Rainer Wolf created and implemented several successful initiatives that positioned Edward Lifesciences as one of Singapore’s top employers.
By Zee Johnson
With a deep and proven understanding of HR, diversity, equity and inclusion, and talent management, Rainer Wolf worked tirelessly to create a culture at Edward Lifesciences where belonging, engagement, and productivity was at the center.
A top priority for Wolf as the vice president and general manager of Singapore manufacturing was ensuring his company was truly inclusive. He did this by training staff on unconscious biases and making them aware of how to identify and manage them. He also promoted pay equity and developed programmes that would enhance belonging efforts. For example, programmes like “The Culture of Accountability,” ensured every employee was trained by certified accountability coaches on daily routines and behaviours that would help drive inclusion and fair business conduct.
Wolf was also an active mentor and a certified life coach, mentoring and guiding internal and external talent in Singapore and the U.S. He started the “GROW” coaching model to assist employees in their career growth and drove the corporate vision, “SMART Factory of the Future,” which aimed to effectively reskill and upskill his workforce across varying levels.
Further, Wolf also strengthened well-being support, especially for 800 Malaysia-based employees who were displaced during COVID-19 when their home border closed, leaving them stranded in Singapore. He arranged for comfortable living accommodations for the group throughout the course of 18 months and offered financial support in the form of salary advances and other non-repayable financial support programs.
Through his leadership, Wolf grew the company from 950 employees to 2,200 in four years. Retention improved from 86% to 95.5% during this time as well. Edwards Lifesciences Singapore was also ranked as the #8 top employee in all industries in the country by Randstad.
