For this year’s women’s month, we had the chance to talk to a strong independent woman like you who has been raising her kids while also thriving in her career as an executive at a big multinational company.
A mom and a career woman – a persona a lot of us can relate to. Let’s hear out Evelyn Ng’s story on how she balances her career with her personal and family life and what experiences brought her more power as a woman.
Who is Evelyn Ng?
Evelyn Ng is currently the Vice President of P&G Asia Pacific Tax Operations and Comptroller for expansive Asia, Middle East, and Africa region.
She joined P&G 21 years ago after doing a summer internship with the same company. She started as a Finance Manager for P&G Greater China’s baby care, oral care, skincare, and cosmetics sector, and then as a Chief Financial Officer for P&G Philippines. Evelyn later on assumed international roles across Asian countries: Philippines, Singapore, and China.
In 2016, she became the highest-ranking Filipino woman in P&G Philippines. As a woman who was given such responsibility and opportunity, she also leads P&G Philippines’ Equality and Inclusion council to nurture an equal and inclusive workplace for employees where performance, skills, and talent are the basis for advancement, no matter your gender or sexual orientation.
Balancing career and personal and family life
Evelyn is happily married and is blessed with four kids. As a woman with so many roles to play, Evelyn’s secret is to decide on who you want to be everyday. After all, you can’t be everything all at once.
As a woman, we all play multiple roles in our lives. We are a mother, a daughter, a spouse, sibling, friend, manager, coach, Christian, golfer, etc. As we go through these roles, more roles are added to our plate without anything being taken off. Reset Search Results
So what Evelyn did was be more mindful of the choices, prioritizing the roles she wanted to live day by day. Thus finding more at peace and balance with this work-life integration.
Evelyn as a female leader
Female leaders are icons we look up to, especially with the talks of women empowerment in the Philippines.
The solid training and skills development at P&G, coupled with soft skills enablers through women mentorship programs, helped Evelyn thrive in her career. She says that she is privileged to be working in a company where senior leaders truly live and breathe an inclusive culture. Because not once did she feel discriminated against or underestimated for being a woman.
In addition, she has a very supportive husband who is her number 1 fan in achieving her career goals. His husband is also an involved father in raising their girls.
Breaking stereotypes as a working mother
We are used to the idea that a woman has to choose between career and parenting and cannot be both. With more women breaking this bias, we can pursue more women empowerment in the Philippines. A Filipina can be both a career woman and a mother.
Evelyn believes that women can be successful leaders, mothers, and wives, all simultaneously. The same way that men can do well both in work and in their personal life. Provided with the same opportunities given to men, women will surely be able to break this stereotype.
For her, we must move forward in doing away with terms like “working mom”. The same way that no one uses “working dad” anymore.
Breaking these barriers
Evelyn shares that one of the biggest personal challenges that came to her was self-limiting cultural and social expectations on females and mothers.
However, being a part of a company that holds diversity and inclusion in high regard helped her understand these unconscious biases and self-limiting beliefs. It taught her how she could overcome and power through these. With the help of strong male and female senior leaders at P&G who invested in her and inspired her, she was able to courageously challenge those biases and step out of her comfort zone.
Having more companies like P&G provide an inclusive workplace
P&G and other companies have a role to play as though-leaders in pursuing women empowerment in the Philippines.
For Evelyn, these companies can very much employ equality and inclusion (E&I) in their business and organization strategies. Brands can be a force for good and a force for growth.
“As an E&I Sponsor and Leader at P&G, my vision is to drive and maintain a strong culture of inclusion in P&G Philippines, where everybody can bring their full selves to work every day. Our E&I efforts are expansive and cover various areas of diversity, such as gender, LGBTQ+, and style. We ensure that our benefits and policies also support inclusion. Most recently, we have expanded the paternity leave support to 8 weeks. This is to recognize that fathers have an equal role to play and to share the load with their partners.”
She says that diverse organizations deliver stronger business results. The diversity of thought sparks creativity and innovation. Companies can create substantial shareholder value by embracing equitable practices. Motivated employees are employees who can bring their full selves to work.
Evelyn Ng: Advice to the next generation of female leaders
To aspiring young females about to embark on their career path, my advice is “Don’t overthink it!”
When an opportunity presents itself, the decision-making process should be focused on the moment rather than looking too far ahead into the future and at other variables that might come into play later.
When needed to decide, don’t think about five to 10 years, focus only on what is there right now, and go for it!