In a career that spans more than three decades, Khim Tan has led human capital strategy across 14 countries, steering award-winning teams and reshaping the way organisations view talent. Now the director of business consulting firm Pinnacle Connexion, Khim brings a rare blend of pragmatism and purpose to the field of human resources – anchored in business relevance, frontline empathy, and a crystal-clear vision for the future of work.

Her journey began not in HR, but in banking. Selected into a competitive management training programme, Khim spent her early professional years thriving on the frontline. “I enjoyed helping customers and engaging with stakeholders,” she recalls. But it was a moment of frustration that sparked her shift to HR – when her effort to secure recognition for her branch team was denied.

“So at that moment, I marched to my branch manager and told him. I said, ‘I'm going to apply to HR to change the HR policies. So and the rest is history.’”

Bridging the gap between people and policy

From that pivotal moment, Khim set out to bridge the often-gaping divide between policy and people. “Our HR policies need to serve business purpose while being clear and firm, not for policing,” she explains.

When we drive change or introduce initiative, have the frontline business in mind …

“consult them, and ensure it does address their challenges, remove their pain points and drive growth.”

It’s a philosophy that has guided her leadership across sectors – banking, insurance, consulting, retail and tech – and organisational types, from multinational corporations to local conglomerates. Whether leading cultural integration for mergers and acquisitions, driving digital HR transformations, or building C-suite succession pipelines, Khim’s compass has always pointed toward impact.

That impact, she says, is sometimes felt in the most unexpected but meaningful ways. “The gratification of this profession is when, once a chairman and board member … commended me and my team that we had impacted the lives of employees through one sensitive and high-profile project. These unexpected compliments and appreciation sent goosebumps to me.”

Leading in a time of disruption

But in today’s VUCA world – marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity – talent leaders must evolve their game. “Attracting and retaining top talent are really crucial to really stand out as a talent magnet,” she says. And that requires more than competitive salaries or compelling job titles. It demands a multi-layered strategy.

Khim proposes starting with a clear one-, three-, or five-year talent strategy that aligns with the organisation’s future needs. That plan should anticipate not only the roles of tomorrow but also the skills and experiences required to fill them.

“The World Economic Forum once reported that 39% of businesses expect that you will have challenges in finding talent with the right skills in the next five years,” she notes.

To stay ahead, she champions what she calls the “five Bs” of talent strategy: buy, build, borrow, bridge, and bounce.

“If it's talent that we want to build because it's core for our business, then we can have, in my experience, graduate programmes or diploma apprenticeships to build the talent pipeline in succession.” Borrowing talent, whether through partnerships or temporary engagements, can also address immediate capability gaps.

“To bridge means that you will expand the breadth [of work] adjacent to the experience or the skill set … above being a subject matter expert in a particular vertical.”

She points to innovative approaches like talent cluster exchanges. “Within audit, compliance and risk, you can actually build a talent cluster, and then brand marketing, digital marketing, trade, analytics, insights can be other clusters,” she explains. Cross-fertilisation within and across these clusters strengthens both current performance and future resilience.

“Bounce,” she adds, “is for the highly skilled talent that you’re willing to consider as boomerang hires [who gain] cross industrial function experience.” For example, a former banker who returns with a new skill set in sustainability or healthcare can fill crucial roles aligned to growth strategies.

Creating a climate of growth

Yet recruiting talent is only half the battle. “The second part [to being a talent magnet] is about creating an environment for growth,” Khim stresses. She outlines five key factors that influence retention:

1. Learning and growth opportunities: “The top reason for talent looking [for opportunities elsewhere].”

2. Flexibility: “46% of them [in one study] said that they would leave or consider leaving if hybrid working arrangement comes to an end.”

3. Rewards and recognition, a long-standing passion of hers.

4. DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion): “It’s about respect, as you know, inclusivity [and] connectedness … and it makes [employers] two times better in terms of successfully hiring and also retaining talent.”

5. Tools and methodologies: “What are the tools and the way of working in the organisation that would help to retain or attract talent … In that finding, 80% of the employees said that using modern tools is very important.”

For Khim, being a strategic HR leader is not about ticking boxes but about building ecosystems where people and performance flourish together.

Certified by the International Coach Federation and Gallup, and an active mentor and executive coach, Khim continues to shape the next generation of leaders.

Whether she’s helping firms in redesigning policies, developing graduate programmes, or championing inclusion, Khim isn’t just keeping up with the future of work – she’s redesigning it.