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Vena Group is connecting leadership development with career progression, practical business challenges, and early talent initiatives to strengthen its internal talent pipeline. Anna Ho, CHRO, shares the key lessons behind this approach.
As Vena Group expanded from more than 300 employees in 2018 to over 1,200 across 11 jurisdictions, the organisation recognised that its leadership capabilities needed to keep pace with its growth. With different markets bringing distinct cultures, working styles and business realities, developing leaders through isolated training programmes was no longer sufficient. Instead, the organisation set out to build a connected development journey that supports employees at different stages of their leadership careers.
Through various initiatives, the team is looking to strengthen its internal leadership pipeline, establish more consistent leadership expectations, and prepare leaders to navigate business and technological change. The programmes combine practical case studies, coaching, peer learning and AI-enabled simulations to help participants apply their learning to real organisational challenges.
Following the team's silver win for ‘Excellence in Leadership Development’ at the HR Excellence Awards 2026 – Singapore, Anna Ho (pictured above), Chief Human Resources Officer, Vena Group, shares the thinking behind the organisation's leadership development strategy, how it is building a common leadership framework across 11 jurisdictions, and why HR teams should connect leadership development with early talent initiatives to strengthen future succession readiness.
Q What was the 'lightbulb moment' behind your HR initiative?
Vena Group’s rapid growth made one priority clear: our leadership capability needed to grow with the organisation.
From over 300 employees in 2018, we had expanded to over 1,200 people across 11 jurisdictions, each with distinct cultures, working styles and business realities. At the same time, technology and AI were transforming how leaders manage teams, make decisions and deliver results. We realised that leadership development could no longer rely on isolated training programmes. We needed a connected journey that supported leaders at every critical stage of their careers.
Through the Manager Accelerator Programme, Leadership Excellence and Development II, and LEAP, we are building a stronger internal leadership pipeline, creating greater consistency in leadership expectations and equipping leaders to support continued growth.
Our aim is to make leadership a shared organisational capability that strengthens performance, develops talent and enables sustainable expansion.
Q Innovation rarely comes without obstacles. What was the biggest challenge your team faced along the way, and how did you overcome it?
Our greatest opportunity was to create a common leadership framework across 11 jurisdictions while preserving the cultural and operational relevance that makes development meaningful.
We needed to establish consistent leadership expectations while recognising that leaders operate in different markets, cultures and business environments. We also needed to prepare them to lead through rapid technological change.
In response, we moved from individual training interventions to a connected leadership ecosystem aligned with key career transitions. We brought together internal expertise, external consultancy support and academic perspectives, and anchored the learning in real business challenges, practical case studies, group coaching and peer learning.
Technology and AI were integrated through modules on leading with technology and digital transformation, AI enabled role play and business simulations.
This approach made leadership development continuous, practical and relevant. It strengthened learning transfer while giving leaders the confidence to lead across markets and through change.
Q How has this initiative influenced your people and organisation - and what conversation do you hope it sparks across the HR community?
The clearest sign of impact is what leaders take back into the organisation.
Since 2022, more than 206 participants have developed through MAP, LEAD II and LEAP. New managers have gained confidence as they transition into people leadership. Mid-level leaders have strengthened their business acumen and decision making. Vena Group has also gained greater visibility of high potential talent and future leadership readiness.
The impact extends beyond individual participants. Cross market coaching and cohort learning have built stronger leadership networks, encouraged knowledge sharing and created opportunities for leaders to learn from different perspectives. Participants have brought practical tools and insights back to their business units, extending the value of the programmes across the organisation.
We hope this encourages a wider conversation about treating leadership development as a shared organisational capability, rather than a standalone HR activity. When learning is continuous, practical and connected to business priorities, its impact reaches far beyond the classroom.
Q What's next - how are you planning to build on your progress and keep the momentum going?
The next phase of our leadership journey is to build leadership mindsets earlier in the talent pipeline, before people formally become leaders.
We will continue strengthening the pathways for new managers, mid-level leaders and high potential senior leaders, while creating stronger links between these programmes and our early talent initiatives. VTrain, which was piloted in 2025, is an important first step in this direction. It gives students practical exposure to different parts of the business and helps develop accountability, collaboration, self-awareness and business acumen.
By connecting VTrain with MAP, LEAD II and LEAP, we aim to create a more seamless development journey from early talent to leadership, strengthening succession readiness and building a more integrated leadership culture across Vena Group.
Q As the HR landscape continues to evolve, what do you believe will be the next big opportunity for HR leaders, and how is your organisation preparing for it?
The next major opportunity for HR leaders is to help people turn advances in technology and AI into better ways of leading, making decisions and working.
Technology alone will not determine the future of work. The real differentiator will be whether leaders can guide their teams through change, build confidence in new tools and apply technology in ways that create meaningful business value.
Vena Group is preparing by embedding this capability directly into our leadership development programmes. Our curriculum includes leading with technology and the manager’s role in digital transformation, supported by AI enabled role play and business simulations. Coaching, experiential learning and projects based on real organisational challenges help participants move from theory to practical application.
By developing technological awareness alongside strategic thinking, business acumen and leadership effectiveness, we are preparing leaders for an increasingly digital and data driven environment.
For HR leaders, the opportunity is clear: ensure that technological progress and human capability advance together.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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