Work in Progress

What does a diverse workplace look like? What do corporate leaders stand to gain with a diverse workforce? Willis Towers Watson country head and managing director Chin Han Lim unpacks the benefits and the risks involved for corporations that are willing to put in the effort to achieve greater diversity in their teams

- Tania Jayatilaka

A consultant with nearly 30 years of experience in strategic HR, actuarial and risk consulting, Chin Han Lim has worked with company boards, directors, and CEOs of top multinational corporations and government-linked companies in Malaysia. From observing different leadership styles and corporate practices across a variety of industries to running diversity studies for corporations, Lim’s first-hand knowledge of what works when it comes to company culture is more invaluable than ever in today’s evolving workplace.

“I think the best companies have always known that diversity is powerful and they’ve always been doing it,” says the country head and managing director at Willis Towers Watson, one of the world’s largest management and risk consultants and brokers. “Creating a diverse team is an ongoing challenge for leaders. But it also creates power because you have this collective that is more able to deal with different kinds of situations.”

Whether it’s tackling differences of opinions as a leader or seeing the value of different perspectives of people from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences, Lim tells Tatler what diversity means to him and why it extends beyond mere quotas and targets.

What’s your definition of workplace diversity? It essentially just means difference, right?