Originally from Singapore, I trained as a Diagnostic Radiographer in London in 2000 and ended up relocating to Plymouth in 2005.

In the past 20 years, I have worked in private and public hospitals in Singapore and UK. My radiographic experience includes plain film, CT and DEXA before I joined Derriford Hospital in 2007. I joined Ultrasound department in 2010 as Trainee Sonographer. I enjoy working with the team and put myself forward for the Superintendent Sonographer position in 2017. I was privileged to be appointed into this challenging and rewarding role which has enabled me to give back to the service. As part of my personal development, I achieved certification as an Executive Coach this year.I am fortunate to have two countries that feel like home. Relocating between countries in my twenties felt like a brave adventure, although it meant I had to restart my career each time when my peers have progressed even further in theirs. Now, I am in my forties and like many people, I am sandwiched between young and aging family with the added challenge that family is spread out between countries. Whilst I do not know what the future will bring, I know it is the tapestry of life and I can take one step at a time.

Who or what has helped you the most?

There is a Chinese saying about gratitude, 饮水思源, which literally means to drink the water and think of its source. My family keeps me grounded and I am forever grateful to my parents who have given me the freedom to choose my own path.

At work, I am grateful to my colleagues who have shown me kindness, believed in me and shared their knowledge. Although some of them have retired or moved on, there are many others whom I continue to work closely with and learn from every day. I appreciate how each person, an expert and leader in their own way, takes the time to respond to my questions, explain a process or share their stories.

With this piece being about women leaders, I must be honest and admit that it can be hard to be in a leadership role and juggle family life with career. What has helped me is that I genuinely enjoy the job. Many aspects of the job are aligned with my own workplace strengths of strategic, achiever and maximiser; and my character strengths of creativity, fairness and honesty. I have also learnt about my own beliefs and values and the process of genuine deep reflection. This provides pause, perspective and acceptance. I choose to be kind, focus my energy on what is within control, let go of feelings which are not useful and accept that, like every person, I can make mistakes.

Finally, there is no leader without a team.  I am incredibly proud of the Ultrasound and Imaging teams, who all deserve a very special mention and thank you. I hope that you are all very proud of what you have achieved individually and what we have all achieved together.

What advice would you give to others about how to be an active ally?

I hope that colleagues and managers can be self-aware, understand other people’s perspectives and step back to see how we all fit into the larger picture.

Let us collaborate, establish a common goal and appreciate that diversity in opinion can help to balance our priorities. There is science that tells us compassion can be contagious. Let us be kind to ourselves and to each other. That would make a solid foundation to achieve great things.