Tom is currently the Deputy Head of Market Operations at SGX. He spent 13 years at the organisation and was previously the Head of Derivatives Operations. He is also a certified Financial Risk Manager.
Q: Could you share about your experience at SGX?
SGX is an enjoyable place to work because of the people. My colleagues are very open-minded, forward-thinking and passionate about making a difference to the financial services industry. And when you are working with the best, you will learn from them too. There are many “spark” moments where we have open conversations and help each other to develop an innovative solutions to problems. Most importantly, we care about each other and trust each other. Nothing can beat the feeling of being in a team where you know that your teammates get your back and are concerned about your growth.
Besides the people, the knowledge and skills I have learnt at SGX are deep and wide. It is because of SGX’ nature of being in the central for trade matching and clearing services. For example, to clear and settle securities, we will need to move both securities and cash, which requires us to be well versed in wide spectrum of SWIFT messages like MT1xx, MT2xx, and MT5xx. It’s satisfying that you are immersing yourself in an environment that you can learn and evolve each day.
Tom Vo (centre), Deputy Head of Market Operations at SGX
Bachelor of Business Administration -
Finance, Human Resource Management (2007)
Q: Why did you opt for a role at SGX as your first career?
Like many young graduates, I was in the process of “finding my passion” and I was not sure of my calling back then. What I did know, however, was that I was interested in finance. Accordingly, I went ahead to apply for finance jobs across the board, specifically management associate (“MA”) programmes. Those programmes allowed me to work in different departments and figure out what I wanted to do.
I chose SGX because of a few reasons that set it apart from other firms. The first reason was the learning opportunities I mentioned earlier where I could see myself growing each day. Secondly, it gave the MAs the exposure to CEO office, which was a unique opportunity for me. It would allow the MAs to learn from the CEO and to see how things operated from the top level. Thirdly, I felt that it would be very important to be able to work in one of the key pillars of Singapore’s financial structure. SGX is a very good brand name.
Q: What are some tips you would like to give students as they look for their first jobs?
I feel that one of the most important thing in the first job is a good boss. He/she will be the one who mentors you and helps you progress in your career. Once you find a boss whom you can trust, you can focus on doing your work to your best abilities and trust that he/she will give you the advices/ guidance/ credits that you need to grow.
Q: Any last words you want to share with the readers?
This might sound cliché, but I strongly believe that as long as you never give up and progress just a little bit each day, you’ll get to the destination that you want. It’s true mathematically and it’s true in career too.
