Getting back on a career track or switching industries after a break can be daunting for most. It’ll be a challenging road ahead, and it’ll need careful preparation and dogged persistence to pull off. Thankfully in this day and age, there are tools and services widely available to support you in relaunching your careers.
To kick off 2023, our founder of the month is Carolina Yeo. Carolina is one of the founders of &ahead, a digital platform based in Germany that supports experienced individuals with their relaunching their careers after a break so that they can realise their full potential as industry leaders.
Carolina, the World Citizen
Carolina is a Singaporean-born entrepreneur with two decades of experience driving the future of work and talent management initiatives across Europe, Asia, the United States, the Middle East and Africa for multinational companies.
After graduating from Singapore Management University in 2004, she travelled the world and learned about different cultures. During this time, she joined AIESEC (Association Internationale d’Etudes Supérieures en Commerce, or AIESEC), a youth-run, international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation that helps young people become better leaders through global internships and volunteer opportunities.
Carolina scored an internship through the program with AB InBev, a Belgian multinational beverage and brewing company. She has since worked and resided in China, the United States, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Liberia, Mozambique, Brazil, and Austria for AB InBev and another multinational company constructing large-scale infrastructure projects.
The road to &ahead
Upon relocating to Germany with her family, Carolina felt it was time to realign her goals and look for opportunities that balance work and family life. After a decade of running Talent Programs at multinational corporations, she wanted to explore something greater and focus on a social issue she is passionate about, assisting people in making their career relaunch or transitioning phases. That dream was realised in 2021 when Carolina and her two partners founded &ahead.
The &ahead team
&ahead uses AI-driven recommendations and a global network of mentors, coaches and companies that value work-life balance. “Many of our members are women returning to work after a sabbatical and mothers returning from extended maternity leaves. We want to support them in reaching their career potential as leaders in their field, no matter how long they’ve been away,” she says.
Transitioning from Carol the Employee to Carol the Entrepreneur
Of course, the path to launching a business is fraught with challenges. The biggest challenge is starting with very little. “Initially, I struggled with the lack of network as I don’t have many entrepreneur friends,” she recalled. “My previous background in the corporate world included managing teams and working with senior leadership. As for my experience in Sales, it was limited to buy-in on products and services internally.”
Carolina had a steep learning curve as she learned the ins and outs of being an entrepreneur and creating her personal brand. “Suddenly, I pondered new questions about my business, like how do I get credibility for my product and how to manage cash flow and establish other areas of my business. These were questions that never crossed my mind while I was a corporate employee,” she laughed.
Despite the challenges, &ahead forged a successful cooperation with the Fitch Group’s Credit Path Program, a 10-week, full-time, paid internship for returning professionals between Singapore and Germany. This was when Carolina and her team discovered the demand for similar programs in both countries and beyond.
“Many &ahead members have shared their successful career relaunch or transition stories after working with us. We’re humbled by the opportunity to witness and be a part of their journeys.”
Going from a fully-remote service to a hybrid model
Carolina and her team worked entirely remotely with their members during the pandemic. While they learned and adapted to the new way of working, everyone from the team to community members and corporate partners missed the interactions and bonds created through in-person events. When the world began opening up in 2022, & ahead’s team based in Europe, Asia and the US switched to a hybrid work model, wasted no time and organised in-person coaching sessions and events such as the Career Tea Talk series across Germany.
“We’re finally able to meet our members and corporate partners face to face, both in Germany and Singapore, to explore further opportunities and partnerships, like the way it was before the pandemic, and that felt great!”
Striving to provide easy access to tools and services to relaunch careers
The War for Talent will continue to be a focus in 2023, with 27% of all workers globally planning to leave their positions. With increasing global resignations and layoffs, Carolina feels that having a solution where individuals have easy access to tools and services to relaunch or bridge their career gaps will be more crucial than ever.
In 2021 and 2022, &ahead received a grant approval in the Innovation Program for Business Models and Pioneering Solutions (IGP) from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate action last year to develop their AI-driven recommendations platform for jobs and skills.
Are you relaunching your career in 2023? Don’t miss these workshops!
Each month this year, &ahead will host 12 seminars designed to help participants relaunch their careers with the confidence and competence they need to succeed. Expect topics like “Adapting Your CV and LinkedIn Profiles” and “Preparing for Job Interviews”!
In June, &ahead bring together the ecosystem of companies, talents, and mentors during the Global Lead Together Forum. Participants can look forward to being matched to one of & ahead’s mentors (experienced professionals, many of whom have relaunched their careers) and receive valuable insights for their career relaunching journeys. Do register early to avoid disappointment.
No regrets; just learning as we go.
Carolina reflected that one of her mistakes was jumping into entrepreneurship without thinking things through and proper planning to bridge her career transition. “Structuring the processes before making a large career change is a crucial step - which was why I reached out to the Founder Institute when I first started.”
The team has helped her define and pivot her ideas and find solutions for challenges such as limited resources, credibility and structure. Living in Germany also allowed her to learn a new language and build a new network.
“I’ve learned much about the value of having a career through conversations with our members and personal introspection. For many of us, our work is central to who we are and what we stand for as individuals, as well as means to financial security and an outlet for our creativity and inspiration. Our children look up to us, and doing something we enjoy can be a great way to leave a lasting legacy.”
What is the one piece of advice you would give to other SEEA members and aspiring entrepreneurs?
Developing an early-stage company will be challenging and stressful, so caring for your emotional well-being is vital. Seek out other like-minded entrepreneurs and build your network by connecting and supporting one another. You can find solutions to existing problems when great minds get together to brainstorm or share their thought process in overcoming challenges and roadblocks.
Learn more about &ahead by visiting their website and LinkedIn page; alternatively, feel free to reach out to Carolina and her team via email for support in relaunching or transitioning your careers!
-
Do you own a business, aspire to start one, and want to connect with other Southeast Asian entrepreneurs?Join us as a member of the SEEA today(it’s free!). Follow us on LinkedIn for updates and more business stories such as this one!