Her Story: Karin Martens

KARIN MARTENS arrived in Singapore from Chicago with husband Brad. Their initial two-year stint has stretched to 16 years and their family has grown to include Singapore Special dogs Buddy and Penny, US cat Freckles and helper Angie. Karin shares with us how the move has helped her professionally.

Where are you from originally? 

I was born in The Netherlands. After graduation, I lived and worked in Brussels for nine years before moving to Chicago with Brad. Though we loved the cold winters, we were happy to leave them behind when moving to Singapore!

What brought you to Singapore, and what kept you here?

We always discussed moving to Asia. So when Brad was offered a new regional role, we grabbed it. It was my first time as a trailing spouse, having had to resign from my position at Sara Lee’s global HQ in Chicago. My first mission on arrival was to find an apartment and the second was to continue my career.

Brad settled into Singapore immediately, but it took me a few months to feel at home. Once I was back in the workforce and we developed a growing social network, I truly started to fully enjoy Singapore. The sunny days, the incredible choice in food, the international work and social life, the regional travel opportunities and options for domestic help make Singapore hard not to love.

While it was my husband’s job that landed us here, it was my job that allowed us to stay when his Singapore assignment ended as I had become a PR.

Tell us a bit about your background and business in Singapore.

My background is in operational excellence – helping companies improve their bottom line and raise their levels of customer experience by continuously improving how the work gets done.