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“Wellbeing is not a separate HR initiative, but a strategic business enabler and the foundation for success in both work and life,” she says.
Before she became a wellbeing leader, Laavenia Ramasegar (pictured above) was climbing towers, rooftops, and structures across the country as an engineer in the telecommunications industry. It was a world of technical precision, complex projects, and high-performance demands — but what caught her attention most was not the technology itself. It was the people behind it.
Over the years, she began to see how deeply culture, leadership, and wellbeing influenced the way employees responded to challenges, collaborated with others, produced quality work, and found the confidence to champion new ideas. That curiosity eventually led her from engineering into HR and wellbeing, where she now brings together technical, operational, and human-centred perspectives.
Now, as Head of Wellbeing at CelcomDigi, Laavenia leads enterprise-wide strategies focused on employee wellbeing, psychological safety, and sustainable workplace performance. Her work centres on advancing mental health awareness, strengthening emotionally intelligent leadership, and embedding wellbeing into the way organisations lead, design work, and build culture.
Leading up to her session at #TotalRewardsMY, Mary Ann Bundukin speaks with Laavenia on her journey from engineering to wellbeing, why psychological safety is central to performance, and how organisations can move wellbeing from a standalone programme into the heart of culture, leadership, and business strategy.
Q What first drew you to HR and Total Rewards, and what keeps you passionate about it today?
My career began in engineering, leading projects and teams in a highly technical environment. What fascinated me most wasn't the technology but the people behind it. I saw how culture, leadership, and wellbeing directly influenced performance and outcomes. I observed that a person's wellbeing impacted how they responded to others, the quality of work they produced, and their ability to champion ideas at work.
That curiosity led me into HR and Wellbeing. Today, I am passionate about creating awareness of holistic wellbeing so people can thrive personally and professionally, enabling organisations to benefit from healthier, more engaged, and high-performing employees.
Q Can you share the core belief that guides your approach to designing rewards strategies that truly support employees?
Wellbeing is no longer a nice-to-have benefit but it's a core part of the employee value proposition. Employees increasingly evaluate organisations not only on pay and benefits but also on how they support physical, mental, emotional and psychosocial wellbeing. This is especially true for younger generations entering the workforce, who often prioritise purpose, flexibility, Wellbeing and culture when choosing an employer.
When wellbeing is embedded into the employee experience, it strengthens engagement, retention, performance and employer brand. In many ways, wellbeing is the foundation that enables all other rewards and benefits to have greater impact.
Q What is one common misconception about Total Rewards that you’d like to challenge?
One misconception is that wellbeing is primarily about wellness activities such as fitness challenges, yoga classes or employee assistance programmes. While those are valuable, Wellbeing is much broader. It is an ecosystem that begins with how we think and perceive the world, which influences how we feel, behave, connect with others and perform.
"In the workplace, true wellbeing is shaped by how work is designed, how leaders lead, and how safe people feel to speak up, contribute, and be themselves. Sustainable wellbeing is built into the culture and operating model, not delivered as a standalone programme."
Q Please tell us a fun fact about yourself that people may not know.
Many people know me as a Wellbeing leader, but few know that I spent 16 years in engineering before moving into HR. In the early days of my career, I climbed towers, rooftops, and structures across the country and was quite the adrenaline junkie. Outside of work, I've spent nearly three decades studying and teaching holistic wellbeing and personal development practices, including sound healing.
Whether exploring human potential, workplace culture, or personal growth, I am endlessly curious about what helps people thrive, heal, perform at their best, and live more fulfilling lives.
Q As a speaker at #TotalRewardsMY, what do you hope attendees will take away from your session?
I hope attendees leave with the understanding that wellbeing is not a separate HR initiative but a strategic business enabler and the foundation for success in both work and life. When organisations intentionally create psychologically safe, healthy, and supportive workplaces, they unlock higher engagement, stronger performance and sustainable business results.
Wellbeing enables people to focus their energy on meaningful work rather than unproductive conflict, politics or unnecessary friction. My goal is for leaders to see wellbeing not as a cost or nice to have but as an investment that helps people thrive, perform at their best and create lasting organisational success.
I want to attend the conference: If you're keen to attend this closed-door conference, kindly register your interest here. For speaking opportunities, please write in to Mary Ann Bundukin. We look forward to welcoming you!
I want to sponsor: Engage in meaningful dialogue through dedicated speaking slots, roundtable discussions, and at your booths! If your organisation provides any talent solutions and products that you'd like to showcase, you’ll fit right into this event. To learn how you can sponsor, please reach out to a member of our team now!
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