Seok Chen

Pivoting between manufacturing and commercial has provided Seok Chen with a sound understanding of Infineum business needs and consolidated a mindset which drives improvements - with people at the heart. It’s also created a diverse toolkit of skills which can be transferred into different functions.

Tell us about your career journey at Infineum so far

"I began my career journey at Infineum as a Senior Process Engineer in 1999 when Infineum was formed! I've been exposed to several roles since, from Plant Technical Leader and Technical Manager to a move over to the Sales function in my roles as a Sales Business Analyst, Crankcase Regional Market Manager and Southern Asia Sales Manager. I then applied my skills into my first global role as Global Investment and Asset Manager. Here, I collaborated cross functionally to determine the best investment outcomes for Infineum and ensured that we were able to collate capital requirements in line with our plans.

Then, I went full circle and returned to Manufacturing as the Singapore Manufacturing Plant Manager. This role was really enriching experience, and the compilation of my acquired skills drove process improvements to facilities, systems and processes. It was a challenge, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent supply disruptions which strengthened my leadership and management skills. However, during that time, I felt a great sense of respect for my team who demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity and uncertainty.

I then returned to Commercial working as the Key Account Executive Sales Manager for Asia Pacific.

More recently, I took on a new challenge as Controls and Risk Manager in our Finance function. I’m excited and ready to embrace this new opportunity and use my accumulated skills to drive value and commercial success!

Overall, I feel proud to work with such great people who aim to keep each other safe every day and for a company which prioritises development and puts people at the heart of everything they do."

What do you like most about working at Infineum?

"The people - they are the driving force of Infineum - I work with so many colleagues on a daily basis and they truly care about what they do. I admire the diligence and hard work which the colleagues I work with demonstrate - they work assiduously, and I enjoy collaborating with them to improve their livelihoods, as well as driving business needs.

Our safety culture is a real priority, and my fellow peers do their very best to keep each other safe."

What advice would you give to someone thinking of applying for a role at Infineum?

"You can do it – trust yourself, your own knowledge and your skill set. My Singapore Plant Manager role felt daunting at the start, but once I was fully up to speed, I was fired up by the potential positive change I could bring and what I could accomplish with the resources available to me and my team.

Transferable skills are critical as you move throughout your career. Keep adding different skills to your toolkit and they will come in useful at some stage in your career! I absolutely intend to leverage my experience in Sales and Manufacturing in my new role - even though they seem unrelated on the surface. I’ll be able to apply the customer voice and the plant priorities into finance conversations to drive improvements for the wider business."