Close to 250 corporate leaders got together at the Chief Executive Officers Breakfast Roundtable on Thursday morning to talk about balancing work and family commitments.

It was led by a panel of six speakers, which included Mr Douglas Foo, chairman of Sakae Holdings, Ms Janet Ang, managing director of IBM Singapore and former judge Richard Magnus.

Unsupportive middle management, maternity leave and the difficulties smaller companies face in giving "family time" to employees were some of the key topics that emerged during the two-hour long dialogue.

The dialogue session, held at Fairmont Singapore is the first of its kind to be organised by the National Family Council and aimed to encourage leaders to implement pro-family practices at their workplaces.