Of hundreds of overseas postees across Keppel, what makes Sheena Neo stand out is that she is one of the youngest.

At 23, Sheena Neo boldly took the road less travelled and embarked on an overseas posting with Keppel Seghers in Qatar. While many would be daunted by an overseas posting at the start of their careers, Sheena cherished the opportunity to test her limits and widen her horizons.

After graduation, Sheena had sought to work with the region’s best and wasted no time in seeking employment with Keppel Seghers and was placed to work on a landmark project – the Tuas South Incineration Plant, Singapore’s fifth and newest waste-to energy plant.

She was then offered more than what she had imagined –a chance to work and live in Qatar where she could gain international work experience.

“Working overseas and no less, on one of the Keppel's major infrastructure projects is a good stepping stone for my professional growth in the long term,” she enthused.

As Administrative Executive, Sheena provides support to two of the major infrastructure projects in Qatar, executed by Keppel Seghers.

Keppel Seghers is developing the Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre project worth S$1.7 billion and the Doha North Sewage Treatment Plant project worth S$1.5 billion.

Facilitating work for the two major projects brings Sheena to close contact with the locals everyday. Sheena has learnt much about the country, especially its local flavours and mores.

She shared, “The Arab workforce has traditionally seen a predominance of males, not only in the makeup of the domestic workers but even among expatriate workers. But that is slowly changing, alongside shifting attitudes towards gender.”

Being a young lady did not cause Sheena to be apprehensive about working in Qatar as she found the locals accepting of women in the workforce.

She said, “Qatar is very progressive. As there are many expatriates here, they are very receptive to women in business. In fact, just by looking at the number of foreign boutique brands in their shopping malls, you can tell that the Qataris have an increasingly global mindset!”

Braving more than just the notorious heat of the Middle East for over a year now, sourcing for innovative solutions and navigating her way around foreign places have all taught Sheena to be more street-smart and to embrace a can-do attitude when faced with difficulties.

She added, “I now appreciate the importance of keeping an open mind when working overseas. Very often, you will have to work around problems by understanding how things work. If you make the same demands as you do in Singapore, you will get nowhere.”

Being part of a rare but growing breed of foreign women working in the Middle East and contributing towards Keppel’s mega infrastructure projects, Sheena is certainly carving her niche in Qatar.