Member Article

Stefanie Yuen Thio’s journey has been shaped by a modest Asian upbringing that instilled a strong sense of responsibility to contribute to society.

“I want to make a difference, because I believe I have been tremendously blessed – having grown up in Singapore, having had the opportunities I have had, being able to apply my God-given skills. It’s my obligation to use all that experience and ability to do some good. If I can make life for one person a little better, then it’s worth it,” she says, adding that she was once told by a wise woman friend that even if she did not take a stand for herself, she needed to think about the countless women who would come after her and do it for them.

The veteran lawyer is a co-founder and managing partner at TSMP Law Corporation, one of Singapore’s top boutique firms specialising in corporate and commercial law. Stefanie’s remit include mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and corporate and commercial transactions. Over the years, she has picked up many prestigious awards and accolades, the most recent being one of Singapore’s Top 100 Lawyers by Asia Business Law Journal this year.

Amid the cut and thrust of corporate law, Stefanie has always kept an eye out for the overlooked and the underserved in the community. She is the driving force behind TSMP’s women empowerment initiatives, as well as support for migrant worker causes through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) and It’s Raining Raincoats. In recognition of her firm’s commitment to social responsibility, TSMP won the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre’s (NVPC) President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards in 2018, and was named a Champion of Good by NVPC in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

On top of championing women and migrant workers at her firm, Stefanie is heavily involved in various areas of community work in her own personal capacity, attributing her contributions to deep-seated Christian beliefs that one must care for the disadvantaged and vulnerable. Dover Park Hospice, The Smile Mission, ic2 Prephouse and Community Foundation of Singapore are just some of the do-good organisations that she has served.

For a go-getter with a personal motto that says, “walk faster, there’s more to do”, it’s no surprise that Stefanie would later come to establish a charity of her own. SG Her Empowerment, or SHE in short, is a non-profit organisation she set up in 2022 that addresses new issues for women in this digital age and offers programmes centred around gender equality. “I never felt hampered by gender in my profession, but as a Chinese wife and mother, I took on the principal responsibility to look after the home and my family. So I understand the pressures that Asian women face” she explains. “My work at SHE is to empower women and girls to be the best versions of themselves and to help remove the roadblocks whether these are cultural mindsets or workplace unfairness.”

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