Well-being Leaders Roundtable: Driving Performance Through Well-being
As organisations continue to evolve, the focus on employee well-being has become more than just an HR initiative—it is now a key driver of business performance. However, many companies struggle with translating well-being strategies into meaningful action, gaining leadership buy-in, and ensuring long-term impact.
At Calm Collective Asia’s most recent Well-being Leaders Roundtable, we explored these challenges and uncovered insights from HR and business leaders actively driving well-being in their organisations.
What happened at the Roundtable?
Held virtually, we welcomed 25+ leaders from around the APAC region, including Singapore, India, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong, and China. Calm Collective Asia’s 2025 Roundtable was co-hosted by Sabrina Ooi (CEO, Calm Collective) and Marlene Rothschild (Head of The Foundry).
We kicked off the Roundtable with two impactful fireside chats with our speakers, starting with exploring how psychological safety and inclusion drive performance at work with Kevin Stapp (Vice President, People at e.l.f. Beauty). Subsequently, we ventured into tried-and-tested strategies to secure leadership buy-in, measure impact, and integrate well-being into organisational culture with Stacey Huang (People Sustainability at AIA).
Sabrina Ooi (CEO & Co-founder, Calm Collective), Kevin Stapp (Vice President, People at e.l.f. Beauty), Marlene Rothschild (Head of The Foundry), Stacey Huang (People Sustainability at AIA).
We also had the chance to connect and exchange ideas with fellow well-being leaders in an intimate, close-knit setting through facilitated breakout discussions.
To close the session, well-being leaders shared the insights they took away from the session, including:
Well-being should be a shared responsibility, not just an HR task
Focus on impact by tackling root causes over the number of activities
Authenticity and vulnerability from leaders is key to ensure psychological safety
What We Learnt: Psychological Safety and Inclusion as Drivers of Performance
1. Well-being is most effective in driving performance when embedded in company culture, not just policies.
A workplace where employees feel psychologically safe, supported, and accountable to each other fosters both well-being and performance.
Kevin shared how e.l.f. Beauty builds their high performing teams on 3 key pillars, which contribute to a psychologically safe culture:
1. Strong relationship building
Building strong relationships makes navigating conflict easier by fostering trust and open communication. When employees feel safe to speak up without fear of judgement, they can resolve issues constructively and collaborate more effectively.
2. Encourage debate and sharing of perspectives
Encouraging open debate and sharing strengthens decision-making and drives innovation by allowing diverse viewpoints to be heard, ensuring employees feel valued and engaged rather than afraid of judgement.
3. Mutual accountability
Reinforcing a culture where employees feel responsible for each other’s growth supports team and company performance. Strong cross-functional relationships also create a sense of mutual support, making it easier for teams to hold themselves accountable and work towards collective success.
2. A bottom-up and co-creation approach leads to more impactful well-being initiatives.
Listening to employees, involving them in shaping well-being efforts, and ensuring flexibility in implementation create a stronger sense of ownership and engagement. While leadership commitment is crucial, real change happens when employees feel empowered to contribute to workplace culture.
3. DEI should be a core part of business strategy, not simply a compliance initiative.
Companies that fully integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their operations—not as a reactive measure but as a fundamental value—see stronger business outcomes, including better decision-making, financial performance, and risk reduction.
At e.l.f. Beauty, diversity is not an afterthought—it’s a key contributor to business performance. Even amidst recent changes in the political landscape in the US, the company continues to actively invest in diverse talent and inclusive leadership, reinforcing that DEI is not a trend but a business imperative.
What We Learnt: Integrating Well-being into Organisational Culture
1. Well-being goes beyond benefits, it’s a core part of organisational culture.
Instead of focusing on well-being benefits and perks, organisations should address root causes of the mental health challenges that employees are facing, ensuring interventions truly improve their well-being.
Stacey shared how AIA takes well-being seriously by treating it like any other business priority—measuring impact, gathering feedback, and making data-driven decisions to achieve KPIs.
2. A one-size-fits-all approach to well-being doesn’t work—initiatives must be adaptable.
When implementing well-being initiatives across diverse teams in the APAC region, it’s important to recognise that employee needs differ based on cultural, economic, social, and organisational factors. A successful strategy requires flexibility, with interventions designed to address specific challenges at the individual, team, and country levels while remaining adaptable to local contexts.
3. Framing and accessibility matter in well-being programmes.
With differing levels of openness towards discussing mental health and well-being topics in the APAC region, addressing stigma through thoughtful language can make well-being initiatives more approachable.
Additionally, ensuring well-being support is low-cost, easily accessible, and integrated into daily work life increases employee engagement and effectiveness.
Our questions for you:
What does psychological safety look like in your organisation, and how does it impact team performance?
How can your organisation create a workplace culture that actively supports employee well-being and drives performance?
Calm Collective Asia helps organisations normalise mental health at work through our consultancy services, programmes, and training. Learn more about our corporate offerings for workplace well-being.
If you would like to attend Calm Collective Asia’s future Well-being Leaders Roundtables, you may register your interest.