Detail

Back in his school days, Regional Managing Director for the specialty chemical company Croda Singapore, Marc Teo did not have an interest in Chemistry.

During his secondary school days, Marc readily admits that he was a carefree student with little interest in studying. In Secondary 4, his former Chemistry teacher even declared that he would never pass the subject.

It surprised even Marc himself when the ‘O’ level results came out and he had in fact, passed the said subject. His next step was to apply for a polytechnic as his results did not qualify him for the traditional junior college pathway.

He enrolled in Chemical Process Technology (CPT) at Singapore Polytechnic (SP) and fell in love with poly life. The freedom from a rigid school environment and the opportunity to meet people from different walks of life helped hone his soft skills.

“You get to know many people and learn from all these interactions, and I think I came out of it more streetwise.”

Climbing the Ladder of Success

Fresh out of school, Marc banked on his soft skills, personal brand of values, and thirst for learning to propel him up the ranks at work. He shares that “a diploma is just the entry ticket to the workforce, after getting in, it all comes down to what you can do and how you can add value to the business.”

The greatest test of Marc’s career came when he was posted to China for two years to help build a team and create a foothold in the Chinese market. Despite feeling like he was thrown into the deep end, he tried his best to overcome the challenge and eventually succeeded.

He still uses the invaluable lessons that came with undertaking new challenges and applies them to how he operates daily. The most important of these lessons he says is to stay hungry.

The hunger to take on new challenges without thinking about the reward and rather focusing on how he can adapt and stay resilient is what kept him rising above his competition and got him head-hunted by professionals.

Building Up the Future Workforce

As the Regional Managing Director of Croda, Marc feels that SP has done a great job building up the chemical industry’s future. SP has made sure that the lessons learnt in school are closely related to the job, with the current curriculum reflective of where the chemical industry is headed.

By anticipating industry trends and instilling a sense of solution-oriented thinking, SP alumni can go on to become leaders in the workplace.

As someone who has interviewed countless candidates, Marc suggests adopting a soft skills module into the current CPT curriculum to help students stand out from their competition. “Soft skills such as work ethic, attitude, adaptability, resilience, and the thirst to learn will help them weather any industry upheavals.”

He also acknowledges that the responsibility for preparing the future of the workforce does not only fall to the schools, but also to the companies that will be hiring them.

His Version of Success

Despite his industry going through intense changes and always having new challenges to face, he credits his unchanging values for his professional success these last three decades.

When asked what drives him to succeed, Marc shares that it’s simply being happy. “For me, having work satisfaction and getting recognition for a job well done is what makes me happy and feel successful.”

Speaking to future SP graduates, Marc explains that success can also depend on the type of mentors you meet along the way. Mentors help by exemplifying the career progression pathways and having someone to aspire to. Leveraging on a senior’s experience can be of great help to someone looking to rise up the ranks.

In the words of Marc Teo, let us stay hungry, embrace challenges, and find success in the pursuit of happiness and work satisfaction.

Mr Marc Teo
Regional MD (South Asia), Croda Singapore Pte Ltd
Diploma in Chemical Process Technology, 1988