Long Life Learning Woon Shiu Lee and Mondo Mazwai on Leading with Intentionality and Building Teams for a Resilient Future
For the final episode of Season 2, Kavitha is joined via Zoom by two extraordinary guests from the 7th YGELP cohort. Woon Shiu Lee, Managing Director and Group Head of the Wealth Planning Family Office and Insurance Solutions at DBS Private Bank, calls in from Singapore, along with Mondo Mazwai, Chairperson of the Competition Tribunal of South Africa. Together, Mondo and Woon Shiu walk Kavitha through their decision to engage in YGELP as a catalyst to further their commitment to social purpose as leaders in their respective fields.
Mondo explains how growing up in apartheid-era South Africa drew her to law as an instrument for societal change. Her 25 years in legal leadership continue to shape her notions of democracy, justice, and how to build a resilient team prepared for an ever-changing future. Woon Shiu, meanwhile, was inspired by early professional experiences across Singapore, the UK, and the US to merge cross-cultural strategies which have allowed him to flourish in the world of banking and wealth management. Both guests emphasize the centrality of impact and social good in their work, with Woon Shiu citing his company’s mission to be “the best bank for a better world,” as a core pillar of what drives his mindset today.
What Mondo and Woon Shiu share in common is a fervent commitment to lifelong learning, even while thriving at the highest levels of leadership. They share with Kavitha stories not only of rich engagement with YGELP readings and instructional sessions, but also of a carefully cultivated network of peers and professors which continues to grow. The interview ends with each guest sharing their views on the role of spirituality in purposeful leadership, in a fitting close to a meaningful journey showcasing the unique and varied voices of the Yale Global Executive Leadership Program.
Transcript
S2E8—Woon Shiu Lee & Mondo Mazwai Transcript
Links and Resources
Information on YGELP and Yale SOM Executive Education:
Resources and Individuals Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
- The Carrot and the Stick by William Putsis
- The Book of Joy, The 14th Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams
- “Research: Why Breathing is So Effective at Reducing Stress,” by Emma Seppälä, Christina Bradley and Michael R. Goldstein
- Dr. Matthew Croasmun, Yale Divinity School
- Nicholas Pinchuk, CEO of Snap-On Incorporated
- Stephanie Dunson, Yale SOM
Where to Find Mondo:
Where to Find Woon Shiu:
About Today’s Guests
Mondo Mazwai is the Chairperson of the Competition Tribunal (“Tribunal”) of South Africa – an antitrust adjudicative body – where she adjudicates competition (antitrust) matters, involving mergers and acquisitions and prohibited practice (complaints concerning cartel conduct or abuse of dominance). The cases are referred to the Tribunal by the Competition Commission of South Africa (the investigative body), or by private third parties, for public hearing and decision by the Tribunal.
Mondo has over 25 years as an admitted attorney and has worked in the private sector (including as the National Head of the Competition Practice at a prominent law firm), and in the public sector at the Competition Commission of South Africa in various capacities (including Chief Legal Counsel and Acting Deputy Commissioner). Her experience spans all aspects of competition law. She has led a team of economists and lawyers, including in the precedent setting price gouging case at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
After 16 years as a legal practitioner, Mondo took a one-year sabbatical (in 2011/2012) to travel. She returned to public service in 2013 as a part-time member of the Tribunal. She was appointed Chairperson of the Tribunal in 2019, a position she still holds. In addition to the adjudicative role, Mondo is responsible for the governance of the Tribunal, ensuring that it operates efficiently, is financially sound and effectively delivers on its legislative mandate.
Mondo is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She is a Fellow of the Yale Global Leadership programme (the 7th Cohort).
She holds a B Juris degree from the University of the Western Cape and an LLB degree from the University of Kwazulu-Natal (Howard College). She was admitted as an attorney in 1997.
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Lee Woon Shiu is Managing Director and Group Head of Wealth Planning Family Office and Insurance Solutions in DBS Bank. He started his banking career with Merrill Lynch in 2000 after working as an attorney in Freshfields Drew & Napier and Coudert Brothers.
Woon Shiu has had a successful leadership track record in delivering transformational succession planning, philanthropy and insurance solutions to high net worth families globally for over two decades, winning accolades for Best Bank of Wealth Transfer/Succession Planning, Best Bank for Family Offices and Best Bank for Next Generation along the way. He has over 25 years of experience in advising numerous ultra-high networth families in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa in the strategic structuring of their estate and succession concerns, and also regularly engages multi-generations of such families on the establishment and implementation their family office, business governance and philanthropy strategies.
He is concurrently serving as Board Member of DBS Trustee Limited, DBS Foundation, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the Esplanade Co Ltd, and also as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore where he regularly lectures on wealth structuring and estate succession for private bankers, lawyers and trust practitioners. He has also lectured at universities in China such as Xiamen University and Tsinghua University, at the Hong Kong University, at the National Taiwan Chengchi University and at the ETH Zurich University in Switzerland, and his views as a leader are regularly featured in international media and at global conferences where he is a frequent speaker. In recognition of his continuous contribution to the Wealth Management Institute (WMI) established under the auspices of Temasek and GIC, Woon Shiu has received the WMI Ambassador Award, Distinguished Panel and Advisory Group Award and the Most Innovative Teaching Award and the Teacher of the Year Award.
Woon Shiu is an alumnus of Yale University and the National University of Singapore where he was a Law Society of Singapore Book Prize Winner. He is an Advocate & Solicitor of Singapore, a Solicitor of England & Wales and an accredited Trust & Estate Practitioner.