Leadership Beyond the Uniform
I did not join Explora because I was looking for something new.
I joined because I was looking for something true.
After twenty years with the Singapore Civil Defence Force SCDF, stepping away was not an easy decision. SCDF shaped my discipline, my values, and my understanding of service. It taught me what responsibility feels like when the stakes are real, and what teamwork looks like under pressure. Most importantly, it shaped how I came to see leadership as accountability to others.
My journey has never been a straight line.
In 2009, I was appointed as a Paracounsellor, supporting officers facing professional or personal struggles. That role became one of the most meaningful chapters of my career. It demanded patience, empathy, and restraint. Often, the most important thing I could offer was simply to listen more than I spoke. Through those experiences, I learned that leadership is not always visible. Sometimes it happens quietly in conversations that help someone find the strength to move forward.
In 2013, I was posted to the Leadership Development Centre, formerly known as the Command and Staff Training Centre, as Senior Course Specialist for the Rota Commander Course. Working with leaders in training reinforced my belief that leadership develops through reflection and experience, not rank alone. I completed the WSQ Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment ACTA in 2015 and contributed to lesson packages that continue to support training excellence within the Home Team.
As the years progressed, I began reflecting on where I could best contribute in the next phase of my journey. While the work remained meaningful, my interests in mentoring, people development, and experiential learning were evolving in ways that did not always fit neatly within established structures. That reflection eventually led me to explore a different environment out of a desire for alignment.
Along the way, I continued to invest in learning. I was upgraded to Principal Trainer in 2021 and remained involved in initiatives that supported the development of others, including serving as the pioneering Paracounsellor for the Ops Lionheart Team EBSC in 2019 and facilitating the first Paracounsellor Refresher Workshop in 2022.
My commitment to learning also continued through formal education. I graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health in 2017, and I am currently pursuing a Bachelor in Islamic Studies as part of my ongoing belief in lifelong learning.
Over the years, I was humbled to receive recognitions including Service Excellence Awards, the Long Service Award 2019, the MHA Study Award 2018, the Commissioner Commendation Award 2015, and the Overseas Service Medal for Ops Lionheart 2005. While I remain grateful for these honours, the moments that stay with me most are the quiet ones when someone gains confidence, clarity, or simply the reassurance that they are not alone.
By my twentieth year of service, I felt ready to apply what I had learned in a different setting.
Joining Explora full time in early 2023 marked the start of that new chapter. Today, my primary role focuses on Operations and Safety, helping to ensure our programmes run smoothly while maintaining high standards of risk management. I also completed the Emergency Medical Technician EMT certification conducted by COSEM, which allows me to support medical readiness on our programmes when needed.
In many ways, the transition reflects my own journey from being an Encik to now serving as a facilitator.
Explora does not represent a departure from my commitment to service. It is simply a continuation of it in an environment where leadership is lived, growth is shared, and trust is built quietly one experience at a time.
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Suhaimi bin Ramli, Associate Director | Operations and Safety, Explora Pte. Ltd.