Kuh Valentin: Returning to Macquarie to lead wellbeing in Manila

Kuh Valentin says the emphasis Macquarie puts on wellbeing and achieving a work-life balance is evident in the well supported Macquarie Plus program, which offers many benefits to its employees globally. As Country HR Manager based in Manila, she oversees the Macquarie Plus wellbeing program in the Philippines.

Kuh Valentin joined Macquarie in 2020 and is currently Country HR Manager for the Philippines. Part of her role includes looking after the global Macquarie Plus wellbeing program in the Manila office.

She believes a key aspect of Macquarie’s culture is an emphasis on wellness.

“If people are doing well and are supported by the company, their output and work will be better,” she explains. “It’s something I value personally and for the organisation.”

“To me, wellbeing is when you sit back and really think about how you’re doing, and you can visualise green ticks against most things,” Kuh says. “Some things you may need to work on but being able to establish wellbeing across the whole spectrum - mentally, physically, financially - is ideal.”

A career journey to Macquarie

Kuh Valentin began her career in 2004.

“I’d always worked in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, for a bank or financial institution,” she explains.

“Many of my roles were in operations, but over the years, I transitioned to training, as well as learning and development (L&D), and took on other aspects of HR,” she says.

Amidst the pandemic in 2020, Kuh found herself seeking a new opportunity and a fixed term contract role as L&D Manager for APAC with Macquarie caught her eye.

“I recognised the brand because I’d worked in the same building as Macquarie in a previous job, and the role was also a really good fit with my background,” she explains. “The more I researched Macquarie and its investments in green energy, the more interested I was.”

Subsequently, Kuh joined Macquarie’s Manila office in mid-2020. She stayed on as a permanent employee the following year in the role of L&D Manager for Global Learning, looking at data on training and expenditure. In 2022, she decided to leave Macquarie for a more senior position that exposed her to more L&D and talent at a multinational financial services organisation.

“It was bittersweet to leave Macquarie,” she explains. “I was drawn by a more expansive role that I hoped would strengthen my skill set”.

“But I discovered the culture and work-life balance were not the same as I’d enjoyed at Macquarie,” she explains.

After just nine months of what she describes as a “sabbatical”, Kuh returned to Macquarie as Country HR Manager in mid-2023, a role she was excited to take on as it allowed her to switch gears and experience the full spectrum of HR, not only L&D.

“Working in HR, I know that ‘returnees’ all have different stories - but the fact that they return means a lot.”

Promoting wellbeing in Manila

As the Country HR Manager, Kuh leads a team of two and supports over 1,000 people in Manila. She manages benefits administration, ensures compliance with government and statutory requirements, and drives the global Macquarie Plus wellbeing program in Manila.

Kuh describes Macquarie Plus as a holistic program that supports our people’s physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

“It’s a structured, robust program that focuses on the wellbeing of employees,” Kuh explains. “It provides a comprehensive range of resources and initiatives to support the health and wellbeing our people. This includes nutrition workshops, fitness classes, meditation and mindfulness resources and more.

Kuh’s team recently organised the popular three-day annual wellness fair, with vendors offering wellness products and services ranging from massage to optometry, gym membership sales, skin checks, Zumba classes and healthy food preparation demos.

“Attendance saw a 45 per cent increase from the previous year, and we also hosted a virtual wellness talk,” Kuh says.

The team also organises employee benefits like free or subsidised vaccinations and voluntary health checks, which allows people to know their health status while also promoting wellness.

Empowered to be her best possible self

A year into her role as Country HR Manager, Kuh is still on a learning trajectory. She would like to further explore wellness, alongside diversity, equity and inclusion, and how these factors impact our employees.

She believes her role has also opened her eyes to the complexity of the work that HR does.

“It’s opened my eyes to the whole spectrum of HR,” she explains. “I love helping people out, assisting with questions and solving tricky problems.”

“Despite still navigating the learning curve and facing challenges in my role, the support from my manager and colleagues have been instrumental in my journey towards delivering operational excellence.”

Kuh believes that what makes Macquarie unique is the bottom-up culture and everyone’s open mind-set to learning.

“When I think about Macquarie’s culture, it’s about empowering people to bring their best selves to work,” Kuh says. “And wellbeing is a big part of that.”