3M’s Kevin McGuigan wins Executive of the Year in manufacturing at SBR Management Excellence Awards

He was recognised for efforts made during the height of the pandemic.

Through Kevin McGuigan’s leadership, 3M created differentiated value for the company’s stakeholders. Successfully leading the company through the pandemic, he helped to drive an intense focus on employee safety and productivity.  In addition, he worked with a cross-functional internal and external team to navigate  supply chain challenges that arose as a result of COVID-19. 

As a proud second-generation 3M employee, McGuigan believed in leading with kindness and compassion, and in promoting an open company culture.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, McGuigan led initiatives such as maintaining regular communications to keep all stakeholders informed of the situation.

In March 2020, he formed 3M's cross-functional Emergency Response Team. The team created a plan for business continuity, resilience, and return to work, and updated employees regularly and encouraged feedback.

The company also participated in the government’s pandemic response which resulted in an expansion of respirator production which enabled  3M to provide  consistent supply in Singapore and the region.

Focused on Mentorships to strengthen talent pipeline and future leaders, McGuigan has mentored 16 employees and participated in 3M’s reverse mentoring program, where he, in turn, was mentored by a younger employee. Through this, he learned how to involve younger employees more in decision-making processes.

For these efforts, 3M’s Kevin McGuigan was given the Executive of the year in the recently concluded Singapore Business Review Management Excellence Awards.

This annual awards programme recognizes excellent executives, innovators and teams, as well as HR and company initiatives that promote the well-being of employees.

McGuigan was recognized for three major achievements that were reviewed by the awarding body.

First is how the Vice President and Managing Director of 3M South East Asia Region, and Country Leader of Singapore, strengthened 3M’s brand and reputation, by being a leader in science and sustainability and employer of choice. He likewise led community engagement initiatives and received awards for sustainability and CSR efforts.

Second is for ensuring 3M’s business continuity, helping, along with a cross-functional team, to navigate supply chain challenges, and maintaining employee safety and productivity during the pandemic. These contributions were recognized by the Singapore government.

Thirdly, McGuigan was awarded for being able to maintain high staff morale during the pandemic and fostered a diverse and inclusive culture. He also led mentorship initiatives and increased the ratio of women to men leaders.

In addition to these, McGuigan is noted for having led The 3M Inspire Challenge, the company’s inaugural university-level case challenge, where teams across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam submitted their most brilliant ideas in three themes of Technology, Sustainability, and Innovation. .

The company also launched the 3M Tinkering Headstart program and partnered with United Women Singapore to advance STEM education.

Lastly, Kevin  also participated in the virtual panel discussion with Science Centre Singapore on the results from the 3M State of Science Index, its global science perception survey in 2020 and 2021. A total of approximately 150 attendees joined in the discussion.