RCI® Company Updates 

Coffee & Selfie with Olivier Chavy, President, RCI Exchanges

Wei Da Tan, Legal Counsel, RCI Asia Pacific & India

July 2020

Wei Da Tan, Legal Counsel, RCI Asia Pacific & India. Wei Da joined RCI in October 2019 and is based in Singapore, supporting the RCI and DAE businesses in the region. In his current role, he is responsible for legal, corporate governance and compliance related matters.
– OLIVIER CHAVY, PRESIDENT, RCI

Olivier:
I understand you joined RCI in October last year — welcome to the team! What have you enjoyed most since joining the company?
Wei Da:
I’ve really enjoyed the people! Everyone is very open — generally when people speak to the legal department, they’re a bit more guarded. But at RCI everyone is open and transparent, asking how we can help. I also think we bounce off the synergies of the different offices. We work very closely with the Kettering and Orlando office, and I think it’s great how we work so well together.
We have two boys, Terrel and Tashik, who are attending school virtually from home and we’re both working from home — but we’re managing!
O:
I understand you studied in London — what made you to decide to go to University there?
WD:
I really wanted to go and see the world, learn to be more dynamic, and interact with different cultures. Growing up in Singapore, you get a bit comfortable with the environment — to grow ourselves we have to go to different places and really challenge ourselves. I really enjoyed the three years I was there, and the chance to travel in Europe as well.
O:
What did you learn moving from Singapore to Europe for University in terms of culture and day-to-day life?
WD:
I think it was finally taking ownership of my own life. I definitely had to reach out of my comfort zone to build connections. When you move to a new environment, you really have to rely on others. I learned that it’s so important to build connections and maintain relationships.

O:
How are you staying connected with your colleagues or other teams while working remotely during this time?
WD:
Very thankful on a global level to have Zoom. I’ve really appreciated that. Skype messages, Microsoft Teams, and WhatsApp text messages are also helpful. In the beginning, it was a bit of adjusting not having those corridor conversations, but we’ve adjusted quite well. Now we keep in touch with each other probably even more.
O:
Do you feel a stronger connection with your colleagues now?
WD:
Yes, and I think the qualities of communication has also improved. We now have a purpose and make an effort when talking to each other and it’s much stronger.
O:
What have you found to be the most challenging aspect either personally or professionally?
WD:

It was really adjusting to it all. My mom is a retiree, so she was quite used to having the house to herself when I was at work! But we’ve managed to work through that.

In the beginning, there was also a lot of fear and uncertainty. I’m someone that likes to stay positive and smile — and I found it challenging to be positive, especially in the beginning. But people really rallied together.

O:
What have you learned during this situation with COVID-19?
WD:
It’s made me appreciate the contact we had with people. During the pandemic, it’s given us the time to ponder what we had before. I will cherish the time spent with people in-person a lot more and not take anything for granted.
O:
Where was your last trip?
WD:
My last personal holiday was to Bangkok in November 2019.
O:
Where would you like to go on your next trip?
WD:
If COVID had not happened, I was going to go on a cruise in March, and was planning for a year-end trip to Portugal. That has not happened! Hopefully once everything returns to normal, I’m looking forward to going to Portugal.
O:
Tell me something about you that nobody knows?
WD:

Something lesser known is that I really like Scottish bagpipes! Before my Bangkok trip last year, I went to The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in August where all of the military bands were playing bagpipes — two hours of pure enjoyment!

O:
I also understand you enjoy sewing — tell me more about that!
WD:
I think it’s something I picked up in University — again being away from home, I had to find my own way. From there, I actually learned to enjoy it. In fact, from time to time I’ll sew presents for people.
O:
What is a song that best describes you or makes your day?
WD:
I’m a person that like’s positivity, so I think Have it All by Jason Mraz.
O:
If you were stranded on a desert island for three months, what item you would you take with you?
WD:
My phone would be useless! I would bring a book — The Little Prince. But I’m afraid I may finish it too many times. It is a book I really like. Reading it as a child, as a teenager, and as a young adult, it’s very different. It would make me feel like someone shares my situation.
O:
If you became CEO of RCI tomorrow morning, what is your first decision?
WD:
Oh wow! I think as a company we are doing very well. I might kick-start and consider some development programs for employees to help with skills in a post-COVID-19 world. It might be digital skills or helping them learn more communication skills.
O:
Do you have any questions for me?
WD:
What would be your advice to an associate in their 30s, starting out and molding their career?
O:
That’s a good question. Some advice I learned very young is to spend 100% of your time doing your job, 15% networking and 15% benchmarking — that’s 130% of your time! Anytime I’m in new places, I look around and observe to see what works and doesn’t work. The benchmarking always helps. And global networking is key — you can learn so much from other people.