Vivian Chua has always known she would work in tech. As a child, she was the most excited when one of her friends got a new gadget. In school, computer lessons were her favourite. She always kept an eye out for the latest tech products; never mind that she couldn’t afford them. 

Chua’s father was the sole breadwinner in the family and money was often tight. 

Young Chua would work during the school holidays and after graduating from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 1993, she took on the first job she could: Selling industrial magnets for a small company.

It was a tough job that required her to make cold calls to businesses but one that made her resilient.

“I was turned down many times. But I learned to be convincing and relentless. I learned that I could excel in anything if I took the time and effort to really dive deep into the topic.

 If I understand what I’m selling, I can thrive anywhere,” she told CNA Women in an interview at the HP headquarters at Depot Close.

 After three years, Chua took on a sales job at a firm owned by Singapore Technologies. There, she learned about HP.

As far as her career went, it was love at first sight. The IT company made and supplied the world’s computers, printers and servers, everything Chua had grown up dreaming about

“They couldn’t hire me then but I was determined to work at HP so I enrolled in a part-time business degree programme at the Singapore Institute of Management. It was challenging trying to balance a full-time sales job with studying part-time but it was a decision that catapulted me a long way,” said Chua.

She was still in the process of graduating when the opportunity to work at HP came knocking again. This time, she was hired. 

Once in, Chua slowly began to rise up the ranks – a process she said was driven by curiosity and a strong personal brand. 

Over the last 23 years, she has been promoted more than four times, and has worked in a variety of roles, both local and regional: Sales, business development, product management and channel marketing, for both HP’s print and PC business. 

“I learned to take on responsibilities. In my daily interactions with members of the community, including butchers and fishball noodle vendors, I witnessed life in all its quirks and challenges and I developed the drive to work hard.