Ms Elaine Yew is a Senior Partner in Egon Zehnder and Global Co-Head of its Leadership Advisory Practice. She serves private and public companies on succession planning for Chief Executive Officer (CEO), other C-level positions and Non-Executive positions. She also advises clients on CEO development, top team effectiveness, organisational culture and board effectiveness. She has particular expertise in working with companies that require leadership change while going through high growth or radical transformation. Elaine joined the firm in 2000 and spent the first nine years in the London office developing the Private Equity Practice in Europe before moving to Singapore to lead the office there until 2016. She was also a member of the firm’s Global Executive Committee for eight years.

Before joining the firm, Elaine helped to lead an industry change programme while at Global Freight Exchange, the world’s first Internet-based global marketplace for air cargo. Prior to that, she was Executive Director with Goldman Sachs in the European Equities Division, based in London. Earlier, she was a Consultant with Monitor Company, working across Europe with clients in diverse sectors. She started her career with the Singapore Economic Development Board, where she was at the centre of early regionalisation work, helping Singapore companies develop their presence in Indochina and Myanmar in the early 1990s.

Elaine’s first passion was the theatre, and she has a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree in English and Drama from the University of Kent and a Master of Business Administration degree from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. Education is a big area of interest for Elaine and where most of her community work is centred. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the National University of Singapore (NUS) and chairs the Industry Advisory Board of NUS’s Centre for Future-Ready Graduates. She also serves on the Board of Governors of the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus group of schools in Singapore and is a member of the College Advisory Committee of the Eunoia Junior College Board, Singapore.

Elaine’s other focus in her community work is in the area of leadership and workforce development in Singapore. She sits on the Board of Workforce Singapore, and on the Advisory Board of Women’s Forum Singapore. In addition, Elaine is on the independent Nominating Committee of BW Offshore, BW Energy, BW LPG and Hafnia, listed on the Norwegian Stock Exchange; and is a member of the Asia Advisory Board of Allianz. She also sits on the board of The Majurity Trust and chairs the Tangent Initiative. Elaine was appointed a Justice of the Peace in Singapore in 2020.