In this episode, ICDM member Jenifer Thien discusses what influenced her decision to pursue a board career, her journey to securing her first board appointment, and her thoughts on being a leader in today’s landscape.

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Jenifer has more than 30 years of leadership experience internationally, having worked in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, China and the United States. In her last role, Jenifer was the Global Chief Procurement Officer of Mars, the world's leading manufacturer of confectionery and food products. She was the first woman and first Asian to be appointed to this vital leadership position with a diverse team of more than 400 people based in 30 countries. Jenifer had also successfully led a number of complex business transformation, ESG and risk management initiatives during her executive career.

Upon returning home to Malaysia at the end of 2019, she decided to pursue a board career on top of her advisory work at Grit and Pace, an outfit she established to support organisations in their pursuit of growth. However, for someone who had been abroad for 16 years, finding board opportunities here in Malaysia was not as easy as most companies still prefer to look for candidates within their personal networks.