Role model
A different lens on leadership
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Texas and now living in Singapore, Debbie Lau’s story is one of multi-cultural experience – and having to fit in.
Over three decades and three continents, she's built a career navigating the unfamiliar and changing the face of leadership in insurance.
Now, as Chief Marketing & Products Officer and CEO, USA, Howden Private Wealth, she leads specialist teams across different time zones, turning local insights into global strategy – and using her international perspectives to reshape what being a leader looks like.
Beyond the boardroom blueprint
Debbie’s first leadership lesson didn’t come from any business scenario. It came from being different.
She started her career in the North American insurance market, which, at the time, was overwhelmingly white and male.
Leading in this space as an Asian woman meant challenging expectations and carving her own path.
“I had to prove myself in rooms where I didn’t look or sound like anyone else,” she says. But rather than letting these differences limit her, they became her edge.
“It’s about trusting your people to do what they do best”
With each overseas move, Debbie added new layers to her leadership style. She learned to listen deeply, lead with empathy and adapt.
This cultural fluency has given her an instinct for building trust, even when the language or landscape shifts.
“I don’t need to have all the answers,” she says. “I need to have confidence in my people and create space for them to thrive.”
It’s a generous leadership approach, to which she adds, “My success is inextricably linked to that of my team. When they grow, I grow. And I’m seeing this at Howden.”
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Connecting across borders
Debbie’s global outlook hasn’t just shaped how she leads; it drives what she builds.
After relocating mid-career from Texas back to her native Hong Kong, Debbie developed one of Asia’s first high-net-worth insurance offerings, designing bespoke products for clients whose needs weren’t being met by the mainstream.
“That was the fun of it,” she says. “Creating something different and making it the new standard.”
By pioneering a novel approach in an under-served space, Debbie set a high bar for the industry. And this drive to build better, more inclusive solutions continues to inspire her work today.
“Our clients are global. So our solutions and ambitions should be too,” says Debbie.
For her, that's the Howden difference: connecting expertise across borders to deliver something bigger.
Empowering people
But Debbie isn’t just developing business strategy at the top; she’s driving impact at grassroots too.
As chair of the Private Wealth team’s corporate social responsibility committee, she believes business should be a force for good.
An initiative she’s especially proud of is providing art therapy for underprivileged girls in Singapore.
“It gives them space to express themselves and grow in confidence. Something that’s deeply moving to watch,” she shares.
Find your place at Howden
With a career that’s evolved in surprising ways over the years, Debbie appreciates the challenges of new career paths.
And she’s the first to recognise the value that people at all stages of their careers can bring.
Wherever you are in your working life – first steps, in the middle or starting over – at Howden, we believe you’re full of potential.
