Theresa Shan

In an industry that too often runs on vibes and passion, I've always led with both heart and numbers. You don't have to choose between being a good human and a good operator — in fact, I'd argue the best operators are the ones who never forgot they're dealing with people.

That's the whole of what I've learned about leading. We were handed a model of leadership that runs on pressure: push harder, speak louder, treat the business like a machine and the people inside it like parts. It works, until it doesn't. I lead the other way — from presence, not pressure. Softness that isn't weakness, but strength that's stopped needing to announce itself. Not softer as in weaker. Truer.

I'm half Singaporean, half Dutch, which means I understand Asian culture intrinsically and can be brutally direct about what isn't working. I've lived between cultures my whole life, and it turns out that's genuinely useful when you're leading diverse teams across markets. Singapore taught me to execute. The Netherlands taught me to question. Good leadership needs both.

I hold an MBA and a Master's in Counselling & Psychotherapy — which sounds like an unusual combination until you've tried to turn around a burned-out team in the middle of a declining business. Then it makes complete sense.

One of the things I'm most proud of, professionally: I led a fitness business through COVID without letting a single team member go. We moved fast and pivoted hard — online streaming, equipment rentals, a spinning class in a nightclub. We kept the business profitable and the team intact. That's what being quick on your feet actually looks like.