Faces of the Rally

As hospitals across Singapore geared up for Covid-19 to hit home last year, a call was made for physiotherapists with expertise in respiratory care to attend to patients, especially those in the intensive care unit.

Woodlands Health senior physiotherapist Mohena Priyaa Selvakumar, 31, who is married, stepped forward to volunteer. She joined a team of three physiotherapists in the Covid-19 ward at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for half a year, checking on patients and helping them clear their airways and do light exercises.

"I felt really happy and proud that I was able to give back," she said. "It was my way of doing something for the country."

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BABY BOTTLE-MAKER YVON BOCK

From the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, the co-founders of home-grown baby bottle-maker Hegen knew they had to boost their online presence and speed up research efforts to differentiate their products from their competitors'.

So, last April, Mrs Yvon Bock, 41, and her husband Leon Bock, 45, made a "crisis investment" in the company, including renovating their office space to include a live-stream room and a demonstration kitchen.

The Bocks, who have four children aged between 11 and 17, also sent their staff for training during the circuit breaker. Their efforts paid off, and the firm has grown, from a staff strength of 15 last April to the current 45.

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MANUFACTURING MANAGER AARMAN YAZEED

When Mr Aarman Yazeed joined medical device maker Thermo Fisher Scientific as a technician nearly 20 years ago, he did not expect to get a leadership role.

Today, he is a manufacturing manager at the US-based company's Singapore outpost in Alexandra, where he oversees products like specialised scientific equipment for laboratories.

One key highlight of Mr Aarman's career has been overseeing KingFisher instruments - a sample purification instrument designed to automate the extraction of cells - crucial in Singapore's Covid-19 fight.

Mr Aarman, 43, who is married and has two sons aged four and six, was cited yesterday by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech.