SINGAPORE: When Temasek CEO Dilhan Pillay agreed to join the company, he was meant to have a four-month break between jobs.
His last day as managing partner of local law firm WongPartnership was Aug 31, 2010. He was due to start at the state-owned investment company in January the next year.
However, a crisis was unfolding in Europe and then-CEO Ho Ching requested he bring his start date forward.
At the time, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain were struggling in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. European leaders approved a €750 billion (US$837 billion) stabilisation package to support these economies.
Mdm Ho told Mr Pillay that there was a lot to be done at Temasek. He agreed to start on Oct 18.
“And then, she told me later on it’s even becoming more acute, so Sep 1,” he said. “I left (on) Aug 31 and started Sep 1. What a baptism of fire.”
He started as the head of portfolio management and co-head of the Singapore office, where he faced a steep learning curve, he told CNA in an exclusive in-depth interview as part of the Temasek Explained series.
“But if you are willing to learn new things, open your mind, accept that you may not know everything, and rely on others who know more than you – even your subordinates – Temasek is an incredible learning journey,” he said.
Mr Pillay has now been with the company for 14 years.
That was not what he expected when he joined the company after Mdm Ho spent three years convincing him to work for Temasek.
“I thought I was temporarily giving up the law, because I didn’t intend to stay in Temasek for long,” he said.
Instead, he took up different roles in the company, including heading the Europe office and
