[Watch]: Q&A with co-founder Tan Hooi Ling on her leadership journey with Grab

Grab Editorial
. January 5, 2024 . Regional

There are more down times than up times in entrepreneurship, admits Tan Hooi Ling, and she would know: As Grab’s co-founder, she’s been at the steering wheel of one of Southeast Asia’s largest tech giants. She survived many tough moments, and is one of the few female entrepreneurs who have built a multi-billion-dollar startup out of Southeast Asia.

“Unless you truly care about the problem you're trying to solve, and you truly enjoy and trust and respect the people that you're working with, you're not going to survive the down moments of entrepreneurship.”

Tan Hooi Ling, Grab co-founder

In Tan’s final video interview series with Grab, she reflects on a decade of hands-on entrepreneurship. She shifted from an operational to an advisory role at the end of 2023.

Leading as an introvert

One topic close to Hooi Ling Tan’s heart is how to make it as an introverted leader in an industry that values boldness and networking skills.

She explains how she and co-founder Anthony Tan managed to turn the differences in their leadership styles into an advantage. [2:27]

(Watch ep 2: Watch: Grab leaders on their favourite features and building new products)

“Public speaking clearly wasn’t a natural thing for me. Like everything in life, I think skills are very buildable. Practise, practise, practise.” [3:28]

Startups and experiments

As the steady force behind Grab’s technology operations, which include product, design, engineering, data science, and analytics, Tan shaped a lasting legacy.

She’s proud of creating the right environment for effective experimentation at Grab. “It’s very ok to experiment, it’s very ok to fail. But we need to know the definition of success beforehand.”  [3:57]

Tan now hands the reins to senior leaders, Chief Technology Officer Suthen Thomas and Chief Product Officer Philipp Kandal, who will feature in the following parts of this video interview series.

Impact
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Komsan Chiyadis

GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand

Komsan Chiyadis

GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand

COVID-19 has dealt an unprecedented blow to the tourism industry, affecting the livelihoods of millions of workers. One of them was Komsan, an assistant chef in a luxury hotel based in the Srinakarin area.

As the number of tourists at the hotel plunged, he decided to sign up as a GrabFood delivery-partner to earn an alternative income. Soon after, the hotel ceased operations.

Komsan has viewed this change through an optimistic lens, calling it the perfect opportunity for him to embark on a fresh journey after his previous job. Aside from GrabFood deliveries, he now also picks up GrabExpress jobs. It can get tiring, having to shuttle between different locations, but Komsan finds it exciting. And mostly, he’s glad to get his income back on track.