#16. Bella Chia and her Values, Passion and Purpose

Wantedly's SG60 stories series is about people who have been shaped by Singapore, and had made a difference in Singapore. This series aims to be a platform for individual reflection on what our own values are, and how we discover our passion and strive towards our purpose.

With our mission to create a world where work drives passion, no matter the industry you pursue, discovering and aligning your values, passion, and purpose will give you the best chance at having a fulfilling career, and more importantly, life. And when this alignment is in place it leads to something greater - organisations can achieve their mission, and your community and beyond will benefit in the long run.

Values are your non-negotiable foundation, passion is about what excites and motivates you, and purpose is your deeper reason for existence. - Harvard Business Review

As a nation, when we reflect on our shared values of multiculturalism, boldness, resilience and openness, we can build upon what drove our prosperity. SG60’s theme is a refreshed spirit, and by celebrating Singapore’s journey to date, Wantedly is proud to spotlight some of those who have contributed in their own unique ways.

Introducing Bella

Bella started her career in structured finance in New York, before returning to Singapore and transitioning into private equity and private credit, where she was responsible for making both GP and LP investments. Among her more memorable transactions were the financing of 380 Melbourne, a residential and hotel skyscraper, and an equity investment in Pixxel, a company building hyperspectral imaging satellites. She also led a limited partner investment into a growth equity fund focused on women-led businesses across Southeast Asia, and represented her firm on the fund’s investment committee. Subsequently, Bella made the rare transition from the buy-side to the sell-side, and is now an investment banker advising on equity and equity-linked capital raises for Series C to pre-IPO companies.

Bella speaking at Nomura’s Women in Finance Panel, 2025

Outside of work, Bella is actively involved in several alumni initiatives. She leads the Rafflesian Business Network Capital Connect, a platform under the Old Rafflesians’ Association that brings together advisors, business builders, and investors across the Rafflesian community. She also serves as Secretary of the Raffles Girls’ School Alumnae, working closely with the principal and teachers to lead initiatives for former students and to select current students for scholarship awards. In addition, Bella also undertakes the role of Treasurer of the NYU Singapore Alumni Executive Committee.

Bella and the RGS Alumnae 5th Executive Council

In her own words

Finance was at the very bottom of my career list growing up. But looking back, I have no regrets and realised I couldn’t have taken a better path. I initially wanted to be an architect, following in my grandfather’s footsteps. The only toys I played with were Lego sets, and I was serious enough to spend weekends cutting out pictures of buildings and experimenting with AutoCAD while still in primary school. In secondary school, I even had my parents drive me all the way to SUTD to attend open lectures. But after a three-month internship at 16, I realised it wasn’t the right fit.

I chose to attend college in the U.S. because it gave me the flexibility to explore different disciplines before committing to a major. Initially, I was drawn to literature. I had taken H3 Literature in junior college and loved it, but my college only offered dramatic literature (I wasn’t into theatre) or comparative literature (and my Mandarin wasn’t strong enough for that). After some exploration, I landed on Economics and found that I really enjoyed it. It’s a subject that lets you take virtually any topic in the world and apply concrete parameters and models to make sense of it.

New York had a huge party scene, and since I wasn’t much of a party animal, the economics building became my refuge. To explore the subject more deeply beyond the classroom, I took on a part-time research role and had the privilege of working under Professor Ishaq Nadiri, who served as Senior Economic Advisor to the President of Afghanistan. He was an exceptional and inspiring mentor, and that experience gave me invaluable exposure to applied economics.

Looking back, that foundation, especially the exposure to applied economics and macroeconomic thinking, shaped the way I approached my first full-time role — rating subprime bonds at Moody’s. At the time, I hadn’t mapped out a clear career path, so when Moody’s reached out after somehow coming across my resume (I’m still not entirely sure how, though I suspect it was through my school’s campus portal), it felt like the right door to walk through. And I’m glad I did.

 Bella recently spoke on 2 panels at Nomura - Women in Finance and Women Who Lead. 

1. What are your top 3 values?

Integrity: Doing the right thing even when it’s hard, and standing by what I say. I don’t mind being misunderstood, as long as my conscience is clear.

Goodness: Acting in the best interests of others.

Compassion: Loving others and extending myself to help lighten their burdens where I can.

2. What keeps you up at night?

What keeps me up at night are the things I can’t fix — the complexities of the human heart. It weighs on me when I see people whose actions contradict their words, or who persist in choices that harm themselves or others. I often turn to books on psychology, trying to understand what might lie beneath — their histories, inner struggles, or unseen pain. But I’m also learning that not everything can be explained or solved, and sometimes the best I can do is to accept people as they are and adjust my own expectations with grace.

3. What gets you out of bed in the morning?

In this current season, I rarely have time to myself and my days are usually filled with back-to-back meetings and competing priorities, with people pulling at my attention from all directions. So I make it a point to wake up at 6am and take a walk. That quiet hour in the morning is when I reflect on the day before and think about how I can make clear, intentional decisions for the day ahead. I often find myself working through tricky people and tricky situations. I’m also a Christian, so this is the time I set aside for prayer.

When I miss that hour, it shows, and I start to react instead of respond. To counter this, I’ve realised that discipline in managing my time and energy is key. I’ve made certain trade-offs along the way. For instance, I’ve never subscribed to any streaming service like Netflix, knowing that while others might be able to manage their usage, it could easily become a time sink for me and I wouldn’t be able to get up in the mornings.

4. What fills your cup?

What fills my cup is having deep, meaningful conversations about life, work, relationships, or anything under the sun. What matters most to me is when people are real and authentic, and I feel safe enough to share my own thoughts openly too. I believe we’re all wired for deep connection, and there’s something precious about being able to understand and be understood for who we truly are.

As I get older, I’ve found that kind of authenticity is harder to come by, with so many conversations being layered with agendas or performance. So when I meet people I can connect with freely, without filters or pretence, it feels incredibly freeing and deeply life-giving.

5. In your current season, how do you define impact and success? What will it take for that to be realised?

To me, impact and success mean staying anchored to my core priorities and values — even in the midst of busyness and constant activity. Success, to me, is about fulfilling my commitments in a way that aligns with my values. It’s about showing up fully — giving my best at work, keeping the promises I’ve made, and helping where I can. I’ve always believed that my career is something I love and am extremely passionate about, but it doesn’t define who I am at my core. I want to live in a way where, if I woke up tomorrow and lost everything, I would still be okay. Now, as more opportunities come my way and I take on more senior responsibilities, I find myself holding onto that belief even more tightly. It’s what gives me the clarity and conviction to make decisions without compromising on my personal integrity. I believe it’s possible to be driven and to aim high without tying it to my sense of self-worth. 

6. Please leave us your well wishes for SG60.

I believe Singapore has been built on a strong foundation of wise and sensible decisions. My hope is that, in the next 40 years, we will continue to be guided by the same steady judgment — that our leaders and people will carefully consider what is best for our nation without being swayed by populist sentiments. One hope I hold strongly is for our education system to continue evolving towards greater equity, so that every child, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive.

Welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn!

Once again, in celebration of SG60, let us strive to be bolder and kinder to one another, wherever our travels take us.

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