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"Our job isn’t just to keep up with each wave of change. It’s to help people find their rhythm and place within it," says Paulo Cheong, SVP of HR, Sands China.
As the largest integrated resort operator in Macao, Sands China is advancing its digital transformation and exploring the use of artificial intelligence. It does so with a human-centred approach, considering how every shift affects those involved and what it means for their roles.
This commitment to innovation earned Sands China the silver award for ‘Best HR Digital Transformation Strategy’ at the Employee Experience Awards 2025, Singapore.
In this interview with HRO, Paulo Cheong, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Sands China, reflects on the company’s journey to this achievement, and the evolving role of HR in helping a large organisation go digital at its own pace.
Q How does your team define "employee experience", and what aspects do you prioritise most?
When people talk about “employee experience”, they often think of upgraded offices, flexible leave or the occasional team celebration. These definitely matter, but we’ve learnt that the most meaningful experiences don’t come from what a company provides. They come from what employees genuinely feel.
That really matters at Sands China, where we have a team of 27,000 people working across 1,400 job categories in conventions and exhibitions, hospitality, dining, entertainment, retail and more, all coming together to keep things running smoothly day and night.
"In an organisation this complex, a few standardised activities can’t really capture what it means to feel properly supported."
Instead, we focus on building a culture where people feel connected to something bigger than just their job title.
We take the same care with employee experience as we do with guest experience. Instead of repeating templates, we try to create moments that genuinely resonate with different teams in different situations. Even our annual Long Service Recognition Ceremony, which celebrates 10, 15 and 20 years of service by Team Members, is always treated as if it’s the first. Not for show, but because each group of honourees has lived through a different decade. They deserve more than a replay.
In the end, employee experience is about whether people leave with something that stays with them long after the moment has passed.
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?
Using AI in business has become a bit of a buzzword across industries. But for us, the question has never been “Can we use AI?”. It’s always been “Does it actually solve a real need for our people?”
That thinking led to one of our initiatives: an AI-powered chatbot that brings together a large language model and our own knowledge base. We built it to help our Team Members access up-to-date information about our services, both during training and in the flow of work.
This was important in our environment. With Team Members spread across multiple connected properties and working in a wide range of service areas, they’re often asked about things beyond their day-to-day roles.
Before we had this tool, Team Members had to dig through documents or wait on replies from other departments. A few years back, when generative AI tools such as ChatGPT were just starting to emerge, we kicked off this project to see how they could support our training needs. We brought in a group of local university students to get involved. It was a great opportunity for them to gain hands-on experience with the latest technology while helping us develop solutions that matched the way we work.
Just as importantly, we understood that in the absence of fast, reliable support, people might turn to public platforms. That raises concerns around data security and inconsistent information. By providing a trusted, easy-to-use internal system, we gave our team a digital partner they could rely on.
Q How do you balance personalised employee needs with scalable EX programmes?
"Rather than treating personalised needs and scalable programmes as a trade-off, we explore how thoughtful large-scale design can actually make personalisation more achievable."
Our workforce includes people from around 50 nationalities and a wide range of roles, often working under the same roof. In a setting like this, tailoring every initiative to each individual just isn’t practical.
So our approach is to offer a flexible, layered framework that empowers team members to shape their own experience. A colleague with caring responsibilities might be drawn to health or parenting support. Someone looking to upskill might tap into training in areas like data literacy. And on the social side, a wide range of activities lets people find their own rhythm and community. It’s about designing at scale, while still leaving room for individual choice.
Take our My Way Programme, for example. It gives team members the chance to explore horizontal mobility — moving across departments, discovering new paths and picking up new skills along the way. Since 2016, over 3,000 Team Members have taken part.
For us, personalisation isn’t about plotting out each person’s journey. It’s about creating the kind of space that’s broad and flexible enough for everyone to find their own way.
Q What are some underappreciated drivers of employee engagement that you think deserve more attention?
When we talk about employee engagement, one crucial factor is often missed: in times of rapid change, are employees given the tools and confidence to lead, not just follow?
Engagement isn’t only about the here and now. It’s about helping people understand and shape what’s next. With generative AI going mainstream, many companies are rolling out automation tools, analytics platforms and AI agents to improve efficiency. But for many employees, these changes spark anxiety more than excitement.
If those fears are ignored, engagement will suffer. Rather than focusing only on the benefits of new tech, HR should help people make sense of it: What’s changing? What skills are now in demand? What does this mean for my role?
We believe HR’s role is shifting—from policy maker to guide. Supporting employees with AI literacy, explaining human-machine collaboration, and helping them see how their skills can evolve. These are vital to any modern engagement strategy.
With the right approach, HR can turn uncertainty into an opportunity for trust and deeper connection.
Q Finally, what is the most important message that you'd like to share with your team as you plan ahead?
Our job isn’t just to keep up with each wave of change. It’s to help people find their rhythm and place within it.
In today’s fast-moving tech landscape, every new tool is more pervasive than the last. As HR professionals, of course we’re interested in what these tools can do for the business. But what matters even more to us is still our people. With all the change and pressure that come with new technology, we try to keep space for choice by giving our Team Members the room to learn.
HR is a people-facing role, not a process-facing one. Understanding people and the work they do together is never easy. But it is one of the most meaningful things we can commit to.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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