Cultural expectations surrounding the elderly are being challenged today, and with good reason!
While it was the norm to slow down and retreat into a quieter life post-retirement, more men and women are finding purpose and joy in doing the opposite.
WisdomCircle honours such men and women by shining light on their journey through an inspiring series called “Wisdom Stories”. These people have successfully smashed stereotypes, and their stories remind us that life should be lived to the fullest, no matter what age or stage.
“Life is like breathing. You simply cannot live without learning. Whether you are eighty or just starting, the moment you stop learning is the moment you stop growing.
I am French, born and raised in Paris. For twenty-six years, I followed a traditional path in the competitive world of banking and finance. I worked with major groups like AXA and BNP Paribas before eventually moving to Singapore in 2007 to lead a team for Aberdeen Asset Management.
It was a high-performance and stressful environment. I spent decades in the front office, where I dealt with institutional investors and developed new businesses.
Then, in 2019, life forced a pause. Following a merger and restructuring, I was retrenched along with other senior colleagues. It was not my choice. Looking back, however, it felt like a second birth.
I decided to stay in Asia and pivot from a profit-driven industry to a mission-driven one. This desire took me to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where I became the HR Director of a school. It was a massive stretch as I moved from a developed country to an emerging one, and from the front office to a back-office function. Yet it ignited a strong interest in how education can reduce social disparities.
That experience led me to return to university at the age of fifty-plus. I enrolled in a master’s programme in Leadership and Sustainability in Sweden. I graduated in 2022, which was exactly thirty years after my first degree.
It was a humbling experience to be a student again alongside peers who were thirty years younger than me. I made a conscious decision not to be a mentor to them. I wanted to be a peer. I had to ‘defreeze’ my seniority and accept that while I had experience, they had skills I lacked. This was particularly true in technology. I learned so much from them, even simple things like using Google Docs, which I had never needed before.
What made this period even more unique was that I was wearing two hats simultaneously. While I was a student in Sweden, I was also a lecturer for a business school in Singapore, teaching finance online. I would wake up early to teach in my lecturer’s uniform. Then, at 9:00 am, I would switch roles completely to become a student again.
Today, I am applying all these lessons as an entrepreneur. I founded ‘OffKampus‘, which is a platform focused on the ASEAN region that connects universities to offer programmes on social skills and cross-cultural awareness. We are currently partnering with WisdomCircle to launch a mentorship pilot that connects seasoned professionals and alumni with students.”
Inspired by Amelie’s transition into mission-driven work, and want to contribute?
Sign up with WisdomCircle to explore the OffKampus mentorship pilot and other purposeful opportunities for seasoned professionals.
“For professionals who feel anxious about their relevance, my advice is to look beyond hard skills. These often become outdated. Instead, reflect on your soft skills, such as your emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence, where we have much more to offer.
Cultivate your ‘weak ties’, which are the strangers and acquaintances outside your immediate circle. Research shows this boosts confidence. And do not forget your physical health. After fifty, staying active is essential. Life is beautiful and vast, and we are lucky to be here, still exploring and still learning.”
– Amelie Remond
Interviewed by Nehal Naik for WisdomCircle
Explore more inspiring journeys—read more Wisdom Stories here.
