About She
SG Her Empowerment (“SHE”) is an independent non-profit organisation, with Institution of Public Character status, that strives to empower girls and women through community engagements and partnerships.
We engage with the community
SHE engages with and listens to women and men across the community, and from all age groups and walks of life.
We are data-driven
SHE facilitates research and gathers data to clearly frame the issues and identify needs, in order to take an evidence-backed approach to shape impactful strategies.
We connect and collaborate
SHE collaborates with community stakeholders from different interest groups, civil society organisations, corporates, and the Government.
We advocate change
Through these efforts, SHE advocates positive change and champions a more equal society.
ENGAGE
Real change begins with honest conversations. We facilitate ongoing candid dialogues to identify issues impacting the advancement of girls and women.
We take an inclusive approach to achieving our goals, and engage women and men across the community and from all age groups and walks of life.
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RESEARCH AND DATA
SHE is data-driven and evidence-based.
We facilitate research and gather data to clearly frame the issues and identify needs, in order to shape impactful strategies.
Effective change requires sensitivity to cultural nuances and community values. The improvements we advocate keep this in mind, thereby creating impact designed for our society.
CONNECT AND COLLABORATE
SHE works in partnership.
Meaningful partnerships are key to transformative change.
SHE collaborates with community stakeholders from different interest groups, civil society organisations, corporates and the Government.
Leadership
Our story
SHE’s mission is to work with the community, partner organisations, and government agencies to identify opportunities to empower girls, energise youth, and advocate positive change for the entire community.
Inspired by the work of the Sunlight Alliance for Action to tackle online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls (“Sunlight AfA”), SHE was founded by lawyer Stefanie Yuen Thio when she saw the need for a community effort to tackle emerging new issues for women, including online harms. Her decision was rooted in the Sunlight AfA findings that online harms are an urgent issue, yet many victims do not know how to seek help and therefore do not report incidents of harm.
Stefanie, together with other members of the AfA who eventually became SHE’s founding team, decided to take on the task of combatting this growing scourge. The first key initiative was the setting up of SHECARES@SCWO, a support centre for targets of online harms that focuses on girls and women.
It was also clear to the SHE founding team that there are many other issues faced by girls and women, which require attention. For example, women are still severely under-represented in the C-suite and in other leadership positions in Singapore, they continue to bear the brunt of caregiving duties in the family, and they struggle to balance their school, work, and home-life commitments. In looking to address these issues, SHE will also take into account the findings from the 2022 White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development.
Poh Heok is the Chief Government Relations Officer of Joyy Inc, a global technology company with social media platforms. Prior to this, Poh Heok served in the Singapore Public Service with postings spanning social, economic, finance and security domains in various Ministries. She was the former Deputy Principal Private Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, before helming the National Population and Talent Division in the Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group. In addition, Poh Heok has done private sector stints in the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Project and Standard Chartered Bank Shanghai.
Poh Heok has served in non-profit organisations. She was previously seconded from the public service to SG Her Empowerment as the Chief Operating Officer. She was the first Programme Director of the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism and served as a District Counsellor with the Central Singapore Community Development Council. She was also on the board of RySense, a Singapore-based research organisation. In addition, Poh Heok is currently a Board Member of Shopline Corporation Limited, an e-commerce platform.
Poh Heok holds a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies from Stanford University, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.