Hong Kai Wong

​I had the privilege of attending my first GovInsider Festival of Innovation 26 recently. It was an eye-opening experience listening to distinguished leaders like Gek Peng Tay (Ted talk vibes 👏) share their journeys through change management and digital transformation. ​I was also incredibly humbled to receive a Special Mention for the ‘Innovator of the Year’ award. A huge thank you to the RAiDers at RAiD (Jerome TAY, Edwin Tan) for the nomination 🙏 it was an unexpected surprise that made the event even more meaningful. ​Beyond the award, the sessions sparked some deep reflection on my own journey as an OC and innovation practitioner. Innovation is often treated as a buzzword, but to me, it boils down to three core truths: ​1. It’s Human-Centric, Not Tech-Centric: Innovation isn't about chasing the latest software or hitting man-hour saving KPIs. It’s about genuine care. When you take the time to actually listen to your people and understand their friction points, buy-in for a solution happens naturally. Empathy is the best engine for change. ​2. Design "Doing" > Design "Thinking": Workshops and courses provide the toolkit, but real change only happens when you’re willing to get your hands and feet dirty. Innovators are creators, not spectators. In our world, "No Action Talk Only" (NATO) 🤣 doesn't move the needle — experimentation does. ​3. Leading by Example: Innovation cannot flourish under a leader who is resistant to change. If we are privileged enough to lead, our actions must be the "wind to the sails" of progress. If I’m not willing to try new ways of working, I can’t expect those under my charge to do the same. ​Looking forward to taking these lessons back my unit (and my future posting) to continuing the "doing." ​#GovInsider #Innovation #DigitalTransformation #Leadership #PublicService #ROI2026

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How do you transform a 70-year-old institution for the next generation? Melissa Khoo, CEO of CPF Board, reflects on the institution’s evolution from its origins in 1955 as a simple retirement fund to its current role as a comprehensive social-security pillar supporting Singaporeans’ housing, healthcare and retirement needs. She emphasises the importance of trust and culture in delivering services, and how CPF Board must adapt to ageing societies, digital transformation and growing member expectations. Under her leadership, the Board is focusing on investing in its people, leveraging tech and AI, and reaching underserved communities through initiatives like CPF Cares. https://lnkd.in/gp-Asp33

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The e-Conomy SEA 2025 report by Google, Temasek and Bain says the region is shifting from digital adoption to building the infrastructure that will power the global AI economy.

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AI isn’t just changing software engineering. It’s reshaping the whole thing, from how we write code to how we think about what code even is. At GovTech Singapore, we’ve been thinking hard about this. We put together an AI Strategy for Software Engineering earlier this year, and I’ve been actively engaging with technologists within in Singapore and around the world, contributing a public sector perspective to an industry that honestly has more open questions than settled answers. Here is a distillation of those conversations. https://lnkd.in/g9FrWpgR

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"Space technologies and capabilities are a critical enabler for Singapore’s economy, said Dr Tan, as they underpin essential functions such as digital connectivity, navigation, maritime monitoring and climate resilience. Singapore’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, micro-electronics, precision engineering and artificial intelligence make it well placed to capture new opportunities in the sector, he added."

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The rise of AI-driven edge solutions and IoT creates more possibilities for smarter operations. But edge computing introduces more endpoints, posing new security challenges that traditional models can’t address. Singtel CUBΣ's unified SASE capabilities combine SD-WAN, security and AI-based monitoring in a single cloud-based platform, securing the edge with streamlined operations. Learn how Singtel helps you protect your distributed network from evolving threats: https://lnkd.in/gH9UE7BB #SingtelCUBΣ #SDWAN #SASE #AI #IoT

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Attended the National AI Student Developers Conference (NAISDC) as part of the ATxSGSummit last week at the invitation of my friend, Koo Seng Meng (AI Singapore). Took the opportunity to sit in the annual National AI Student Challenge (NAISC) aka AI Hackathon where the students pitch their proposals to solve real-world problems to the participating partners and judges. Kudos to AI Singapore and IMDA for setting up the AI Apprenticeship Programme (AIAP), which develops Singaporean AI talents and enhances their career opportunities in AI-related roles. Apprentices get to work on real-world projects and deepen their skills in AI and machine learning, and software engineering as they learn to deploy AI models into production. During the NAISDC panels, I experienced firsthand the enthusiasm and concerns of our AI students and Singapore’s future AI leaders. Many students posed pointed questions pertaining to AI developments to the panelists, who are industry leaders and practitioners in the AI field. We discussed the relevance of IT professionals, computer and data scientists with the advent of AI and Vibe Coding. We spoke about our future world made possible with Agentic and Embodied AI, and agreed that these solutions need to be governed and managed, with Ethical and Explainable AI. We acknowledged the importance of soft skills and business acumen beyond technical skills to thrive in the complex and uncertain world. Students asked me about what corporate and IT senior management look out for in a CV when employing someone for AI-related jobs, and what they should do to remain relevant. My advice is to stay adaptive and resilient through reskilling and upskilling, don’t fall in love with status quo, and be bold to try out different sectors and job functions to broaden their experience and sharpen their soft skills. I also took the opportunity to visit the booths and AI projects by our universities and polytechnics and met up with some startups founders. We discussed how AI could enhance Singapore’s healthcare systems, especially in transforming the lives of our seniors, caregivers and community care service providers. Thankful for this insightful and engaging learning experience. Look forward to playing a meaningful part in advancing the AI talent pipeline for Singapore. #NAISDC #ATxSGSummit #NAISC #lifelonglearning #reskilling #upskilling #AI #DigitalTransformation #HeartofCare #感恩 #AIAP Sengmeng . 邱胜铭 Gang Lee Richard TAI Jianshu Weng (Ph.D., AIGP, CIPM, CIPT, CIPP/E, CIPP/A) AI Singapore IMDA

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National Research Foundation Singapore Laying out the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030 plan at a press conference, Singapore, Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: “Research and innovation will become increasingly important as our economy matures.

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Singapore Is Going into Space! Singapore will set up the National Space Agency of Singapore (NSAS) on 1 April, a significant step as the country positions itself in the rapidly growing global space economy.   The new agency will lead Singapore’s national space strategy, spanning advanced space technologies, industry development, and international partnerships. It will be led by Ngiam Le Na, currently Deputy CEO at DSO National Laboratories.   A few points that stand out: • The global space economy is projected to reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035, and Singapore is clearly positioning itself to participate meaningfully • NSAS will build on existing programmes, including S$210 million already committed to space R&D since 2022 • Focus areas go beyond satellites, linking space with AI, robotics, quantum technologies, and geospatial analytics • Singapore will expand international collaborations across ASEAN, the Equatorial Belt, and other emerging space nations • New pro-innovation, pro-business space legislation is also on the agenda   This is not just about science or exploration. This shows the intent to grow a space ecosystem covering research, engineering, data, regulation, and commercial applications, with Singapore as a regional base.   From a talent perspective, this is a strong indicator of future demand for deep-tech, aerospace, data, and systems expertise in the years ahead.   Maybe have a more auspicious launch date? 😉   Follow Kepler Search for #commoditiesjobs, #tradingjobs, #oiljobs, #energyjobs #AIjobs, #technologyjobs and news in #oilandgas, #metals, #renewableenergy, #commodities, #trading, #AI, #technology and more.   Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gqPDsuWX

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East London to CNA, When I started my military journey from East London I did not expect to have the opportunity to contribute to a national and regional level military relationship, help facilitate a global cybersecurity exercise and then be interviewed by a international media outlet. It has been superb having Defence Cyber Marvel in Singapore this week. Thank you to the Ministry of Defence of Singapore for enabling the UK to host this global cybersecurity exercise in Singapore. 2,500 personnel, 70 organisations, 36 teams and 29 nations. This would not have been possible without the huge support from those involved in the exercise and the support from our host nation and The Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS). Several other South East Asian nations are also involved with the exercise this year. Many have sent their leadership to attend the final day of the event in Singapore. Tomorrow we find out who is the winner of this impressive exercise, which aspires to upskill our people, identify cyber talent and collaborate with partners. Watch this space for the winner. (Watch the video to the end). UK Ministry of Defence, Cyber & Specialist Operations Command, UK in Singapore, UK in Malaysia, UK in Thailand, UK in Viet Nam, UK in Indonesia - British Embassy Jakarta, Nikesh Mehta, Suraya Marshall CBE, John Clark, SpeQtral, The Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS), Prof Adam Ogilvie-Smith, Dan Ashton MBE, Tan Puay Siang, Clarence Cai, Tim Curnock, Nelson M., Yi-Jin Lee, Mitch Mitchell CB MBE, British Embassy Manila, British Embassy in Cambodia

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Real transformation doesn’t start with perfect plans. It starts on the ground. What I resonated with is the shift from planning to discovery, using small, real experiments to uncover what actually works, and letting policy follow from those learnings. This is something we (at Republic of Singapore Navy) have been leaning into. By operationalising low-code and building ground-facing teams, we’ve been able to move quickly on real problems, while staying anchored to where the friction actually is. But it also surfaced a gap. Responding to surfaced problems is one thing, embedding directly in operations is another. There is more to be gained from forward-deploying teams to experience challenges firsthand and solve at source. At the same time, scale doesn’t happen by accident. It requires simple solutions built on the right platforms, with clear ownership to maintain coherence and discipline. Ultimately, transformation is not about delivering individual solutions. It’s about building a system that continuously solves problems. #DigitalTransfomation #RSNDigitalTransformationOffice Lim Min Gerry Apple Lee

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What does it really take to build something that lasts? This was the question Sir Allan Tan and I tackled in our podcast episode—and it led us straight into one of his favorite business frameworks: Offense and Defense in Business. 🧠 Offense is what most people see. It’s the product updates, new features, aggressive growth. It’s innovation. The version of you that says, “Let’s add this to make it better. Let’s sell more. Let’s grow.” 💼 Defense is what keeps the business alive during tough times. Cost control. Automation. Cutting inefficiencies. Sometimes, even hard decisions like reducing headcount. And here's what made the conversation really click: AI makes both offense and defense more executable than ever. Use AI to innovate faster, personalize better, or design smarter. Use AI to automate the boring stuff, monitor performance, or keep operations lean. For founders, public servants, and creators—this balance matters. Especially now. The full episode is out now on my podcast. We talk real examples, strategies, and what it looks like to build with both clarity and caution. 🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gJHmzH_a 💬 What’s your offense and defense strategy right now? 📰Read this article for more https://lnkd.in/g3TwN9V4 #Leadership #Startups #AItools #OffenseAndDefense #Innovation #AIandDigitalTransformation #PhilippinesTech #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #DigitalMindset

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