The Art of the 5Cs 4Ds: Evonne Fouesnant’s formula to success
Like many alumni, Ms Evonne Fouesnant (Class of ’96) started out as a pharmacist. While the sands of time often seem to slip from our fingers as we move through our daily motions, Evonne, however, has found comfort in the sandy beaches while practising her Tahitian dances. Beyond the sandy shores, Evonne is an avid diver who loves underwater photography.
Dancing, Diving, Drugs and Developing organisational capability – read on to learn how this alchemist mixes her healthcare expertise and hobbies to concoct a formula of success, one fueled by passion and curiosity.
The ebb and flow of life
Evonne’s journey began at the same starting line, or some might say “wave” as many of our alumni, by completing her pre-registration training to acquire her pharmacy license.
Spurred by her passion in pharmacology, Evonne pursued a master’s degree in research. She soon discovered that she had a natural knack and love for teaching/training which led her to training roles in pharmaceutical companies and teaching in academic settings. She eventually founded her own consulting firm, ENNOVE Consultancy in 2016, to deliver transformative learning and organizational development solutions to pharmaceutical and medtech companies across Asia-Pacific. Alongside her vocation, Evonne pursued her hobbies in diving and dancing passionately and seriously, so much so that she founded her own dance group Te Here ‘Ore Tahiti and assumed the role of Chief Editor of the Ocean Geographic magazine. The ebb and flow of her journey is summarized in the infograph below.
Hobbies, the backbone of her inner peace and her career
When asked how the ebb and flow of life led Evonne to her portfolio career today, especially when her hobbies appear to be unrelated to pharmacy or healthcare, Evonne responded: “I’ll explore anything and everything I’m curious about — [many of my hobbies] usually have nothing to do with healthcare or pharmacy or medicine because I’m curious about what I don’t know.”
Despite her busy schedule, Evonne always found time to explore what she loved.
Even as an undergraduate student, Evonne could be found in the dance studio practicing until 11pm most days after school. She immersed herself in the world of dance by dancing semi-professionally, doing TV shows, dancing for Singapore Tourism Board and other major government events as well as back-up dancing at concerts such as New Year’s Eve shows. Evonne reflected that dance was the key to keeping her physically fit and helping with her studies.
Her advice above serves as a good reminder to hit the gym more and possibly explore adding dance to the mix for a full-body, high-energy brain boost.
Beyond her love of dance, her love of the ocean brought her to Cuba, French Polynesia, Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua, Papua New Guinea. It also taught her about the wonders of photography.
We asked, “How did your hobbies help in your professional career?”, to which Evonne replied with many great lessons as follows:
Dance taught her that passion is crucial to do well in anything, because passion fuels commitment, discipline and resilience. Dance also taught her to lead with presence and enhance her skills in reading the room.
Diving and underwater photography taught her to listen to silence, and that patience, curiosity and observations always win. Learning when to take the opportunity, just like how she waits for the skittish mantis shrimp to come an extra inch out of its hole, always works better than rushing in to take the photo.
Most importantly, her hobbies taught her to be a better communicator and storyteller across different mediums, all of which Evonne believes, made her a better advisor, consultant, facilitator, trainer and coach.
Her diversified network from multiple hobbies also helped her to connect with people who aided in her career. One notable example she shared was related to her consulting firm’s logo: “What usually takes weeks or months, and thousands of dollars, took two days with zero cost because [Ocean Geographic’s graphic designer and friend] did me a favour,” she said.
Diving gave her the opportunity to cross paths with the founder of Ocean Geographic, who asked her to become his editor, and then Chief Editor. The role of Chief Editor came with a wide orbit; from judging underwater photography competitions to emceeing, moderating panels, and speaking at industry events. Between these events, Evonne was also sent to dive destinations around the world, exploring and translating her experiences into compelling stories for her readers.
One of the several articles Evonne wrote for Ocean Geographic. Here, she was sent to the Maldives to explore the phenomenon of female Spinner sharks, which appear at 3pm at the same spot every single day!
Through her experiences, Evonne shows us that hobbies are far from indulgent distractions, rather, they are incubators for the many skills and mindset that will enrich one’s professional life. She emphasises that hobbies train one in something they have yet to see and are catalysts to show other people one’s talents.
How to stay relevant in a job?
Given Evonne’s experience in making various pivots in her career, we asked her for advice on how to stay relevant in today’s job market, especially with the rapid development on how AI reshapes many industries and redefines roles today.
She opines that we should capitalise on developing deep expertise in a subject matter. Equipped with this knowledge, we are better positioned to critique and value add where AI cannot. Human interaction remains indispensable, even more so than before. Communication has the power to shape one’s career trajectory, undeniably making it one of the most vital competencies in today’s job landscape.
Another secret she shares is the importance of being a relentless learner – to explore, develop and stack skills beyond those traditionally required in pharmacy. These unexpected peripheral strengths in addition to a strong base in pharmacy helps to differentiate oneself from the crowd, and makes one irreplaceable in the job market. Rather than fitting into an existing role, Evonne advises us to create a role that only we can fill, thereby owning a niche unique to us.
Beyond staying relevant, a few questions may linger in the mind of those considering a career change, especially in today’s volatile job market. Should I stay in my current job? How do I know if it’s time to change jobs? Evonne shares with us four scenarios which may signal that it’s time to consider a change.
1. When you dread going to work
2. When there is no room in the organization for you to grow in your career
3. When the work – the actual work you do on a daily basis – makes you extremely unhappy
4. When you feel you are no longer learning, growing, challenged, or stimulated at work
While some prefer remaining in the status quo, she shared candidly that growth is essential for her, both in her career and in her avocations, such as dance.
From Hindsight to Foresight
Evonne at a regional train-the-trainer program which she designed and delivered for a new product launch.
Evonne serves as a mentor to various mentorship programmes, including our Department’s alumni mentorship programme, INSPIRxE. When asked what advice she would give her younger self, Evonne shared the ONE thing she wished someone had taught her early in life.
In fact, across the many speaker panels consisting of senior leaders and C-suites Evonne have attended, one topic almost always came up. These senior leaders all had and recommended getting a coach.
Evonne at a fireside chat with the mentees from INSPIRxE Mentorship Programme.
Evonne at a panel session on Career Choices, organised by the NUS Women In Business, where she is also a mentor.
How to discover your own “4Ds” to success
As our interview drew to a close, we asked Evonne for advice on how to discover our own formula of success. Evonne replied: “Pursue something you are passionate about and do it well, which will come more naturally when you genuinely love what you are doing. Beyond that, to stay curious and never stop learning, whether through formal education, courses, hobbies or even learning a new sport. Someone somewhere will notice your passion and potential, and when they do invite you to do it on a bigger stage, have the courage to say yes.”
This, Evonne believes, is how “fun” becomes “paid”, and how “hobby” becomes a “business” or even a portfolio career, allowing her live a more fulfilling life.
We thank Evonne for sharing her inspiring journey with us, and showing readers that our hobbies are far from mere indulgences. Instead, they are avenues for creativity, growth and fulfilment. May Evonne’s story spur us to discover our own 5Cs, 4Ds etc to success!
Article by Goh Siong Jean (Pharmacy Class of ’28) and Amyra Zulraimi (Pharmacy Class of ’27)
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