Doris Sohmen-Pao

Doris is Chief Executive Officer of the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI). Doris joins HCLI from the Singapore Public Service Division where she was the Director for External Outreach, with a focus on developing relationships and synergies between the public and private sector.

Before joining the Singapore Civil Service, Doris was one of the founding leaders of Yale-NUS College. Her first role at the College was the EVP of administration where she set up and oversaw the admissions, finance, human resources, public affairs and grounds and building departments. Her last posting at Yale-NUS was as the EVP for Institutional Projects - a role which covered public affairs, institutional research, alumni affairs and external outreach.

Doris’ experience spans industries and geographies. She was the Director of Human Capital at Bain & Company, and before that, the Director of the MBA Program at INSEAD and then at Singapore Management University, where she created and launched the MBA program. She was also briefly at Ngee Ann Polytechnic as a Visiting Lecturer. Her experience also extends to working in multiple media ventures, including an internet start-up, Time Inc. International, Hearst New Media and Price Waterhouse LLP in their telecom and media division. Over the years, she has worked in Hong Kong, London, New York, France and Singapore.

Doris graduated with a B.A. in Politics and Environmental Studies from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard University. She has experience working on a number of boards of educational institutions including Princeton University, United World College (SEA), and the INSEAD Advisory Committee of Southeast Asia. Currently, she serves on the Institute for Human Resource Professionals, and Singapore National Gallery Boards. She is also an EXCO member of the International Women’s Forum Singapore. She is Korean-American.