Jebsen Group’s 40-Year Long Service Award recipient, Ms Irene Ho
Irene has been with Jebsen for 40 years and serves as Assistant to the Managing Director of Jebsen Consumer. As she made her way to receive her 40-Year Long Service Award, the hall broke out in cheers and applause as colleagues chanted her name in support.
From “A Year or Two” to 40
Irene is the sixth child in her family. Since she was young, she loved relating with others and later, as an adult, decided to pursue a career in Public Relations. Before joining Jebsen, Irene worked at an advertising agency. Though her stint was short, she gained much appreciation and built many friendships due to her positive communication skills and kind personality.
When she left, her then-manager said, “Come back after getting a year or two of exposure. We welcome you back any time.”
With that, in September 1982, Irene joined Jebsen Group as a Junior Secretary for the Agfa team in the Photo, Science, and Optical Division. She admitted that she initially had reservations because Jebsen was a large corporation. But after stepping into the company and her role, Irene felt completely at ease.
Her previous manager’s words now take on special meaning as she looks back on four meaningful decades with Jebsen.
From Junior Secretary to Managing Director’s Assistant
With a smile, Irene admits that she knew close to nothing when she started at Jebsen but she did know, rather intuitively, that maintaining good interpersonal relationships would be essential in a large organisation. This was especially true because her position as a secretary would require her to interact with people of different personalities, mannerisms, and communication styles.
Irene said she had benefitted from the diverse interactions and was fortunate to have met many great colleagues and managers in Jebsen.
Work is like sailing; if you don’t progress, you will fall behind. In Jebsen, there are many learning opportunities in addition to the harmonious working atmosphere, which allowed me to keep improving.
Indeed, Irene is known for being a fast and keen learner. Throughout her career, she has witnessed many developments brought about by technological revolutions, and she was able to adapt and embrace change each time. Most recently, the Group has fully implemented a digital-first approach for many work processes, and this, to Irene, is another open opportunity for learning and upskilling.
In terms of career trajectory, Irene worked as a department Junior Secretary for a while before she was promoted to Secretary and then Senior Secretary over the years. With her continued performance, she was later appointed as Assistant to the Managing Director of Jebsen Consumer. With the progression, Irene was very encouraged because it signalled recognition to her, even though she does miss her early days as a department Secretary and the excitement of being part of a big team.
From the Unremarkable to the Remarkable
Irene remained modest throughout the entire interview, remarking that she led an ordinary work life at Jebsen over the past 40 years. Then again, who doesn’t?
As mentioned, Irene is the sixth child in her family. Although she comes from a large and traditional family, she embraces the DINK (double income, no kids) lifestyle:
My husband and I yearn for a life in a world of two. We love travelling and enjoying freedom with each other’s company.
Of course, health and happiness matter but that doesn’t mean ‘lying flat’ or slacking off. Life is only meaningful when we have goals to pursue. At the end of the day, if you have done your best when it comes to work, family, and friends, that’s enough.
With the Group’s unveiling of Vision 2025 comes a renewed drive to create Jebsen 2.0, envisioned as a young and dynamic conglomerate. To do so, we will need to harness the vigour and vitality of our 128-year-old organisation and veteran employees like Irene who have been part of our journey for 40 years and more.
We wish Irene a smooth-sailing career as she co-creates even greater success with Jebsen!