Parents in Tech – Details, episodes & analysis

 Meet Kevin Chan, a proud father of six-year-old twins and Global Partner Solutions Lead. He and his wife moved from Seattle, USA, to Singapore to raise their children closer to their own Southeast Asian roots. With over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, Kevin has a unique perspective on balancing technology and parenting. He's passionate about helping his children build strong connections with their cultural heritage and believes that moving abroad has benefited their family in many ways. Kevin's experiences and insights make him a perfect guest for parents considering a similar move.

To get in touch with Kevin Chan, find him on LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/in/kevinhpchan

Don’t forget to head over to www.parents.fm to stay up to date with new and previous episodes, join our community of parents in tech, or drop me a line.

Get ready to meet Cynthia Yeo, a powerhouse in the tech industry and a dedicated parent to three beautiful children. With over a decade of experience at Microsoft, Cynthia has climbed the corporate ladder while expertly balancing her career and family life. As the leader of the Enterprise Commercial Team in Microsoft Singapore, Cynthia inspires others with her resilient spirit, which she attributes to her strong and resourceful mother. You'll love her candid and honest stories of overcoming personal challenges and her commitment to helping her children flourish through independence and accountability. Cynthia's journey is a true testament to the power of resilience and determination.

To get in touch with Cynthia Yeo, find her on LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/in/cynyeo

And the websites available are:

microsoft.com (Company)

microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/crm.aspx (Customer Engagement Solutions)

microsoft.com/en-gb/dynamics/crm-trust-center.aspx (Dynamics CRM Trust Center)

Don’t forget to head over to www.parents.fm to stay up to date with new and previous episodes, join our community of parents in tech, or drop me a line.

The importance of rest, how parenting requires high self-awareness and discipline, and being firm with setting rules. I talk to Nathaddeus Tan about his experience with paternity leave, managing his emotions around his children, and the parenting styles between him and his wife.

Nathaddeus is Regional Sales Manager at Zscaler. When I recorded this episode with Nat, he was a Territory Sales Manager at SalesForce for almost 5 years, and has consistently been one of the top performers in his team. At Salesforce, he was selected for the prestigious Salesforce Leadership Accelerate Programme designed to groom future leaders. Nat is father to two young children, aged 3 and 1

Nat talks to us about how he married his childhood sweetheart, and how being a father was always one of his aspirations. He shares the expected and unexpected which he encountered throughout the journey of fatherhood, and how he views “work-life balance”. For him, parenting has been a demanding but thoroughly enjoyable adventure, and taking breaks from work is how he creates time for himself and his family. 

To get in touch with Nathaddeus, find him on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaddeus/

Don’t forget to head over to www.parents.fm to stay up to date with new and previous episodes, join our community of parents in tech or drop me a line.

On managing finances and being tactical in leveraging free resources, protecting the romance in marriage, and involving himself with the family, Joshua Foo shares his Parent in Tech stories as a father to two girls and two boys, aged 19, 16, 15, and 11.

Joshua Foo is the Regional Director at Chainalysis. Prior to joining Chainalysis, he spent 18 years in the IT and cyber security space, managing infrastructure at security teams and the Singapore government before moving to the private sector as the Sales Director for FireEye, RSE, and Cardboard Black VMware.

In this episode, Joshua wisely reveals his personal experiences and rational observations to other Parents in Tech. He narrates their financial management in this expensive parenting culture, the importance of date nights every once in a while, and how to have a meaningful and intentional relationship with kids.

He also shares perceptive and enlightening parenting advice, especially for those who are struggling with, or are planning to have, 2 or more children in this technological-driven world.

To get in touch with Joshua Foo, find him on LinkedIn:
https://sg.linkedin.com/in/joshua-foo-a49bb776

On explaining how tech works to kids with simple words and techniques, addressing favoritism with rationality, and balancing gender roles with his wife at home, Eric shares his Parent in Tech stories as a father to two boys, aged 6 and 3.

Eric Chan is the Lead Product Manager at Grab. Eric started his career as the Design Engineer at Dyson before working in product roles at Razer, Igloo Home, and Property Guru. He’s a passion explorer at night and recently started a video podcast, Your Grit Story, featuring the stories of founders, leaders, and change-makers who live by passion and perseverance.

In this episode, Eric narrates his parenting experiences, including his practical strategies and soft approaches as a father in tech, while emphasizing the importance of sharing the responsibility of household chores equally with his wife. He also shares insightful tips on how to be intentionally involved, not only with kids but also with one’s spouse.

To get in touch with Eric Chan, find him on LinkedIn:

https://sg.linkedin.com/in/ericchanjq

https://sg.linkedin.com/company/yourgritstory

Having a newborn during quarantine, imposing a sleep training system for the kids and overcoming work slumps. In this episode on Parents in Tech, I speak with Yao Hong on parenting during quarantine.

Yao Hong Ch’ng is the Head of Engineering at January Capital. Previously, Yao Hong was one of the early employees at StashAway where he built the company’s flagship product from day zero. He managed product engineering launching in five different regions over four years and headed the business intelligence and data engineering efforts. 

When asked about the one key lesson he learned as a parent in tech, Yao Hong Ch’ng emphasises the art of letting go, especially on the things we can’t control. There are no perfect parents in the world and not everything goes according to plan. 

To get in touch with Yao Hong Ch’ng, find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaohongchng/

Don’t forget to head over to www.parents.fm to stay up to date with new and previous episodes, join our community of parents in tech, or drop me a line.

Rejecting the status quo, drawing clearer boundaries, and finding the right balance in managing children’s relationship with technology. I talk to Shadab Taiyabi about how he and his wife adapted to COVID and created quality time, and shielded their kids from the perils of technology. 

Shadab is the Head of FinTech and Innovation, APAC at Schroders. He is the President of the Singapore FinTech Association, a member of the Digital Innovation Committee at the Investment Management Association of Singapore, and the Head of Community at the FinTech Nation. Shadab is a father to two children: a daughter, age eight, and a son, age four. 

In this episode, Shadab shares how he and his wife minimizes sibling rivalry even before their second child was born, ensures boundaries are set between work and home during the COVID situation, and finds the right balance in kids’ relationship with technology.

To get in touch with Shadab, find him on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shadab-taiyabi/

Don’t forget to head over to www.parents.fm to stay up to date with new and previous episodes, join our community of parents in tech, or drop me a line.

Diving into the deep end of family planning, finding the right parenting footing with your spouse, and applying the concepts of integration and setting boundaries, Sriram shares both his and his wife’s experiences with their two girls, aged two and a half and 9 months old. 

Sriram is the Director for Sales Strategy and Operations at Salesforce. He leads a multi-faceted team spanning sales strategy, sales operations, and go-to-market strategy. Before Salesforce, he began his career at McKinsey before joining Dell as the Director of Global Operations Strategy and Digital Transformation, and finally Salesforce.

In this episode, Sriram shares his parenthood journey, and how he is supported by the people around him. He also talks about parenting mindsets as having more empathy and patience, and also describes parenting as a team activity rather than a ‘helping’ one. 

He also shares personal anecdotes on his transition to fatherhood, particularly on learning how to compartmentalise, how to integrate both family life and work together, and how to set boundaries. 

To get in touch with Sriram Ved, find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sriram-ved/

The flexibility that work-from-home offers, teaching computational thinking to kids at an early age, and the importance of family. I talk to Steven Tong on how he navigates through work, personal, and family life. 

Steven Tong has more than two decades of experience in technology - starting from a solutions architect and IT consultant, to investor at SG Innovate and StartupBootcamp and now, leading innovation as Head of SAP.io Foundry in Singapore.  He is a genuine, warm, and welcoming person who is a father to a nine-year-old daughter and a husband to his entrepreneur-couples therapist wife.

Steven talks about the importance of finding a company that values work-life balance. His previous work experiences allowed him to work on a flexible schedule. This gave him the freedom to work around his own schedule and have time for family despite the hustle. As much as work is important, family must always come first. He also wants to teach his daughter the value of family and to empathize with others.

Steven also shares the early stages of her fatherhood journey. His daughter was born prematurely, and it was very challenging for him and his wife. Fast forward to now, he is starting to introduce his daughter to the world of tech. He teaches her coding for the benefit of computational thinking, which he believes is helpful in daily life. He shares, “When we teach our kids, we learn from them too.”

To get in touch with Steven Tong, find him on LinkedIn: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/steventong. 

Don’t forget to head over to www.parents.fm to stay up to date with new and previous episodes, join our community of parents in tech or drop me a line.

Taking turns to parent and bond with their newborn, facing challenges with a calm and discerning mindset, and being aware of one’s self and the people around us.

Aditya is the Head of Growth and Partnerships for Southeast Asia and India at HubSpot. Before this, he led the international expansion of Practo, a B2B startup in India, and was the country manager for Singapore. He is passionate on topics including sales and marketing tech stacks, low no-code platforms, and farm-to-table initiatives. Recently, in August 2021, Aditya welcomed his daughter into the world, along with his wife, Priya. 

In this episode, Aditya shares how moving to Singapore was a timely and good decision for his family in the wake of COVID-19. His parenting dynamic, his teamwork with his wife Priya are some of the valuable lessons he has learned as a parent in tech.

Listen in to know about his views on family bonding time, advice on how to help the wife during pregnancy, balancing time between work and his two girls, and raising a newborn.

To get in touch with Aditya, find him on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/toadityakumar/ 

Don’t forget to head over to www.parents.fm to stay up to date with new and previous episodes, join our community of parents in tech or drop me a line.