International Women's Day: Union Energy’s Ellen Teo powers her way to top of energy field
As a female leader in the male-dominated field of liquefied petroleum gas, Ms Ellen Teo feels fortunate to have never been at a disadvantage or suffered discrimination because of her sex.
The 44-year-old chief executive of Union Energy and executive director of its subsidiary Union Power was given opportunities to learn from those who were more experienced and to grow in the energy business.
She joined her family business Union Energy when she was fresh out of Monash University in Australia with a Bachelor of Science (Computing) in 1998 and has never looked back.
"It was going through a difficult patch, and I felt compelled to help," Ms Teo told The New Paper.
With her at the forefront, Union Power - which she set up in 2017 - announced its entry into the electricity sector, and forged and maintains strong relations across other key industries such as food and beverage, manufacturing and oil.
With Union Power's plans to expand into the green energy sector and boost its sustainability effort, she created Union Solar in January to harvest energy through solar panels.
Ms Teo, who has four children aged between three and 17, balances work and family life by keeping weekends free to spend time with her family.
She added: "If there is anything that pushed me forward in my career, it would be that I would like to stand as a role model to my children.
"I always emphasise the importance of breaking boundaries and being a trailblazer, especially to the younger generation. If you unleash the power of young minds, the possibilities are limitless."
Ms Teo encourages other women in similar business leadership roles to always be prepared for change, which "is the constant in every business environment".
"Persevere and see your projects through. Have confidence and give confidence to your team to move forward. Step out of your comfort zone, step into the male-dominated field and create your footprint."
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