5 Minutes With… Erin: Year of the Tiger Edition

Somehow another year has passed and we are sitting down for our annual catch up with Accela Group CEO and Co-Founder, Erin Padilla on the year that’s been and what lies ahead just before we begin the year of the tiger.

Known as the king of all beasts in China, the Tiger zodiac sign is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils, and braveness - all good themes going into this new year!

“With our partners and networks we’re seeing lots of optimism in the future of growth of Singapore and Southeast Asia. Opportunities abound and are growing by the day.”

Erin, can you sum up the year of the Ox (Feb 2021 - Jan 2022) in three words?

Growth, Yo-Yo, and Opportunity. 

While it wasn’t the year we expected with continued COVID challenges and restrictions, there were still a lot of positives over the last twelve months and I’m optimistic about the next year ahead.

When we chatted last Chinese New Year, just before we switched from the Year of the Rat to the Year of the Ox, you said you hoped 2021 would be like an ox - steady! Was it?

Yes and no. Steady in the sense that it was an incredible year of growth for the business, and coming off of 2020 when everything just felt so completely unknown at the start of the pandemic, that felt stabilising. Not steady, with the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, the world continued to yo-yo.

The Year of the Tiger is supposed to be about strength and braveness. How do you think that will play into Accela’s work this year?

With our partners and networks we’re seeing lots of optimism in the future of growth of Singapore and Southeast Asia. Opportunities abound and are growing by the day. Accela is well positioned to help our partners thrive.

What is your personal focus for the Year of the Tiger?

Intentional planning and reducing my dependence on caffeine.