We were super excited to connect with our dear friend, Lynette Pathy, who's straddled a career in both Marketing and HR. Check out how our quick chat with Lynette went down.
Please tell us your name and where you live!
Hi! I'm Lynette Pathy and I live in Singapore.
What's your current role and where do you work?
I'm currently the Lead of Organisation and People Development at foodpanda APAC.
Could you tell us a little bit about your work and career?
I'm a data-driven marketing and human resource professional with a strong passion for employee engagement and culture building in the workplace. Currently, I'm the Lead of Organisation and People Development at foodpanda, and focused on driving workplace initiatives to ensure employee wellbeing. As a strong believer of the strength of a diverse workforce, I also run inclusion and diversity programmes across the organisation.
Before foodpanda, I worked at LinkedIn, supporting the Talent Solutions business across Southeast Asia, before diving into the fast-paced tech startup world, helping to support and drive new business growth through data-driven campaigns and storytelling.
Could you describe an average day for you at work?
As an early riser, my day starts at about 8 or 8.30am. I find the mornings are the best time for me to do work that requires more brain power so I try and tick the bigger things off my checklist early. The afternoons are usually filled with meetings or other ongoing projects. Towards the end of the workday is when I try and get to those admin tasks (that I sometimes procrastinate on!).
What are you most excited about at your current job?
I'm excited about all the work we're currently doing to ensure employee engagement and wellbeing, through new and innovative ideas and partnerships. What thrills me the most is when I see the efforts that we've worked hard on, turned into real, tangible results with strong impact!
What would you say is your biggest challenge at work?
At foodpanda, one of our biggest challenges has been navigating our rapid growth in this new normal. While that is a really good problem to have, it of course comes with its own set of challenges, especially with ensuring that we can maintain our culture even with new hires joining virtually.On the personal front, the challenge sometimes has been getting over "imposter syndrome"! I spent over a decade in marketing, before moving into the HR world in 2019. While it has been one of the most enriching experiences, I do find myself questioning if I'm "good enough" from time-to-time, since I don't have some of the experiences that others in the team do. Luckily for me, I have an amazing manager and teams that have been incredibly supportive and generous with their time and guidance!What's the best career advice you've received and would you give the same advice to others? If not, what advice would you give instead?
The best advice I have received is to always say YES even if I'm unsure about doing something or scared to attempt it. This advice has always remained with me, and something I still try to apply to all areas of my life, even if I'm absolutely terrified. Because of this, I have had the chance to try so many things that I would have never even attempted before, and it's definitely something I would highly encourage others to do.Another piece of advice I received when I was torn between accepting the opportunity to move into my current role in HR or to continue my marketing journey, is to not look at it as 'switching' careers with the mindset of starting from scratch, but ADDING careers and new skills to my current resume. This really helped me gain the confidence to jump headfirst into something completely different, and I would absolutely share this with anyone in a similar situation.Ok, to wrap things up on a fun note, what are some of your latest obsessions?
Recently, I have been obsessed with painting and handiwork, whether it's fun new art projects for my walls at home, or lacquering my furniture. While it's not directly career related, it has proven to be a great stress-reliever!
Lynette, your work and life seem to be in great balance, from supporting employee well-being at work to tending to your personal well-being during off work hours! And we whole-heartedly agree with you about being positive, to challenge oneself with the unknowns, by saying YES even when you're afraid. Thanks for sharing your story!
Connect with Lynette on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynetteagnes/=======================================================================
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