Mr Teo’s key role is to assist companies looking to expand to Japan. This is where his interest in all things Japanese has come in handy.
"Everything about this job is challenging," said Mr Teo. "This is what drives me every day."
Apart from being able to apply the hard knowledge he acquired as an engineer, Mr Teo is also building on his other skills.
"In this job, you really get to understand relationships, and how to build them," he pointed out.
"I like being able to help companies identify their problems, advise them, then to get feedback on how I have changed the way they work and think," he said.
In the remainder of Mr Teo’s six-year bond, the world is his proverbial oyster, and he hopes to collect a few more stamps in his passport. He could be sent to the private sector, another division within IE Singapore, or another statutory board. Personally, he sets his sights set on running one of IE Singapore’s overseas centres.
"Right now, I have the opportunity to examine issues from a company level, right up to policy level," he said. "Next, I want to drive change for companies on a larger scale."