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At CapitaLand Investment, the employee experience is built on a foundation of trust, communication, and shared purpose, supported by digital tools that help people feel connected at every stage of their journey.
CapitaLand Investment (CLI) focuses on real estate investment management, with a presence in over 45 countries and 270 cities.
For CLI, employee experience is defined as the holistic journey every employee undertakes with the company. This journey is shaped by four key pillars — Global CLI, One CLI, Agile CLI, and Leaders@CLI. Across all these areas, the focus is on helping employees grow, stay connected, and contribute meaningfully to the organisation’s goals.
At the Employee Experience Awards 2025 in Singapore, CLI was recognised with the gold award for 'Best HR Communication Strategy' and the bronze award for 'Best Capability Development Programme for the HR Team'. These achievements reflect the company’s efforts to strengthen clarity and inclusion, particularly during times of organisational change.
In this interview, Quah Ley Hoon, Group Chief Corporate Officer at CapitaLand Investment, shares how the team rebuilt trust across its global workforce by focusing on transparent communication, listening deeply to employee feedback, and using technology to personalise support for employees’ needs.
Q How does your team define “employee experience”, and what aspects do you prioritise most?
At CapitaLand Investment (CLI), we define ‘EX’ as the holistic journey each employee undertakes with us. As a global real asset management company, we believe that talent drives strategy and performance, and our people are at the heart of everything we do.
We focus on four pillars under our GOAL CLI framework to create a positive and empowering employee experience:
- Global CLI: Operating across 45 countries and 270 cities, we embrace diversity and global collaboration.
- One CLI: We cultivate a purpose-driven culture where individual contributions are aligned with our broader mission. Our core values — winning mindset, integrity, respect, and enterprising — along with our cultural beliefs of championing growth, building bridges, seeking expertise, and taking ownership, guide our people towards shared success. This alignment drives strong business outcomes, including growth in funds under management, return on equity, employee engagement, and sustainability performance.
- Agile CLI: Continuous learning and digital enablement, including Gen AI, support flexible, efficient work and long-term career growth.
- Leaders@CLI: Empathetic leadership fosters trust, well-being, and psychological safety, while encouraging community engagement and CSR to strengthen team cohesion and impact beyond the workplace.
Q Can you walk us through your most high-impact EX initiative that led to your success at the awards this year? What business need did it solve, and how was success measured?
The optimisation of our internal HR communication strategy was a critical response to a growing need for transparency, trust, and alignment across our global workforce.
Following a period of rapid organisational change, we identified a clear business need: employees were seeking more clarity, consistency, and authenticity in how information was shared. To elevate engagement and align with business priorities, we launched a comprehensive communication strategy designed to rebuild trust, foster two-way dialogue, and reinforce our culture.
Key elements of the initiative included:
- Multi-channel communication frameworks: Platforms such as our quarterly hybrid townhalls and global Intranet (CLICK) help ensure timely, consistent messaging across geographies and functions. These channels were optimised for accessibility and reach, allowing leadership messages to cascade effectively.
- Interactive listening platforms: Annual employee engagement and pulse surveys, as well as feedback loops such as our Voice of Employees (VoE) to gather anonymous and confidential feedback ensure employees feel heard and valued in a safe space.
- Content personalisation: To make communications more relevant and engaging for different employee segments. For example, Genie AI, our internal digital bot, delivers personalised updates and HR policy information on demand, ensuring relevance and reducing information overload. We also introduced the Cultural Beliefs Rockstar Awards — a peer recognition programme that celebrates employees who embody our cultural beliefs. The success stories from these awards are then amplified across internal channels, reinforcing our cultural beliefs in a way that employees can resonate with.
This initiative served a dual purpose: it improved the employee experience by making communication more effective and transparent, and ensured our people strategies remained aligned with shifting business priorities, helping the organisation stay agile and focused during a period of transformation.
The impact was significant. We achieved an 85% engagement score in our global employee engagement survey, our highest to date. Qualitative feedback from employees highlighted a renewed sense of inclusion and clarity, citing increased levels of trust, communication effectiveness and a clear connection to purpose.
Q How do you balance personalised employee needs with scalable EX programmes?
We balance personalised employee needs with scalable EX programmes by leveraging data-driven insights and designing flexible, inclusive frameworks.
For example, our Career Navigator Programme combines personalised one-on-one coaching with alignment to broader organisational goals, ensuring individual growth supports collective success. Our wellbeing strategy spans six key dimensions: emotional, physical, financial, social, career, and community — giving employees the autonomy to engage with what matters most to them.
Technology is a critical enabler. Platforms such as Genie AI and our internal Future of Work Hub deliver personalised learning pathways and support services at scale, enhancing both relevance and reach.
This hybrid approach ensures every employee experiences a journey that is meaningful and tailored, while remaining consistent, inclusive, and rooted in our organisational values.
Q What are some underappreciated drivers of employee engagement that you think deserve more attention?
One of the most underappreciated drivers of employee engagement is the power of active listening and transparent communication, especially during times of change. At our organisation, we prioritise this through multiple feedback channels — senior leadership dialogues, CEO council sessions, townhalls, and engagement surveys. These platforms not only allow us to hear directly from our teams but also ensure that employees feel seen and heard.
- Peer recognition: While leadership recognition is important, peer-to-peer appreciation fosters a culture of mutual respect and belonging.
- Psychological safety: Creating an environment where employees feel safe to speak up, share ideas, and admit mistakes without fear.
- Micro-moments: Small, everyday interactions like a manager checking in or a team celebrating a milestone can significantly impact engagement. These subtle yet powerful elements build trust, strengthen relationships, and contribute to a more connected and motivated workforce.
- Change management:
- We prioritise transparency by providing real-time updates through townhalls and other communication channels. Openly sharing our intentions, processes, and impacts alongside active listening platforms for employee feedback helps build trust and ease transitions.
- We also harness AI to streamline workflows and boost efficiency, enabling employees to focus on higher-value, meaningful work.
- Career clarity: Our coaching programmes have shown that when you invest in your employees and they understand their growth path, their motivation and commitment increase substantially.
Q Finally, what is the most important message that you’d like to share with your team as you plan ahead?
HR is the backbone of every successful organisation — thank you for being at the heart of ours.
As we navigate an increasingly uncertain global and economic landscape and continue our transformation journey as a leading global real asset manager, your passion, resilience, and commitment remain essential. You play a critical role in attracting, retaining, and inspiring our talent, enabling us to deliver excellence across fund management, commercial management, and lodging management. Let’s lead with empathy, embrace change with curiosity, and champion growth, not just for ourselves, but for those around us.
The road ahead is full of opportunity and I’m confident that with our shared purpose and collective spirit, we’ll continue to reach new heights by leading in Asia and shaping the world.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
Photos: Provided
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