What It Does: As a global investment firm, Temasek is involved in investment management, financial advisory, corporate governance, risk management, portfolio management, and other related services.
Mission: Temasek’s mission is to help generations thrive by empowering the welfare of its people, communities, portfolio companies, partners, and the world we share as a common home.
Size and Presence: Temasek’s workforce in Singapore comprises hundreds of employees, and its head office is at Tower 2, The Atrium@Orchard.
Best Known For: Temasek has been consistently rated AAA by renowned credit rating agencies since 2004. Temasek is one of the major financial outfits in Asia.
The Good Bits: Temasek is the right place to nurture and build a career. The company pays well. Temasek has a great working environment.
The Not-So-Good Bits: The job comes with overtime. Pay raises only come with promotions.
Temasek came into existence in 1974 and was incorporated under the Singapore Companies Act. This company was founded with the primary purpose of holding and managing the assets of the Singaporean government. The company was named after an early settlement in the country. Although the government-owned Temasek, it held and managed the government’s assets as a commercial outfit, giving government bodies such as the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance to make policies. In 2006, Temasek acquired Shin Corporation, a prominent company in Thailand. Nine years later, the company's interest in Shin Corp, already renamed Intouch Corporation, was reduced to 42%. The following year, the company had even less than 42% as it sold off part of its interests.
In 2018, Temasek invested S$340 million in UST Global, a leading digital technology company. The following year, it bought a 30% interest in Haldor Topsoe. That same year, Temasek invested in Zilingo, a technology and commerce outfit. The company ventured into cryptocurrency by investing millions of dollars in FTX, a leading cryptocurrency exchange platform. In early 2022, it led fundraising for Amber Group, a cryptocurrency financing outfit in Singapore. In August of that year, Temasek did the same for Animoca Brands, a game software and venture capital firm based in Hong Kong. As of today, the company has operations in about 12 offices across eight countries worldwide.
Temasek has a strong working culture that has held steadfast for years. The company’s guiding principles and values are called MERITT. This stands for meritocracy, excellence, respect, integrity, teamwork, and trust. The company shows no favouritism to certain employees over others, and this strengthens the company's inclusion policy. Temasek has a diverse employee pool that stretches across more than 30 nationalities as well as varying ethnicities, religions, perceptions, ages, marital status, socioeconomic backgrounds, and gender. The company's team spirit makes it an ideal environment for young, fresh graduates and interns needing guidance.
Temasek offers a rewarding career to bright, young enthusiasts. Its Associate Internship programme targets third-year university students who are interested in learning and gaining experience. The programme lasts for three months, allowing interns to work in teams and be presented with real business challenges. The training entails structured training, performance evaluation, and cultural immersion. Interns will be trained in financial technicalities and equipped with certain professional skills. There will be regular performance review discussions. The Associate Internship is a pathway to full-time employment at the firm if the intern makes an impression.
The company hires new employees by screening suitable applicants via a video interview. Those who make it past this stage are subjected to a face-to-face interview, a skills test, and a personality test. Successful candidates are offered the job role and onboarded into the company.
A fresh graduate working at Temasek will earn an average salary of S$48,000 yearly.
Through the Temasek Foundation, the company has supported Singaporean and Asian communities via the advancement of education through scholarships, healthcare, and many other programmes. Temasek Foundation has touched over 2 million in Singapore and Asia.