Human Resources

Over the past year, we continued to create meaningful opportunities for our people and reinforced the support they need to succeed and thrive. We remained focused in advancing our long-term strategic priorities: building a skills-first workforce, deepening talent and leadership development and strengthening people practices. These priorities have guided us over the years and will continue to shape how we grow both our people and organisation.

Embedding Coaching as a Core Capability

As leadership evolves from being task managers to people developers and resource orchestrators, we are investing in coaching to enable collaboration and lead transformation. Recognising that coaching builds capability, strengthens engagement, and fosters a growth mindset, we launched a coaching development programme in 2023 to uplift our leaders' coaching capabilities. By equipping leaders to empower teams, encourage ownership, and navigate change confidently, we are cultivating a more agile and future-ready workforce.

In 2025, we deepened our commitment through a partnership with the International Coaching Federation's (ICF) Singapore chapter – the first between the global coaching body and a financial institution in Singapore. Our goal is to train 100 senior leaders in OCBC to attain the ICF Associate Certified Coach accreditation by end-2027. To achieve this accreditation, leaders must complete 60 hours of coaching education, 100 hours of coaching practice and 10 hours of mentor coaching. As of December 2025, our community of 52 ICF-trained coaches has inspired and guided more than 300 employees, empowering them to grow with confidence and unlock their fullest personal and professional potential.

Prioritising Employee Well-being

The well-being of our colleagues is integral to what we do. That is why we have built holistic support programmes for their physical, emotional, social and financial well-being – and going forward, this remains a priority.

MyWellness Fiesta is our flagship initiative in this regard. In 2025, as part of the six-week long fiesta, we delivered approximately 36 wellness-related workshops and activities across the Group and 19 locations, achieving a 60% increase in participation compared to 2024.

Our MyWellness Champions programme, launched in 2024, has also expanded significantly. We now have more than 150 champions – a marked expansion from the initial batch of 26 champions in our inaugural year. Our wellness champions underwent training that included self-paced modules, trainer-led virtual workshops and accreditation from Workplace Options (WPO) and the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM). These champions are now equipped to provide psychological first aid, promote mental well-being, guide colleagues to relevant resources and offer confidential peer support. Additional cohorts will be trained in 2026, reinforcing our commitment to building a healthy, resilient workforce.

Beyond our programmes, we stand ready to provide support in exceptionally difficult times to safeguard the well-being of our workforce. Amid rising uncertainty and cost of living pressures, we extended a second round of one-off support – the first round being in 2024 – to nearly 11,000 junior colleagues across OCBC and our subsidiaries globally. This support amounted to an estimated $7.5 million.

Investing in Early Careers

Our participation in industry traineeship programmes has consistently provided a meaningful avenue to deepen our talent pipelines while contributing to the growth of Singapore's financial sector. In 2025, we supported the new Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) programme, an initiative by Workforce Singapore, through which trainees have taken on roles in teams across OCBC. This builds on earlier efforts such as the SGUnited Traineeships Programme in 2020 and 2021, where we welcomed around 200 young talents. Some of these talents transitioned into full time roles, one being Leane Lim, who began her OCBC journey in 2020. She has since joined us full time after completing her one-year traineeship learning about anti-money laundering risk management. Her responsibilities have expanded and in 2025, she also completed a fully bank sponsored, 16-month diploma in financial crime compliance.

In parallel, we continued to invest in our flagship early talent pathways, including the OCBC Graduate Talent Programme and the OCBC Ignite Programme, reinforcing our commitment to building future-ready talent pipelines. Since the launch of OCBC Ignite in 2024, we have welcomed more than 300 students across all 5 local polytechnics into the programme, further contributing to the goal of boosting participation of polytechnic graduates in the financial sector in Singapore.

Equipping Our People for an AI-Enabled Future

New technologies are increasingly reshaping the workplace – none more so than artificial intelligence (AI). As roles evolve and change, we remain resolute about investing in our workforce.

To help employees develop AI-related skills, we embed learning into the flow of work. Over the last few years, we have introduced AI tools, including Gen AI tools, to our workforce and adoption has been rapid. For the majority, usage of such tools is our primary focus as this uplifts productivity and generates value. We also run a suite of learning programmes covering AI fundamentals, data analysis, machine learning, business use cases and peer learning across OCBC Group. Over the past three years, about 3 in 5 employees have participated in at least one AI, Digital or Data related training as part of their continuous upskilling.

As technology – especially AI – continues to transform how work is done, it becomes even more critical for us to amplify the potential of our people. To stay ahead, we will not only strengthen the AI literacy of our workforce, but also deepen the uniquely human capabilities that set us apart: advanced problem-solving, agility in navigating change, and the leadership required to orchestrate human and technology systems effectively.

Looking Ahead

Our people are essential to OCBC's high-performance culture and our ability to pursue a next phase of accelerated growth. We will continue to invest in them, by anticipating changes and equipping them with the skills needed to build resilient and fulfilling careers. This enables them to contribute to OCBC's long-term growth and deliver against our purpose of enabling individuals and communities to realise their aspirations.