One Degree, Many Choices: A Glimpse into the Career Choices of the NTI Pioneer Engineering Class of 85 9789814379779

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What some Reviewers have to say …

"These inspiring stories about the 557 NTI pioneer engineering graduates illustrate the versatility of an engineering education and how engineers contribute in many different ways to Singapore's development and the well-being of Singaporeans. Engineers turn dreams into reality."

TEO CHEE HEAN Deputy Prime Minister Coordinating Minister for National Security Minister for Home Affairs Republic of Singapore [DPM Teo is currently the most senior politician in Singapore with an engineering background. He has been the Minister for Defence, Education, and Environment. He studied Electrical Engineering and Management Science at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMfST). He recalls that in the

1 98Ds, then-Minister for Education, Dr Tony Tan had called him to understand the relationship between the University of Manchester and UMIST as a model for NT/ to award a joint degree with NUS. He served on the NTIINTU Council from 1988 to 1992. during which NTI became NTU in 19.91. In 2003, the decision to have NTU evolve into a comprehensive university was made when he was Minister for Education.]

"This book is an excellent work that provides a human face to Singapore's economic development story. The rewarding careers and contributions of a generation of engineers underscore the importance of building a solid foundation for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in our Singapore education system."

HENG SWEE KEAT Minister for Education Republic of Singapore

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"An excellent and beautiful presentation of the miraculous growth of NTU and the fascinating career journeys and accomplishments of NTI engineering pioneers. This book will inspire many to take up engineering and contribute to society and nation."

PROFESSOR EMERITUS CHEN CHARNG NING Founding Dean

School of Civil & Structural Engineering Nanyang Technological Institute

"Congratulations for a book that chronicles the history of NTI's first batch of practice-oriented engineers. Their success in different fields contributed much to the Singapore economy and society. May more alumni contribute to their alma mater's academic excellence and global prominence."

PROFESSOR BRIAN LEE Founding Dean School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Nanyang Technological Institute

"Inspiring and refreshing. The inside story of the 'builders' behind Singapore's development over the past 25 years. This book showcases a startling diversity of careers that an engineering degree unlocked. A must-share with the children in your life!"

PROFESSOR JANIE FOUKE Dean of College of Engineering Nanyang Technological University [Professor Fouke is a biomedical engineer by training.]

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"This book showcases the varied careers of some 500 successful engineers. Their rich experiences show beyond doubt that engineering is a versatile discipline and the most fulfilling and meaningful profession. Engineers are creators, innovators, builders and problem solvers. They make dreams come true. Join us."

TAN PHENG HOCK President & CEO Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd [ST Engineering is a global defence and engineering company in the aerospace,

electronics, land systems and marine sectors. A marine engineer by training, Pheng Hock. also serves on the Advisory Board of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NTU. The board provides guidance in the area of the

curriculum and direction of the school, something that Pheng Hock is passionate

about. This will ensure that the courses remain relevant to the industry.]

"The book is an excellent effort. It is heartening to read a well curated set of stories on a pioneering batch of engineers who have gone into a wide range of professions. This book sheds light on the challenges of Singapore's earlier development, and will inspire a new generation of engineers and leaders."

TANGEEPAW Chairman PUB [A civil engineer by training, Mr Tan Gee Paw has been the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at NTU since 2008. fn 2011, he became a panel member of the Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute Advisory Board. He was a board member of the previous NTUStanford Management Board as well as on the advisory panel of the previous NTU Clean Water Programme.]

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"The personal stories in this book are truly inspiring and reinforce the fact that engineering is a versatile and meaningful profession. They brilliantly demonstrate that engineering is an engine of innovation, a point often overlooked today. Engineering is a key enabler from which innovation flourishes and permeates many facets of our lives. It plays a vital role in enhancing Singapore's defence capability."

TANPENGYAM Chief Executive Defence Science & Technology Agency [Mr Tan Peng Yam is an electrical engineer by training. He serves as a board member of the Temasek Laboratories f/JNTU, a collaboration between DSTA and NTU to develop specific technology that will deliver effective solutions to enhance the defence and security of Singapore.]

"These stories are shining examples of NTI pioneers applying the lessons of engineering with variety and versatility in their diverse careers. Engineering is the cornerstone of any successful society. An engineer's greatest satisfaction is realising one's vision. I hope many others will join us on this immensely rewarding journey and turn visions into reality."

TANGKINFEI Group President & CEO

Sembcorp Industries [Mr Tang is a mechanical engineer by training. He was formerly a member of the Advisory Committee of the ENV-NTU Environmental Engineering Research Centre.]

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"Engineers play a pivotal role in the development and transformation of Singapore. They have built the past, are engineering the present and will bring to reality the vision of the future. Our NTU pioneers epitomise the spirit of Singapore and Engineering."

PROFESSOR LOW TECK SENG Managing Director

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A"'Star) [Professor Low is an electrical and electronic engineer by training.!

"These inspiring stories demonstrate the versatility of an engineering education. There are simply no boundaries except one's interest. passion, and imagination. All around us are countless engineering endeavours that bettered our lives. This book will inspire future talents to make a difference through engineering."

WONG NGIT LIONG Chairman & CEO Venture Corporation [Mr Wong Ngit Liang is an electrical engineer by training.]

"A well-documented story of the NTI pioneers' great 25-year adventure. I feel their excitement, fear, joy, sadness, wonder, pride and courage. Makes me proud to be an engineer."

LEEKOKCHOY Managing Director. Fab 7

Micron Semiconductor Asia Pte Ltd [Mr Lee Kok Choy is an electrical and electronic engineer by training.]

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"I strongly recommend this book for young talents seeking an inspiring career in engineering. It documents some of the engineering graduates from the NTI pioneer batch who have excelled in a wide range of careers. They are among the engineers who helped propel Singapore to a first world country within a miraculously short time."

LIEW MUN LEONG President & CEO Capitaland Limited {Mr Liew Mun Leong is a civil engineer by training.]

"A most invaluable tribute to the engineering profession. Engineers enhance the quality of life, raise the standard of living, and create jobs and wealth. A vivid affirmation of their contributions through the life stories of the NTI pioneers."

Q!JEK GIM PEW CEO DSO National Laboratories [Mr Quek Gim Pew is an electrical engineer by training.]

"A commendable initiative and timely guide for the next generation. The pioneers' vast experiences highlight engineers' ability to overcome challenges and the infinite possibilities open to them."

ERTAN SENG CHUAN Past President (2006- 2008) Institution of Engineers, Singapore [ErTan Seng Chuan is a civil engineer by lraining.}

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"Students thinking of a tertiary education should read this informative and interesting book. It could change your course and future. It shows the resilience of the NTI pioneers and their impact in various fields. A true depiction of the diverse pathways open to students who pursue an engineering education."

LAY-TAN SIOK LIE Deputy Principal Temasek Polytechnic Chairperson Committee Promoting Engineering Education in Polytechnics [Mrs LayM Tan is an electrical and electronic engineer by training.]

"A timely book. Engineers are problem solvers who are grounded in reality and inclined towards action. Now, more than ever, may the 'let's-take-on-the-world' spirit of the NTI pioneer class inspire a new generation of engineers to take Singapore forward."

AWKAHPENG Chief Executive Singapore Tourism Board [Ms Aw Kah Peng is a chemical engineer by training.]

"For some time, the popularity of an engineering education has fallen behind that of other courses because of a myopic view of the profession. This book goes a long way to illustrate the varied career paths of the pioneering NTI class. It should inspire more students to take up engineering, a tough but well-rewarding choice. We should remember the Chinese idiom 'Bitterness ends, Sweetness begins' (il.&\ it*)."

AlAN CHAN CEO Singapore Press Holdings [Mr Chan is a civil aviation engineer by training.!

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"An inspirational book that captures many personal experiences of engineers who made a difference. Engineers today have many diverse and exciting opportunities in Singapore's globally competitive economy to create, innovate and impact society positively. Their technological breakthroughs enable solutions to problems, generate new business, build new capabilities and improve lives. To be an engineer is to create a better world for the future."

LEO YIP Chairman Economic Development Board

"Anyone thinking of the versatile field of engineering will find this book interesting and informative. The engineering profession has never been known to be glamourous nor sexy but it continues to attract the best and brightest simply because of its importance to society. Graduates can pursue many avenues of opportunities outside the main discipline. Surbana is proud to have been able to play a part in the lives of the NTI engineering graduates then, now and, I have no doubt, in the future as well."

LIMJITPOH Chairman Surbana Corporation

"An excellent initiative. The multi-disciplinary fields pursued by the NTI pioneers show the versatility of an engineering degree adapting to an evolving world. This easy-to-read book is an encouragement to youths and a point of reference for the future."

DR R. THEYVENDRAN Chairman & Managing Director Stamford Media International Secretary-General

Management Development Institute of Singapore

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What some Junior College / Year 6 Principals have to say … "Singapore needs more entrepreneurial leaders to ride the next wave of hi-tech growth. This book not only celebrates the pioneering spirit of NTI's engineering graduates, it will also inspire succeeding generations to break new grounds and create wealth for the country."

DR HON CHIEW WENG Principal Hwa Chong Institution

"Congratulations on the publication of a book that illuminates and inspires! The many and varied accomplishments of the NTI engineering pioneers strikingly illustrate the importance of availing different educational pathways to our students. People learn in different ways, and it is when we customise programmes to their needs that we maximise the educational and social outcomes for Singapore."

LIM LAI CHENG Principal Raffles Institution

"A comprehensive book that records the accomplishments and struggles of the 1985 NTI pioneers. Engineers have played a big part in shaping Singapore's future and economy. These NTI pioneer engineers have also trail blazed in their own ways."

LOKE-YEO TECKYONG Principal Temasek Junior College

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"The unfolding narratives show how the Man and Woman engineers conceptualized, built and created modern Singapore. I encourage students who are inclined towards engineering to become engineers. Listen to your heart and follow it. It is your choice, your life."

HELEN CHOO CHIEH CHEN Principal Tampines Junior College

"Highly interesting and informative read on the myriad achievements of engineering graduates! I strongly recommend this book to all River Valley High School students. Kudos to the authors for this inspiring book."

STEVEN KOH YONG CHIAH Principal River Valley High School

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One

Degree M any Choices

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About the NTU Alumni Club Headquartered at the clubhouse in One North, Bouna Vista, the NTU Alumni Club facilitates business networking and continuing education for graduates within its fraternity. Widely recognised for its pioneering roles in technology advancements and innovative ventures, the NTU and its alumni play a fundamental role of developing a generation that will serve the nation well into the 21st century and beyond. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) was established as an autonomous organization in 1968. It is a regional centre dedicated to the study of sociopolitical, security and economic trends and developments in Southeast Asia and its wider geostrategic and economic environment. The Institute’s research programmes are the Regional Economic Studies (RES, including ASEAN and APEC), Regional Strategic and Political Studies (RSPS), and Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS). ISEAS Publishing, an established academic press, has issued more than 2,000 books and journals. It is the largest scholarly publisher of research about Southeast Asia from within the region. ISEAS Publishing works with many other academic and trade publishers and distributors to disseminate important research and analyses from and about Southeast Asia to the rest of the world.

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One

Degree M any Choices A glimpse into the c areer choices of the NTI Pioneer Engineering Cl ass of 85

Edited by

Liu Fook Thim Chairman Book Committee

NTU Alumni Club Publication

INSTITUTE OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES Singapore

xiii

First published in Singapore in 2012 by ISEAS Publishing Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace Pasir Panjang Singapore 119614 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. © 2012 Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore The responsibility for facts and opinions in this publication rests exclusively with the authors and their interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views or the policy of the publisher or its supporters. ISEAS Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data One Degree, Many Choices: a glimpse into the career choices of the NTI pioneer engineering class of 85 / edited by Liu Fook Thim 1. Nanyang Technological Institute—Alumnae and alumni. 2. Engineering—Study and teaching—Singapore—History. 3. Engineers—Employment—Singapore—History. 4. Industries—Singapore—History. 5. Singapore—Economic conditions—20th century. I. Liu, Fook Thim, 1962II. Title: Glimpse into the career choices of the NTI pioneer engineering class of 85 III. Title: Glimpse into the career choices of the Nanyang Technological Institute pioneer engineering class of 85 LG395 S53G55 2012 ISBN 978-981-4379-76-2 (soft cover) ISBN 978-981-4379-77-9 (E-book PDF) Cover Image: Courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board. Digital Imaged. All monetary values are in Singapore dollars unless otherwise indicated. Printed in Singapore by Stamford Press Pte Ltd.

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CONTENTS

What This Book Is About / xxi FOREWORD President Tony Tan / xxv Acknowledgements / xxix INTRODUCTION It’s All About Life Choices / 1

PART I THE BEGINNINGS CHAPTER 1 The Planning of NTI / 7 CHAPTER 2 Implementing the Vision / 10 CHAPTER 3 The Year 1985 / 17

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PART II ENGINEERING PURSUITS CHAPTER 4 Riding High on Semiconductors / 23 CHAPTER 5 Thriving in the Chemical Industry / 27 CHAPTER 6 Navigating the Marine Industry / 31 CHAPTER 7 Rise & Decline of the Disk Drive Industry / 34 CHAPTER 8 Boom & Bust in the Electronics Industry / 38 CHAPTER 9 Leading Lights in the IT Industry / 44 CHAPTER 10 Riding the Ups & Downs in the Telecommunications Industry / 48 CHAPTER 11 Transporting the Masses / 52 CHAPTER 12 Providing Electricity & Gas to Singaporeans / 56

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CHAPTER 13 Environment Engineering & Inventions / 59 CHAPTER 14 Building Infrastructure & Housing Millions / 63 CHAPTER 15 Building Jewels In & Out of Singapore / 67 CHAPTER 16 Soaring in Aerospace / 72 CHAPTER 17 Banking on the Emerging Life Sciences Industry / 75 CHAPTER 18 Making Waves in Other Industries / 78 CHAPTER 19 Growing Singapore Inc through Government-Linked Companies / 81 CHAPTER 20 Defending Our Nation / 84 CHAPTER 21 Moulding Future Leaders / 89 CHAPTER 22 Training Engineers at the Frontline / 92

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CHAPTER 23 The CSE Entrepreneurs / 96 CHAPTER 24 Technopreneurs from EEE / 100 CHAPTER 25 MPE Graduates Who Became Their Own Boss / 103

PART III THE LADY ENGINEERS CHAPTER 26 Adding Value to the Electronics Industry / 111 CHAPTER 27 Holding Their Own in a Man’s World / 115 CHAPTER 28 Luminaries on the Infocomms Technology Stage / 118 CHAPTER 29 Grooming the Next Generation / 121 CHAPTER 30 Jumping onto the Business Bandwagon / 124

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CHAPTER 31 Developing Human Capital / 129 CHAPTER 32 Aces in the Police & Defence Arenas / 132 CHAPTER 33 Treading Paths Less Travelled / 135

PART IV NON-ENGINEERING PURSUITS CHAPTER 34 Serving in Politics / 141 CHAPTER 35 Carving out Niches in the Banking & Finance Industry / 145 CHAPTER 36 Making Zoe Tay & Joanne Peh Stars / 149 CHAPTER 37 Making Singapore a Famed Education Hub / 153 CHAPTER 38 Beyond a Self-focused Life / 156

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PART V EPILOGUE CHAPTER 39 NTI’s Impact in Retrospect / 161 CHAPTER 40 Engineering Education Then, Today & the Future / 164 CHAPTER 41 Competing for Talent / 169 CHAPTER 42 How I Benefitted / 175 CHAPTER 43 Compass at the Crossroads of Life / 179

APPENDICES I. The Highs & Lows of the Singapore Economy / 187 II. Profile of the NTI Pioneer Engineering Class of 85 / 193 III. Gone but Not Forgotten / 196 IV. List of Acronyms / 197 V. Class of 85 Name List / 200

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What this book is about “My daughter Sarah is into her third year of the Mechanical Engineering programme at NTU.” — Florence Tan Sok Bee, MPE Pioneer

I

N DECEMBER 2010, THE CLASS OF 85, the pioneer

batch of Nanyang Technological Institute (now known as Nanyang Technological University), celebrated the 25th anniversary of their graduation with a dinner. The question most frequently asked was “Hey, what happened to you all these years?” It was this question that sparked the idea of producing a book to capture our career paths. The passage of 25 years yielded deep insights as we looked back on our engineering education. Most of us are about 50. Some of our children are already in campus. “My daughter Sarah is into her third year of the Mechanical Engineering programme at NTU. She is following in my footsteps,” declared Florence Tan Sok Bee proudly. It is time to ponder the next lap and prepare to hand the baton over to a younger generation of engineers.

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One Degree, Many Choices

Producing this book was exciting but far from easy. Tracking 557 pioneers was a challenge. Even when we did reach them, convincing them to share their life stories was no mean task. Some inspired ones contributed but others valued their privacy. Credit goes to R. Sinnakaruppan, President of the NTU Alumni Club. A key mover behind the book, he sees the timeliness of this endeavour. A member of the board of several tertiary institutions, he is aware that engineering is no longer the degree of choice. Considering how Singapore’s success is founded on the infrastructure laid by engineers including the NTI pioneers, the need to inspire future generations to take up engineering is a pressing matter. Engineers are crucial to any thriving economy. Over the years, finance-related courses have replaced engineering as the course of choice. This seems inevitable given Singapore’s status as a regional financial hub riding the Asia boom. Pragmatic young Singaporeans flock to where the money is, more so when the course is less demanding vis-à-vis engineering. The selection of university courses has become market-driven. Still, where the bank balance is concerned, the starting pay for engineers is not too bad. The 2009 Graduate Employment Survey showed that 90 per cent of NUS and NTU civil, electrical and mechanical engineering graduates earned some $3,000 a month. That is $500 more than a business or science graduate. This premium will be sustained in a technology-driven global economy. However, for the NTI pioneers, money is but one considering factor. Hindsight tells them that factors such as a stimulating job, work-life

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What This Book Is About

balance and employer’s reputation are also important. Their unanimous mantra: Life is short. Be true to yourself. So far, efforts have been made to revive interest in engineering talents. Recently, the Economic Development Board invested in an eight-week Straits Times spread. Every week, it featured a prominent engineer in the industry. The Institute of Engineers Singapore invested in workshops with secondary schools. Our approach in this common drive is to use the life stories of our cohort to inspire the reader towards engineering. This book is written with the 16- to 18-year-olds in mind. It is written in a way that is easy to read. It is a story book and not a history book. Each chapter is capped at six pages. This book is not an attempt to TELL them what to do. We want the sharing of our life stories to inspire them to choose engineering on their own accord. Time and again, these stories illustrated the versatility of an engineering education. It provides plenty of career options besides engineering. The book title sums up this key strength – One Degree, Many Choices.We also want to create awareness among their parents and teachers who are influential in shaping future careers. This book does not promise ten easy steps to a prominent engineering career. It offers no quick fix for the traumas of business cycles as companies downsize and engineers are affected. This book is not about the motivation behind our decision to study engineering either. The focus is on our careers after graduation. We do not want to digress from the main goal of getting the reader to see the career benefits of an engineering education. The book comprises five sections.

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One Degree, Many Choices

Part I covers events from the birth of NTI to the graduation of the first cohort in 1985. We interviewed founding President Professor Cham Tao Soon and founding Council Chairman Dr Michael Fam for their insights. Part II, the body of the book, is a thematic treatment of the career choices of NTI pioneers who pursued an engineering career. It opens with the semiconductor industry upon which many NTI pioneers built their careers. The semiconductor was the foundation for the computer revolution. Every chapter gives an overview of the industry. An overview of the Singapore economy over the past 25 years is provided in Appendix I. It is needed as the pioneers’ life stories are intertwined with the developments in the Singapore economy. Knowledge of the latter gives the context to better understand these stories. Part III features the 56 gutsy lady NTI pioneers who stand out in a male-dominated environment. Part IV showcases the non-engineering pursuits of many NTI pioneers, providing ample proof of the versatility of an engineering education. Part V is the Epilogue. The NTI engineering education in the 1980s is a far cry from the one today at NTU. We have interviewed the current leaders of NTU to get their thoughts on the future of engineering education. The book ends with nuggets of advice for the aspiring undergraduate. If this book inspires some to take up engineering education in general and at NTU in particular, it will have achieved its purpose.

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FOREWORD

T

he book One Degree, Many Choices captures

the impact of a government policy made 30 years ago. I have a long association with the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) starting from its inception, and subsequently in various capacities as the Minister for Education, Minister in charge of university education, and as Chairman of the International Academic Advisory Panel and Chairman of the National Research Foundation. NTU began as a response to a need. In July 1980, the Council on Professional and Technical Education identified the need to significantly increase the number of engineers in Singapore to enable our economy to shift to more high-technology, high value-add activities. To meet this need, the Council proposed, and the Government approved, the establishment of a new institute. Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI) –– NTU’s predecessor –– was set up in 1981 with three engineering schools to educate

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One Degree, Many Choices

practice-oriented engineers to run the industries that power our economy. As Singapore grew and prospered, NTI evolved to become NTU. NTU went from being a teaching university to one with strong emphasis on both education and research. Investing in higher education has been an integral part of our strategy for economic growth and nation building. It enables our people to fulfil their potential and equips them with the skills, knowledge and motivation to seize the future. I am heartened to read the detailed contributions of the NTI pioneers in virtually every industry that is vital to Singapore’s development. The book is unique because it is not about one person but a cohort. The life stories of the pioneer batch of NTI engineering graduates mirror the economic development of Singapore over the past 25 years. During this period, the Singapore economy went through structural changes as old industries were retired and new growth sectors developed. The pioneer batch of NTU engineering graduates have adapted well and made an impact on society. The world is now significantly different. There is more competition given the rise of China and India. There are also many new opportunities for Singapore and Singaporeans today. Engineering talent is still relevant to help us innovate and adapt, and seize these new opportunities in the region and world around us. Hence, it is important that some of our most talented young people continue to view engineering as a discipline of choice. I hope this book will inspire current and future batches

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Foreword

of engineers in a world that is significantly different from 30 years ago. I congratulate all those who have been involved in the production of this book and applaud their contributions to our country. Tony Tan Keng Yam President Republic of Singapore

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xxviii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

R

esearching the book gave us the opportunity

to catch up with old friends, many of whom we have not seen for years. Most were willing to give their inputs — an affirmation of the bonds forged during the three years on campus. We thank them for their strong encouragement. We put on record our deep appreciation to President Tony Tan for penning the Foreword. Professor Cham and Dr Fam were generous with their time in sharing their insights on the birth of NTI. They were forthcoming in sharing little-known events that were previously not convenient for disclosure. We are grateful to NTU Board of Trustees Chairman, Koh Boon Hwee and NTU President, Professor Bertil Andersson for their inputs on NTU engineering education going forward. We want to also thank the NTU Alumni Office for sharing with us pertinent data related to the 557 graduates from the Class of 85. A number of people have taken precious time to review the book. We deeply appreciate their kind words and encouragement.

xxix

Acknowledgements

Finally, we are indebted to those who submitted their profiles and critiqued the book. Some even managed to get their children who are in the target age group to review the book. They believe in leaving a legacy worthy of the NTI Pioneer Engineering Class of 85. Thank you.

7 Book Committee: Chairman Liu Fook Thim (MPE) Members Josephine CHUA Choon Ngoh (EEE) Martinn HO Yuen Liung (MPE) NG Chyou Lin (MPE) RAVI Chandran (MPE) Eugene TAN Eng Khian (EEE) Lucy TAN (MPE) Florence TAN Sok Bee (MPE) TEH Keng Liang (CSE) Advisor R. Sinnakaruppan (MPE)

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INTRODUCTION

It’s all about Life Choices “Engineering opened many doors for me.” — Alan Lim Kok Seng, MPE Pioneer

N

ANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (NTU)

pioneer Alan Lim Kok Seng’s engineering degree was his passport to more than 100 cities in Asia, Europe and the Americas over two decades. Names such as Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Sao Paulo, New York and Washington rolled off easily from the tongue of the 49-year-old former ExxonMobil global marketing manager. “My Beijing posting in 1995 put me on the global career circuit and started my 12-year overseas stint. It was a rollercoaster ride and my family just went along without knowing our next destination,” said Alan who graduated from the School of Mechanical and Production

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One Degree, Many Choices

Engineering (MPE) in 1985. He was among the first batch of 557 engineering graduates from the Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI) as NTU was known then. At that time, engineering was the only discipline offered by NTI. Engineering opened many doors for Alan. For one thing, ExxonMobil recruited him during a campus job fair. He credits his NTI training for preparing him for career opportunities ranging from engineering, operations, marketing to sales at ExxonMobil. “The structured mind of an engineer will perform far beyond the ambit of the engineering field, and if blended with some marketing, business and finance training, can be a potent combination in achieving one’s career aspiration,” said Alan. This book is the story of the career decisions of a group of ordinary people bonded by the common distinctive of being pioneers in a new university, a practice-oriented one. When they graduated in 1985, Singapore went into a recession after 20 years of growth.The graduates walked into a world of downsizing, re-engineering and restructuring, a phenomenon that has become the norm in recent years.Their diverse experiences over the last 25 years will be instructive for aspiring engineers. The characters in this book aren’t geniuses. They don’t have magical powers. These are engineers most of whom are singularly ungifted at what you may call brand management. Some chose fame and scaled the heights in the political and commercial arenas. Some chose a simple life and appreciate the sweet balance between family and work. Many have gripping tales to share, be it the joy of entrepreneurial success or the pain of job loss. Others bit the bullet, changed

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Introduction

careers and got on with life. The versatility that they picked up in NTI held them in good stead in an uncertain economic climate. Life is about choices. The pioneer batch of 1985 made theirs and you are about to make yours. The engineering degree specifically prepared the first batch of graduates for their careers. If you are thinking about a university degree and aspire to take up engineering as a career, this book is for you. May you be inspired to emulate the pioneering spirit of your predecessors in a globalised and challenging environment.

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PART I

THE BEGINNINGS On July 5, 1982, Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI) opened its doors to the first batch of engineering students who spent Year One at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The students comprised 557 men and women. The institute’s first president was Professor Cham Tao Soon, a PhD from Cambridge University. He was also the Dean of NUS’s engineering faculty. NTI was sited on the campus of the former Nanyang University (NU) which had a chequered past. Using the land was a mark of respect for the noble aspirations behind the founding of NU. NTI sought to bring these aspirations to fruition. After three years, the NTI pioneers celebrated their graduation. They were fired up with visions of becoming the future leaders of the nation and to find solutions to pressing engineering challenges. Unfortunately, they walked into a severe recession which saw the local economy contract 0.7 per cent, the worst showing in 26 years. Many could not find jobs, some even nine months after graduation. It was sobering!

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5

6

Chapter

1

The Planning of NTI “There is value in nation-building to retain the symbol of Nantah.” — Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore (1959 – 1990)

N

ANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY (NTU)

might never have existed if not for the intervention of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. NTU’s predecessor Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI) was supposed to have a different name and be built on a plot of land in the eastern part of the island. It was PM Lee who stepped in to enable the construction of NTI on the sprawling Jurong campus that Singaporeans know of today. The story of NTI began with the former Nanyang University (NU) and its departure from the campus on which NTU now stands. In 1953, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Singapore proposed the setting up of a Chineselanguage university that would attract students from the

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One Degree, Many Choices

region. The project received support from a wide spectrum of the Chinese community, from wealthy merchants to trishaw riders and hawkers in Singapore, Malaya and the Borneo territories. NU, which opened to much fanfare in 1956, became the symbol of Chinese language, culture and education. However, those who entered NU in the 1970s with high expectations found reality different upon graduation. Being educated in Chinese, they found it hard to get jobs in an economy where English is the working language. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew could not accept the prospect of several hundred students wasting their future each year. In 1975, he tasked Education Minister Dr Lee Chiaw Meng to convert NU into an English-language university. It was not successful. In 1978, PM Lee tried another method. He persuaded the NU Council and senate members to move the whole university into the campus of the University of Singapore at Bukit Timah. In 1980, the two universities merged to become the National University of Singapore (NUS). At that time, there was a pressing need to increase the number of engineers to cope with the shift of Singapore’s economy to one that focused more on high-technology, high value-add activities. In July 1980, the Council of Professional and Technical Education indicated that the number of engineering students should increase from 300 to 1,200 a year. There were three possibilities. The first was to increase the NUS engineering intake, but the committee felt that it was too big to manage, according to Professor Cham Tao Soon, a council member cum NUS engineering

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The Planning of NTI

dean. He said, “With such a huge number, we cannot have a one-model-suits-all approach.” The alternative was to have a Faculty of Technology within the university, but it did not happen. “The committee felt that it was better to start a university on a clean slate without the baggage of history and tradition,” said Professor Cham. The committee tentatively named it the Singapore Institute of Technology and identified a plot of land in Bedok for it. However, that plan was aborted by PM Lee. He proposed that the new institute be sited at the vacated NU campus. It would be linked to the NUS Engineering Faculty for eight to ten years to ensure consistency in standard. This would justify the awarding of NUS degrees to its students. The plan was for the institute to become an autonomous university by 1992 after students, parents and employers were convinced that its standard was on par with NUS. Injecting ‘Nanyang’ into the name of the institute was PM Lee’s idea. It would help to preserve the admirable spirit behind the founding of NU. He reportedly said, “There is value in nation-building to retain the symbol of Nantah (NU). It tells the story of an immigrant people who treasured language, culture and traditions; who from trishaw riders, taxi-drivers, hawkers, clerks to businessmen and bankers responded to the call of higher education by donating whatever they could to Nantah. The spirit deserves to be treasured.” That was how ‘Nanyang Technological Institute’ came about.

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Chapter

2

Implementing the Vision “I wanted NTI to produce practice-oriented engineers.” — Professor Cham Tao Soon, Founding President of NTI/NTU (1981 – 2002)

P

ROFESSOR CHAM DISTINCTLY REMEMBERED

the permanent secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Finance (MOF) who tried to pull a fast one on him in the early days of NTI. NTI founding president met the PS to ask for the funding per NTI student to be raised on par with the NUS engineering faculty. The PS said that the funding was already the same but he forgot that Professor Cham wore two hats. Professor Cham calmly told him, “I am also the NUS engineering dean and I know the amount received.” The PS said nothing. In the end, NTI got more money but only after then Education Minister Dr Tony Tan, who spearheaded the NTI project, appealed to PM Lee.

10

Implementing the Vision

The reluctance of MOF to provide equal funding to NTI was the biggest hurdle for the new NTI Professor Cham said, “They saw NTI as an inferior start-up to NUS and wanted to give lower pay for NTI professors vis-à-vis NUS.” Equal treatment only came after Professor Cham fought hard with strong support from Dr Tan. The tussle with MOF was but one of the challenges that faced Professor Cham in the early 1980s when he was asked by Dr Tan to head the NTI Planning and Development Committee. The committee’s role was to recruit staff, develop the campus and decide on the curriculum. Professor Cham’s initial reluctance was understandable. “The Nanyang Council and alumni were very hostile to me and it would not be easy competing with NUS which has more than 100 years of history,” he said. However, Dr Tan was very persuasive. Professor Cham continued, “He told me that this was an opportunity of a lifetime. How many people get the chance to start a university from scratch?” Professor Cham decided to take the plunge provided he remained as the NUS engineering dean post. He shared, “If it became too hard at the end of two years, I could go back to NUS.” Besides Professor Cham, another NTI pillar was Dr Michael Fam whom Dr Tan persuaded to chair the NTI Council. The corporate bigwig who chaired many wellknown companies including Asia Pacific Breweries and Singapore Airlines was an asset to the new institute. Dr Fam, a trained engineer, had many years of experience helming large engineering-related projects at Hume Industries, Fraser and Neave Group and Mass Rapid Transit Corporation

11

One Degree, Many Choices

(MRTC). “The private sector knew me and that helped to get recognition from companies especially with regards to getting industrial attachment for undergraduates,” he said. “Of course the students, curriculum, staff, governance and monitoring must be good.” Among his other contributions to NTI, Dr Fam oversaw the construction of the new campus and persuaded the Housing Development Board — which he chaired — to allocate four nearby blocks for staff housing. In his capacity as MRTC chairman, he facilitated the construction of the MRT line to Boon Lay. This made it easier for students to get to NTI by taking a connecting bus from the Boon Lay MRT station. NTI grew from strength to strength since its inception. In order to do that, there had to be a strong foundation. Dr Fam said, “Dr Tony Tan had good leadership; Professor Cham was a good CEO; and that left me free to focus on policy matters.” In matters on academia, Professor Cham’s experience in NUS was invaluable. He knew the key weakness of its curriculum –– lack of exposure to the industry. “The NUS medical faculty trains doctors in hospitals. Yet NUS engineering students were trained in the class room,” he observed. Professor Cham wanted NTI to produce engineers who could hit the ground running, be it on the factory floor, power station or shipyard. In short, NTI would produce ‘practice-oriented engineers’, a term he coined. Dr Fam who supported the idea, said, “When the graduates could hit the ground running, the employers would get their money’s worth immediately.”

12

Implementing the Vision

In order to do that, NTI introduced a 10-week In-House Practical Training and a six-month industrial attachment. The former required students to attend industrial talks, visit factories and do computer-aided design and manufacturing. The quest for qualified staff saw Professor Cham make several trips abroad to recruit those with industrial experience. He explained his rationale with a rhetorical question –– How can you teach engineering if you have never practised it? The training of Singapore’s future engineers was fast taking shape. NUS would produce Research and Development (R&D) engineers while NTI churned out practice-oriented engineers. The former would be based in the laboratories and the latter in worksites. The aim was to have three in four of the projected 1,200 engineering students in Singapore study at NTI every year. The pioneer batch would be second year undergraduates who had gone through the first year of engineering at NUS. At the end of the first year in 1982, they would be channelled to the second year at NTI or NUS depending on their examination results and aptitude. With no precedence to fall back on, NTI leaders turned to similar set-ups in other countries for reference. There was the prestigious University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). UMIST was academically linked to the university but was financially and administratively independent. Its graduates received degrees from the University of Manchester. Professor Cham said, “UMIST enabled us to see the relationship between an institute and its university, independent and yet gave out the university degree.” Another model was MIT which has the twin

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One Degree, Many Choices

strengths of engineering and business. “As NTI grew, we could not rely on just engineering,” said Professor Cham. “The second phase was to start a strong Nanyang Business School.” NTI was off to a good start when the government poured in a princely sum of $170 million to renovate the campus, build new buildings and rope in famed Japanese architect Kenzo Tange to put together the new building based on a spine and wings concept. RDC did the project management and Kumagai Gumi was the contractor. In fact, many NTI pioneers ended up working for these organisations. Professor John Brown, who was the head of electrical engineering at the Imperial College in Britain, was appointed as a consultant. He was also the president of the British Electrical Engineering Institute. NTI was well marketed to prospective students through seminars. Representatives from the public and private sectors spoke on the job opportunities and career prospects for NTI graduates while the Public Service Commission announced their recognition of NTI graduates. NTI also got accreditation from professional bodies such as the Institute of Engineers. The seminars were a success. Half of the top 25 per cent of first-year NUS engineering students opted for NTI. They were not short-changed. By the time the first 582 students –– one in four was a diploma holder –– arrived in July 1982, NTI’s three schools –– Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), Mechanical and Production Engineering (MPE), Civil and Structural Engineering (CSE) –– were ready. Over $10 million had been spent on laboratory equipment. Looking back, Professor Cham marvelled at the

14

Implementing the Vision

success of NTI within such a short span of time. When the pioneer batch graduated in April 1985, NTI was named “one of the best engineering institutions in the world” by the Commonwealth Engineering Council, comprising representatives from 25 Commonwealth countries. The Council reached this verdict after an extensive four-year study of the courses offered by engineering institutions worldwide. External examiners from the University of Leeds, Loughborough University of Technology and UMIST praised NTI’s curriculum and examinations. The recognition of NTI on the international stage led one senior government official to call NTI’s success a “minor miracle”. Besides the leadership, Professor Cham also credits the success of NTI to the capability of the pioneer batch. The performance of the first batch was crucial to NTI. “The excellent performance of the 557 pioneering graduates was the best advertisement for NTI,” he said. The six months of practical training sandwiched between the third and fourth year made them employment ready. They were highly sought after by employers –– the ultimate yardstick on a university’s performance. The 1985 Graduate Employment Survey showed that most NTI graduates, some of whom received job offers from their industrial attachment, secured private sector jobs at competitive salaries. Some even received a higher pay than NUS graduates in equivalent disciplines. In 1985, despite the standstill in the construction industry, many CSE graduates found alternative employment while some fellow NTI pioneers went on to do their PhDs at top

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One Degree, Many Choices

foreign universities. Dr Fam said, “My greatest satisfaction at NTI was to be able to produce a bunch of first-rate engineers ranked high in the world. NTI brought prestige to Singapore. The pioneers held the banner and carried it forward.” Their sterling performance was all the more remarkable in light of the inauspicious timing of their graduation. In 1985, Singapore was mired in an economic recession, one that forced the government to reassess the country’s economic policies.

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Chapter

3

The Year 1985 “We thought there would be jobs waiting for us given our professional degree. We were very mistaken.” — Teh Keng Liang, CSE Pioneer

T

HE YEAR 1985 WAS AN UNSETTLING YEAR for the

NTI pioneers. In April, they graduated right in the midst of Singapore’s worst recession in 26 years. Ng Chyou Lin recalled, “One moment I was revelling in the warmth of getting my academic scroll and the morning after, I was feeling the chill of a quiet job market in which many companies retrenched staff let alone hired new ones.” The tale from other NTI pioneers was similar. There were few if any responses from employers to the slew of resumes sent. The fortunate exceptions were the scholars with the civil service or private companies and some of those who were hired by the companies where they spent their six-month industrial attachment. The recession was triggered by a drop in demand for goods from Singapore’s trading partners. The factories

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One Degree, Many Choices

that were supposed to hire the MPE and EEE graduates had cut their production. That led to a headcount freeze, and subsequent retrenchments deepened the gloom. CSE graduates were not spared either. The construction sector, which had been growing rapidly, stagnated towards the end of 1984. There were few remaining public projects and the private commercial and residential property markets were saturated. The demand for civil engineers plummeted and CSE graduates faced an uphill task in their job search for the next three years. The sudden and swift recession was a shock for Singapore which had been used to consistent high economic growth. Since separation from Malaysia in 1965, economic growth averaged 9.7 per cent. The only serious decline came during the 1974 –75 oil crisis. The recession crushed the rosy expectations of the NTI pioneers. It suddenly dawned on them that life was not so straightforward. Teh Keng Liang said, “A university degree did not guarantee a job. We thought that there would be jobs waiting for us given our professional degree. We were very mistaken.” Among the foreign students, some “went home”. Others remained in Singapore as they were bonded for three years due to the subsidised education. They hung on until the jobs resurfaced, thankfully, towards the end of the year. The recession was a severe wakeup call. Naive optimism was tempered by harsh reality. The NTI pioneers realised then that a university degree does not automatically translate to good jobs with high pay. It is not an immediate ticket to middle class. In retrospect, the recession was a blessing in disguise. “This experience toughened us,” said

18

The Year 1985

Lucy Tan. “We became mentally stronger and were better equipped to handle the many more recessions over the next 25 years.” In light of the unemployment situation then, the Singapore government jumped into action to restore the country’s cost effectiveness. They came up with a raft of cost-cutting measures, a 15 per cent decrease in employers’ contribution to workers’ CPF, lower fees and taxes. They introduced variable components into remuneration packages to make wages more flexible. They cut back on senioritybased pay. The government also started to focus more on the services sector as a major growth engine, alongside manufacturing that had long been a key driver in the economy. In manufacturing, Singapore adopted new technologies to move up the value chain. The policy changes paid off, aided by favourable external conditions. East Asia was going through an economic boom, the global electronics industry was expanding rapidly, and the United States economy was experiencing its longest post-war recovery. For a decade until the Asian financial crisis broke in 1997, economic growth averaged 9.2 per cent a year. “I was not too concerned about the situation at that time,” said Professor Cham, “I knew they would prevail as the pioneer batch of NTI graduates was a resilient bunch. They survived the start-up years of NTI and I knew they would do well in the industry.” By the end of 1985, after a wait of about six to nine months, the factories started hiring. But this was not so for the construction industry, which took longer.

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20

PART II

ENGINEERING PURSUITS Economically, Singapore has made tremendous progress over the past 25 years. Its gross domestic product increased tenfold between 1985 and 2009. Per capita income more than tripled to $53,000 during the period, higher than that of most developed countries. When the NTI pioneers graduated in 1985, the economy had already shifted its reliance from entrepot trade, rubber and tin to petrol-chemicals, electronics and other manufactured goods. In manufacturing, the restructuring process took the form of higher valued-added goods which require more engineers. There was rapid upgrading of the transportation, housing and communication structures. The Class of 85 benefitted from the growing economy and contributed to its continual growth. In this section, we get a glimpse into the role played by some graduates in the various industries.

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Chapter

4

Riding High on Semiconductors “What I learned at NTI was relevant and of international standard.” — Chua Thian Yee, EEE Pioneer

W

AT C H I N G THE C LOSU R E of National

Semiconductor’s Singapore plant in 2006 was memorable for Gary Chan. “It was an invaluable experience as one of the last few men standing,” said Gary who was involved in the shut-down process from start to end. He had been with the company after it acquired his first employer Fairchild Semiconductor in 1987. National Semiconductor was a job lifeline to grateful NTI pioneers such as Ooi Kok Chan. He shared, “I did my industrial attachment at National Semiconductor and they offered me the post of a test engineer one month after graduation.” Fairchild Semiconductor, an American firm, employed many NTI pioneers including Liu Fook Thim. In 1985,

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One Degree, Many Choices

American semiconductor companies were trying to catch up with their Japanese competitors. The Japanese excelled in statistical process control techniques. “I was hired to implement this technique at Fairchild,” said Fook Thim who studied the subject at NTI. However, it was a challenge to get cooperation from production and maintenance staff. Things changed only after the top issued a directive. Many NTI pioneers started their careers in this industry, a stepping stone for some NTI pioneers to greater things. R. Sinnakaruppan and Inderjit Singh were working for National Semiconductors and Texas Instrument respectively before entering politics. The semiconductor industry is an important component of Singapore’s economy. All parts of the semiconductor value chain including research and development and manufacturing are here. In 2008, semiconductors formed 55 per cent of the country’s total electronics manufacturing output of $68 billion. That was 11 per cent of the global semiconductor output. In 1969, Singapore welcomed the first chip assembly and test plant set up by National Semiconductor. In the 1980s, other Silicon Valley semiconductor companies such as General Electric Intersil came and turned Singapore into a semiconductor packaging powerhouse. Charlie Foo Siang Sin spent the early part of his career with Intersil before moving to do electronics packaging at 3M’s Woodlands factory. It produces flexible circuits used in mobile phones, disk drives and ink-jet printers. A decade later, the semiconductor industry entered a

24

Riding High on Semiconductors

new phase when STMicroelectronics set up the first wafer fabrication plant and integrated circuits design centre in Singapore. These wafer fabrication plants and integrated circuits design centres provided many jobs for the NTI pioneers. Ravi Chandran was with STMicroelectronics as a plant engineer responsible for providing uninterrupted utilities to the manufacturing operations; Law Syn Pui became an integrated circuit designer at Hewlett-Packard; Joe Hui Keen Leong joined local foundry, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and was sent to California for three years to learn the wafer fab technology. A foundry manufactures semiconductor wafers on behalf of other companies. In 2000, Joe was part of the team that set up Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company, a state-of-the-art 1.2-billion dollar foundry that was among the top three in Singapore. Semiconductor plays a key part in daily life. The ubiquitous smart card such as the transport EZ-Link Card or any security pass has an embedded semiconductor chip. Chua Thian Yee played a part in popularising the use of smart cards in Asia. He worked for Gemplus, a French smart card start-up, and has an inspiring tale to share of his time there. “It was 1990 and almost all the Gemplus executives did not believe that we could penetrate the Japanese market,” recalled Thian Yee. Fortunately, he has strong backers — Gemplus CEO and the French government agency in Tokyo. The latter opened doors and Thian Yee went on a marketing blitz at all trade promotion events. His efforts caught the eye of the NTT Data founder. Gemplus sold their expertise to NTT

25

One Degree, Many Choices

Data. That led to an investment from NTT Data and KDD. Thian Yee grew Gemplus’ business in Japan and South Korea to a point where it could compete with Japanese giants like Dai Nippon Printing and Toppan Printing. His experience made him appreciate his NTI training. “What I learned was relevant and of international standard,” said Thian Yee. In the 1970s, the semiconductor industry was a key pillar of the economy. There was another main industry which provided jobs for many NTI pioneers –– the chemical industry.

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Chapter

5

Thriving in the Chemical Industry “I took up roles in human resource, operations and outsourcing to help the company expand in the region.” — Beck Choon Hueei, MPE Pioneer

C

HEW THIAM HUAT works at the Petrochemical

Corporation of Singapore, the upstream company of the $5 billion Singapore Petrochemical Complex on Jurong Island. They supply petrochemicals such as ethylene, propylene, butadiene and benzene to downstream companies that in turn produce petrochemical products for their customers. Over the past 25 years,Thiam Huat assumed a wide range of responsibilities such as plant maintenance, engineering, construction, IT, procurement as well as safety management. Thiam Huat is one of those who enabled Singapore to enjoy a reputation as a world-class energy and chemical hub. The three major chemical industry sectors are petroleum,

27

One Degree, Many Choices

petrochemicals, and specialty chemicals. Singapore is a major oil refining, storage and distribution centre. It is strategically located in the midst of a fast growing oil and gas producing region. In 2009, Singapore’s energy and chemical industry contributed $57 billion to the manufacturing output. That is 28 per cent of the total output. Now, Jurong Island is among the world’s top 10 petrochemical hubs. It is here that companies convert raw materials such as oil, natural gas, metals, and minerals into products. They include big names such as 3M, Sumitomo Chemical, Shell and ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil took in three NTI pioneers in 1985. “I did various functions from engineering to operations and marketing and sales,” said Alan Lim Kok Seng who was with ExxonMobil for 23 years. “Such wide exposure was invaluable to my career.” After the stint with the company, Tan Aik Kuai, a Malaysian, went home to work for Nylex Berhad, a public listed company in Malaysia. For Tan Gek Noi, she left after two years to do a MBA before joining Hewlett Packard. Vaidyanathan Srikrishnan’s experience in the chemical industry was memorable. After graduation, he returned to his industrial attachment company Esso to work in the refinery engineering department. He supervised project contractors. Later, he did a four-year assignment in Guam, an exotic island with gorgeous natural scenery in the Pacific Ocean. He lived through terrifying earthquakes and typhoons. “Imagine coconuts flying through the air like bullets or the stoppage of water and electricity for up to a month after a typhoon,” he said. He lived to tell the tale. Upon his return to Singapore, he became the cost control engineer for a 70-million dollar project. “My job was to ensure that the

28

Thriving in the Chemical Industry

project was completed on time and within budget,” he said. “It was pressurising given the keen interest from the head office in the United States.” Beck Choon Hueei also contributed to the bustling chemical industry. He was with DuPont, an American chemical company that was the world’s third largest chemical company based on market capitalisation in 2009. Choon Hueei was the utilities manager at DuPont’s Tuas plant which produces Lycra®, a type of stretch fiber. Many designers and clothing manufacturers use Lycra® fiber especially for ladies’ lingerie. Garments made with this material have a number of advantages. It can stretch and make garments more lightweight, comfortable, and porous. It dries and dyes easily and is resistant to bacteria, ultraviolet rays, and chlorine. Singapore is one of three major Lycra® fiber production centres in Asia. Choon Hueei helped to start the high-tech manufacturing plant at Tuas in 1992. He was posted to a similar facility in the United States for six months to prepare him for the task. The second and third plants opened in 1999 and 2002 respectively. “I took up roles in human resource, operations and outsourcing to help the company expand in the region,” he said. In 2003, DuPont divested this business into a subsidiary known as INVISTA. The following year, Koch Industries acquired it. Choon Hueei remained with the new company as the operations manager. Liu Fook Thim was a technical sales representative with DuPont. “They wanted a sales person who was technically strong to market its chemicals to the electronics industry,” he shared. Intel Penang, which assembled and tested 386

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One Degree, Many Choices

microprocessors used in personal computers, was a major client. Intel expected the sales person to resolve any issues arising from the use of DuPont’s chemicals. “My engineering background and my five years of experience in Fairchild Semiconductor helped,” said Fook Thim. Besides the semiconductor and chemical industry, another heavyweight propelling Singapore’s economy was the marine industry.

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Chapter

6

Navigating the Marine Industry “The last few years had been very good for the Singapore marine and offshore oil and gas industries.” — Wu Kum Weng, EEE Pioneer

J

AMES SOON PENG HOCK’S Republic of Singapore

Navy (RSN) career is a rich tapestry of experiences. He had been a National Day Parade commander, naval fleet commander and even diplomat. After graduation, he joined RSN at a time when they needed engineering skills on board advanced warships known as missile corvettes. At one point, he was based in the Singapore embassy in the United States. His role was to develop technology collaboration between the United States Defence Department, Singapore Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Two things prepared him for the diplomat role. The first was his stint at the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College. The second was his study for his Masters

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One Degree, Many Choices

in International Relations at the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in the United States. Upon retirement from the SAF in 2007, the ex-colonel’s illustrious navy track record opened up a second career for him. He went into the marine industry and was based in the United States as Senior Vice President of Singapore Technologies (ST) Marine. His role was to expand the marine business through marina merger and acquisition.When James returned to Singapore in 2009, he set up a new firm within ST Marine to help defence customers solve operational problems. Subsequently, when ST Marine formed a joint venture that deals with a unique craft technology serving the oil and gas industry, he became president of the new entity. James is one of a handful of NTI pioneers who charted their careers in the marine industry, a key component of Singapore’s economy. ChangYee Shen is the General Manager of a firm that offers plating and repair of marine diesel engines. Wu Kum Weng has been with Sembawang Shipyard since 1992. Over the years, he improved productivity, developed yard infrastructure and automated marine and industrial services. In 2000, he set up an e-procurement portal to enable shipyards and their suppliers to buy and sell products online. The intent was to aggregate all major suppliers in the marine industry to make procurement and backend processing more efficient, benefiting both buyers and sellers. Currently, Kum Weng is the marine manager in charge of operations planning. He oversees the docking and repair programme of all vessels at Sembawang Shipyard. He said, “The last few years had been very good for the Singapore

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Navigating the Marine Industry

marine and offshore oil and gas industries. The challenge is to deploy the right resources at the right time and manage customer expectations and perception.” Today, Sembawang Shipyard is synonymous with excellence in ship repairs and ship conversions. Together with Keppel Offshore & Marine Group, they have 70 per cent of the worldwide market for the construction of rigs, floating production storage and offloading vessels. These NTI pioneers helped the Singapore marine industry grow from a small regional ship repair and building centre 40 years ago to the present-day global powerhouse. The Republic is a one-stop marine centre for ship owners, managers and agents around the world. Its services include ship repair, shipbuilding, rig building, offshore engineering and construction of customised vessels. This industry generates an annual turnover of $10 billion and employs about 100,000 workers. Ship repair and conversion form the backbone of the local marine industry, accounting for more than half of the total revenue. The semiconductor, chemical and marine industries formed the bedrock of Singapore’s economy in the 1970s. Heading into the 1980s, another growth engine provided the impetus. It was the disk drive industry.

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Chapter

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Rise & Decline of the Disk Drive Industry “There was high engineering content, cutting-edge equipment and active technology transfer from the United States.” — John Lim Chi Chen, MPE Pioneer

W

HETHE R YOU A R E g a m i n g o n l i n e o r

downloading new software to your computer, you are using a hard disk drive that is likely to have been made in Singapore, a major producer of highend hard disk drives in the world. In fact, the engineer who ensures the smooth production of this vital component in a server or computer can well be an NTI pioneer such as Lloyd Ong Kar Lock. For 13 years, he was with Seagate, the top global manufacturer of hard drives and storage solutions. The company has been in Singapore for more than two decades. It has plants in Ang Mo Kio, Science Park and Woodlands. Singapore is home to Seagate’s only hard drive design centre and first volume manufacturing site outside

34

Rise & Decline of the Disk Drive Industry

the United States, and the first recording media operations facilities outside North America. Through the years, many NTI pioneers contributed to Seagate’s success. Lloyd was in the Motor Division; Tan Lam Seng is in the Logistics and Supply Chain department; Ong Hock Lam was in process engineering; Chan Whye Quine, William Teh and Wong Ser Yian were in the Supplier Quality Department. As an engineer in that department, Ser Yian liaised with suppliers of motor components, machining and casting services. The disk drive industry contributes significantly to electronics output and employment. In 2005, it accounted for 20 per cent or $14 billion of output and hired some 20,000 people. Over the years, Singapore has developed strong capabilities for hard disk drive components ranging from media to motors and base plates.This enables the manufacture of high value-added hard disk drives and key components. The presence of big names such as Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital, IBM and Hitachi confirms Singapore’s dominance in this sector. In 2005, Singapore accounted for over 25 per cent of the world’s hard disk media output. When Maxtor opened its doors in the 1980s, NTI pioneers John Lim Chi Chen, Daniel Chien Tiaw Huat and Teo Lye Hock joined it. John enjoyed the work. “There was high engineering content, cutting-edge equipment and active technology transfer from the United States,” he said. Daniel discovered his strengths and gained a lot of industry knowledge at Maxtor. As a procurement engineer, he travelled extensively working with suppliers on cost, quality and capacity issues.

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One Degree, Many Choices

There were many job options with companies that support the multinational companies (MNCs). Daniel went on to join a local supplier that makes parts for the disk drive companies. Lloyd joined PCS, a firm that repairs disk drives for Seagate. Kan Kok Hong was with a firm that supplied magnetic heads to disk drive makers. Ser Yian went to a company that makes precision mechanical components for customers such as Seagate. Chan Whye Quine joined a company that did sub-assembly work for disk drive manufacturers. With the rise of low cost operations in Malaysia, Thailand and China, the big boys began to move their operations out of Singapore. Lye Hock helped Maxtor set up a new manufacturing plant in the Suzhou Industrial Park. The plan was to make desktop hard drives there while the Singapore facility produced the high-end server drives. However, Maxtor shut down its Ang Mo Kio plant in 2006 and retrenched two-thirds of its 8,000 employees in Singapore. The company was eventually acquired by Seagate in 2006. Now, Lye Hock works for a solar power company which is building a solar panel manufacturing facility in China. Another Maxtor veteran Ng Yong Huat moved to Hitachi Global Storage Technology. Seagate also exited to cheaper destinations. In 2004, it shifted its assembly plant to Thailand but retained test operations in Singapore. It was just prolonging the inevitable. The local team trained the Thais and lost their jobs. In 2010, Seagate shut down its manufacturing operations at Ang Mo Kio. That was the death knell for hard disk drive production in Singapore.

36

Rise & Decline of the Disk Drive Industry

Hitachi Global Storage Technology is the only major disk drive maker remaining in Singapore. It was formed after Hitachi acquired IBM’s disk drive operations in 2003. Ong Hock Lam runs the manufacturing operations. Ng Song Hang is with the technical team. On 7 March 2011, Western Digital announced that it would acquire Hitachi Global Storage Technology. In the 1980s, the disk drive industry was a key driver of the economy. Its co-driver was the Personal Computer and Consumer Electronics Industry.

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Chapter

8

Boom & Bust in the Electronics Industry “I also built the one millionth iMac that was presented to CEO Steve Jobs.” — Goh Chye Lee, MPE Pioneer

T

HE iPOD, iPHONE AND iPAD have endeared a new

generation to Apple, one of the largest technology firm in the world with an annual revenue of over $84 billion in 2010. In its 35-year history, Apple has many milestones and MPE pioneer Goh Chye Lee was involved on two occasions. He shared, “I was the engineer who transferred the manufacturing of the original Macintosh –– a nine-inch monochrome all-in-one computer –– from the United States to Singapore. I also built the one millionth iMac that was presented to CEO Steve Jobs.” Chye Lee is a case-in-point on the quality of NTI pioneers. Singapore was mired in recession in 1985 and

38

Boom & Bust in the Electronics Industry

thousands were vying for a job with Apple Computer (as the company was known then). He got an interview because he used an Apple II compatible computer and a dot-matrix printer to print his resume. He beat 103 applicants to land the manufacturing engineer job, the first fresh graduate that Apple hired. Later, other NTI pioneers such as Yew Wee Chong and Charles Yap Kiat Hoong joined him. Charles Yap spent 18 years with Apple being extensively involved with the iMac, iBook and MacBook. In recent years, Charles has been the technical product manager for Apple peripherals such as keyboard, mouse, and the popular iPad. These pioneers are among hundreds of NTI pioneers that contributed to Singapore’s electronics industry, a key economic engine over four decades.There are three pillars to this industry –– consumer electronics, semiconductors and disk drives.Apple is one of several firms driving the consumer electronics industry in Singapore. Others included Hewlett Packard (HP), Dell, Philips, Matsushita, Creative Technology and Motorola. Together they churned out microphones, loudspeakers, amplifiers, personal computers (PCs), colour TV sets, radios and videocassette recorders. The electronics industry started in the late 1960s when foreign companies set up assembly plants for products such as transistors and low-end consumer electronics. Even in the early days, the electronics industry provided jobs for one-third of the workforce. By the mid-1990s, electronics was contributing over half the economy’s manufacturing output. By 2003, the electronics industry accounted for 43 per cent of domestic exports. It provided jobs to a quarter of the total manufacturing labour

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One Degree, Many Choices

force. In addition, the manufacturing of finished electronics products created many spin-offs to other segments of the economy, such as precision component manufacturers, chemicals and materials suppliers, electronic manufacturing systems companies and logistics service providers. Lum Chang Leong had a long career in the consumer electronics industry. He worked in the Thomson and Toshiba joint-venture video cassette recorder manufacturing plant before moving to Siemens Nixdorf at their production plant. Later, he joined General Electric Control where he oversaw the transfer of manufacturing technology from Europe and the United States to China. Chang Leong’s NTI training held him in good stead in his work. He said, “When there is a problem, my training helped me identify the root cause from the symptoms. That helps to solve the problem.” Robert Yeo had worked for many big names in the PC and Consumer Electronics Industry. He has been with Matsushita Denshi, Fairchild Semiconductor, Hoya, Dell Computers, Fujitsu and Toshiba. “It was Dell Computers that brought me to Texas in the United States in 2000,” said Robert. Today he is based in California working for Toshiba as the Engineering Director supporting their hard disk drive customers. Among the big names in electronics, HP stands out as a major employer of NTI pioneers. Many were there on industrial attachment before becoming full-time employees after graduation. For example, Lum Siak Foong was involved in producing HP calculators, PCs and network equipment. Munir Mallal was with the software division. Leslie Ong Yew

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Boom & Bust in the Electronics Industry

San oversaw the enterprise and data-centre products. He is now the Managing Director of Oracle Singapore after a 23year career at HP. Another big employer is Motorola. Gan Hock Chai, who was among the NTI pioneers there, held many roles. He tested pagers and mobile radios. He was in manufacturing. He managed a pool of American engineers while stationed in the United States. The highlight was setting up a new pager manufacturing factory in Shanghai. He said, “I enjoyed cultivating good manufacturing practices. I had to train the local engineers who were smart but inexperienced.” After Shanghai, Hock Chai returned to Singapore to oversee the outsourcing of the assembly of Motorola products. “At the peak, I was outsourcing some $3 billion worth of products,” he said. However, the good times did not last. Motorola’s market share suffered from stiff competition from Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung. That led to massive downsizing. Hock Chai volunteered for the “golden hand-shake” and left Motorola in 2009. Among the Japanese giants was Matsushita Electronics. NTI pioneers such as Law Syn Pui and Tan Ah Peng helped it stand out. Syn Pui designed cassette tape recorders, while Ah Peng had two patents to his name as head of one of the R&D divisions. Soh Siang Loh was with Sanmina-SCI, a leading United States electronics contract manufacturer. He worked at their plants in Singapore, Batam and Penang. Competition in the industry was so intense that “you could only ask ‘how high’ when the customer asked you to jump”.

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These NTI pioneers benefitted from the government’s ability to woo consumer electronics giants to Singapore. Their skills made it easier to attract MNCs to set up base here. The government also encouraged the electronics sector’s development through investments in state-owned enterprises such as NatSteel Electronics. In this climate, private-sector firms such as home grown Creative Technology emerged. In the 1990s, several large contract assemblers such as Venture Corporation and JIT Electronics grew. In 1991, Kan Kok Hong joined Venture Corporation to do R&D supporting major customers such as HP, IBM and Intel. The public listed company has grown into a global player with sales of $3 billion in 2010. The first 15 years of the NTI pioneers’ working life contained more ups than downs. However, the next 10 years were fraught with job uncertainties. There was a sharp downturn in global electronics demand at the turn of the millennium. In 2003, electronics exports accounted for 53 per cent of non-oil domestic exports. It was 69 per cent in 1998. As local wages rose, Singapore became less competitive, a fact that was felt in printed circuit board assembly and consumer electronics before spreading to PCs, peripherals, and telecom equipment. MNCs moved production facilities out of Singapore to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and China. The exodus includes Apple, Siemens, Philips, Panasonic, Sanyo, Fujitsu, Seagate, Western Digital, Maxtor and Motorola. When the companies moved out of Singapore, the NTI pioneers either lost their jobs or followed overseas. Kong Jit Sun left Motorola in 2008 when they cut cost and

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Boom & Bust in the Electronics Industry

downsized. Lee Wai Mun went to China to join Celestica, a top global electronics contract manufacturer. Chye Lee left Apple when the local operation was outsourced to China. He is now with home-grown water company Hyflux. Lum Siak Foong, who had left HP to join Creative Technology for 14 years, eventually left in 2009 due to the impact of the 2008 financial crisis. On his watch at Creative, Siak Foong oversaw the distribution of Creative’s sound cards, accessories and MP3 players. The proliferation of the PC and consumer electronics industry saw the speedy increase in raw computing power. That led to the growth of software and many NTI pioneers went after the new pot of gold in the IT industry.

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9

Leading Lights in the IT Industry “The banking transaction system is complex and great care must be taken to ensure the integrity of all data.” — Liau Hon Chung, EEE Pioneer

S

INCE GRADUATION IN 1985 Francis Tay Teck Leong

never left campus and he is not in academia. He returned to NTI to join GINTIC as a communication engineer. The company deals with computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). GINTIC is now known as the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology. His most memorable moment at work was dealing with the Nimda virus on 18 September 2001. The virus hogged bandwidth, destabilised gateway routers and was spreading like wildfire. If not stopped, it could paralyse the GINTIC corporate network. Francis swung into action. He mobilised his staff and cut off network access to any infected computer. They contained the virus and prevented

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any network disruption. Francis recalled, “It was a crisis that demanded my problem solving skills that were learnt at NTI. My background in electrical and electronics engineering helps my IT work. Both deal with hardware and software.” He rose through the ranks to become deputy director. In 2009, Francis received a National Day Long Service Award from Minister of Trade and Industry, Lim Hng Kiang. Another IT veteran is Ho Lip Tse. He started out as a systems analyst with the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore. The Singapore-born Australian citizen based in Melbourne is a solution support architect with SAP Australia. SAP is the world leader in enterprise applications software that helps companies run better. Lip Tse provides risk mitigation consulting services for complex projects. His strong interest in this field prompted him to do his PhD at the University of South Australia. Prior to SAP, the mechanical engineer by training was working for Motorola Singapore where he was responsible for equipment maintenance, process engineering, shop floor integration and IT. He became a certified SAP consultant at Motorola. That enabled him to join SAP in 1999. Liau Hon Chung’s IT expertise enabled the smooth running of banking transactions. The importance of his work came through in one incident. At the back end, someone missed a semi-colon in the command, causing two commands to be combined. That destroyed the root file system causing the critical server to crash, and the bank’s opening was only eight hours away. Hon Chung came to the rescue. He activated a preplanned team that was well-trained to handle contingencies.

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Their hours of practice drills paid off. They restored the system before customers entered the bank. “The banking transaction system is complex and great care must be taken to ensure the integrity of all data,” said Hon Chung. “Any compromise is very serious.” He is now an adjunct lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He also works part-time taking on projects in the local bio-medical and healthcare IT sector. The NTI pioneers’ IT capability can be seen in Dennis Sng. He was a consultant to Managed Computing Competency Centre, a heavyweight collaboration between NTU, Sun Microsystems and Infocomm Development Authority. They sought to position Singapore as the ideal place to test and manage computing services in Asia Pacific. Dennis’ NTI training in electronics engineering was an asset on the job. “Among the useful things that I learned were floor loading, fire ratings and uninterruptible power supplies.” He is now with the Media Development Authority. Ong Tah Chuan is based in Atlanta, the United States, with the InterContinental Hotels Group IT department. The group owns the Holiday Inn hotels. Tah Chuan switched from civil engineering to IT after completing an IT course at the NUS Institute of Systems Sciences. Another leading light is Henry Tan Chin Tuan, a regional programme manager with Unisys. The firm is a titan in the IT industry and catered to the IT needs of many MNCs. In the late 1980s, Unisys was the second largest computer company in the world. Henry provided IT solutions to banks, post offices and telecommunication companies. These NTI pioneers helped make Singapore a leading

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IT hub. A 2010 World Economic Forum report ranked Singapore as the second most network-ready country in the world. Singapore holds the pole position in Asia. The local infocomm industry was worth $52 billion in 2007 and Singapore is home to 80 of the top 100 software companies in the world. Many set up their regional or Asia Pacific headquarters here. They employ some 130,000 IT professionals. The thriving IT industry depends on the excellent telecommunications infrastructure. Part of the credit could go to the NTI pioneers in the telecommunication industry.

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Chapter

10 Riding the Ups & Downs in the Telecommunications Industry “A strong engineering foundation gave me the confidence to take on such varied roles in an MNC like Lucent Technologies.” — Henry Tan Chin Tuan, EEE Pioneer

T

HE FORTUNES OF EEE PIONEER Winston Choo

York Meng’s company read like a recent history of Singapore’s telecommunications industry. In 1995, the bulk of his company’s business came from building equipment for SingTel telex department. Telex is a switched network of teleprinters similar to a telephone network. It sends out text based messages. In those days, every major company and banks had a telex machine and a dedicated telex operator. However, the facsimile machine and e-mail eroded

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Riding the Ups & Downs in the Telecommunications Industry

the usefulness of the high-cost telex. Less and less business rolled in and SingTel discontinued the service in 2009. Due to the decline in telex jobs, Winston’s company found new contracts in the paging sector dominated by SingTel, Hutchinson and Easycall. In the heyday between 1994 and 2002, there were more than two million pagers in use. With the end of SingTel’s monopoly in 1995, the number of mobile phone users shot up at the expense of pagers. In 2005, the number of people using pagers dropped to half a million. The writing was on the wall. Easycall closed their paging service in 2004 and SingTel in 2008. In 1997,Winston got onto the mobile phone bandwagon with business from Motorola and Ericsson which supplied cellular equipment to SingTel and M1. Unfortunately, it was not a smooth ride. By 2005, China’s telecommunication equipment builder Huawei was competing with Motorola and Ericsson. Now, the local telecommunication companies use Huawei’s products. That reduced Winston’s business drastically. His involvement with this sector is now limited to a short messaging system gateway service targeting industrial users. Winston has since diversified into the military equipment and railway equipment business. His efforts made a modest contribution to the development of Singapore’s telecommunication infrastructure, one of the most advanced in the world. Singapore is recognised globally as a leader in the development and use of Information and Communications Technology. In contrast toWinston’s experience, fellow pioneer Leong Peng Ham rode on the wave of change in the telecommunication

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industry to greater heights. Peng Ham was in the thick of action at the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS). The agency gave him a scholarship to study at NTI and a job upon graduation. TAS was the government authority responsible for telecommunication regulations, network operation and services. In 1992, the commercial functions of TAS were hived off to form Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) and Singapore Post. TAS became the regulator of the telecommunications and postal industry. Peng Ham chose SingTel over TAS. Market liberalisation started with the emergence of mobile communication in 1997. Peng Ham left SingTel to join Singapore Technologies Telemedia (ST Telemedia) to build up alternative communication networks to challenge SingTel, the incumbent. In 1998, StarHub was awarded the licence to operate fixed, mobile and international networks. ST Telemedia is the majority shareholder in StarHub. Peng Ham was transferred to StarHub in 1998. He is now StarHub’s Vice President for Corporate Networks. Fellow classmate Chan Chor Seng heads the Fixed Voice Network. In the course of his work, Peng Ham’s path crosses with Seow Kim Kheng from Ericsson and Lee Yat Cheong from Media Development Authority. At Ericsson, Kim Kheng was a business manager handling SingTel’s account. He was involved in the mobile pre-paid system and network expansion. A thirst to work overseas led him to join an English software company which required frequent travel to China. When the company was bought over by another firm in 2007, Kim Kheng rejoined

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Riding the Ups & Downs in the Telecommunications Industry

Ericsson where he handles StarHub’s account. He said, “In the course of work, I met Peng Ham and Chor Seng. It was great to renew the friendship.” Another pioneer in the industry is Henry Tan Chin Tuan. He was with SITA, an MNC specialising in providing telecommunication services to the air transport industry. Henry subsequently went to Lucent Technologies where he oversaw the implementations that involve wireless network technologies. This is the kind of infrastructure that mobile phones depend on. Altogether, Henry spent more than ten years in the company. During that period, he took on varied roles involving programme management, business development, product management, business operations and services delivery. “A strong engineering foundation gave me the confidence to take on such varied roles in an MNC like Lucent Technologies,” said Henry. He is now a self-employed project management consultant. He helps DSTA College review their past projects and develop case studies to train their project managers. Henry shared, “The pace of work is much slower as a consultant and this allows me to spend more time with my family.” These NTI pioneers helped to develop the telecommunications infrastructure. Another group built an integral part of the transport infrastructure –– the MRT network.

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Chapter

11 Transporting the Masses “If we did not use explosives, we might not finish the project on time.” — Tan Kian Thong, CSE Pioneer

T

HE SWEAT AND TOIL of Tan Kian Thong and Chua

Chiow Chye have enabled Singaporeans to get to their workplaces in a speedy manner for more than two decades. These CSE pioneers helped build an indispensable part of our lives –– the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. In 2009, the MRT network has an average daily ridership of two million. That is two in five residents. The NTI pioneers’ engineering expertise was vital in creating the backbone of Singapore’s public transport infrastructure. The MRT network is a source of national pride. It is the second-oldest metro system in Southeast Asia, after Manila’s Light Rail Transit System. In 1985, the government rolled out the first MRT project known as the

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‘Compass Line’ or North-South-East-West line. “We constructed the sections linking the MRT stations at Chinese Garden, Lakeside and Boon Lay,” said Kian Thong. He and Chua Chiow Chye were site engineers with Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC), which later became SMRT Corporation. The MRT system was the brainchild of the far-sighted Singapore government, who in 1967 foresaw the need for a more reliable mode of public transport as the population increased. They decided to have the network operational by 1992. The rationale was simple. An all-bus system was not viable due to limited space in a land-scarce country.The initial five-billion dollar construction of the MRT network was then Singapore’s largest public works project. Construction began on 22 October 1983 at Shan Road and the network was built in stages. The North-South Line was built first as it passed through the Central Area that had a high demand for public transport. On 7 November 1987, the initial section between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station began operations. Soon after, 15 more stations opened and then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officially launched the MRT system on 12 March 1988. The opening of Boon Lay Station on the East West Line on 6 July 1990 marked the completion of the system two years ahead of schedule. The MRT project was one of two bright spots –– the other was the HDB projects –– in the gloomy construction industry during the recession of 1985. Hence many CSE pioneers flocked to the MRT project. Together with Kian Thong at MRTC was Lee Yat Cheong, a site engineer. “I was fortunate to be employed shortly after graduation,” said Yat

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Cheong. “Many classmates could not find a job.” He got a three-year contract. There were NTI pioneers with the contractors and consultants. Song Siak Keong and Sim Kay Hee were with Japanese contractor Sumitomo. The latter was contracted to build the Queenstown and Commonwealth stations. Later, Siak Keong joined VSL Systems as a pre-stressing design engineer. “I wanted to do design work,” he explained. Lim Suy Meng and John Lim Meng Cheok were there as construction engineers. Meng Cheok shared, “I gained plenty of site experience liaising with the main contractor, sub-contractors and government officials.” At that time, all the MRT sites had at least one NTI pioneer, and they had fun swopping stories. With a nostalgic smile, Yat Cheong said, “I enjoyed the times when we supported one another.” The sense of achievement can be addictive. After a stint in the private sector, Kian Thong chose to return to his first love –– building MRT lines. He joined the Land Transport Authority which had taken over MRTC’s role. On Kian Thong’s watch, he delivered three stations on the North East line and five stations on the Circle Line. He credits his NTI training that helped him solve some challenges. Building the Bishan interchange for the Circle and the North-South lines is a case-in-point. They had to get rid of some rocks which were obstructing the way. Should they use explosives? “Explosives might damage nearby structures,” said Kian Thong. “If we did not use explosives, we might not finish the project on time.” Years ago, NTI taught him about excavation sites and rock mass. That knowledge enabled

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him to assess whether the rocks could handle the blast and remain stable. They went with explosives. Lim Bock Ho was involved in building four tunnels beneath the Singapore River. These tunnels connect City Hall station with Raffles Place station. He also helped build Kranji, Marsiling, Outram and Bishan stations. “These projects required multi-disciplinary skills,” he said. “We had to interface civil and structural with mechanical and electrical issues.” Khor Eng Leong, another MRT veteran is still active in this area. Previously, he had worked on the North-South, East-West and the Circle Line. He is now involved in building the Downtown Line and Marina Line. It is not easy building the MRT in the densely populated business district. “It is a challenge to build tunnels below the buildings at Raffles Boulevard,” he said. Although Chua Hock Seng did not take part in the construction, he contributes in another way. As a SMRT senior manager, he oversees the maintenance of the trains. “My work ensures that the trains are in good operating condition,” he said. “Millions of commuters rely on it.” Besides the transport infrastructure, the government also invested in another key piece of infrastructure that required the NTI pioneers’ skills –– the utilities industry.

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12 Providing Electricity & Gas to Singaporeans “NTI nurtured my passion for electrical engineering. That helped my career.” — Han Tek Fong, EEE Pioneer

A

CTIVITIES SUCH AS USING your computer,

charging your iPhone and cooking food are possible thanks in part to some NTI pioneers. They have enabled a smooth supply of electricity and gas to millions of homes in Singapore over the past 25 years. As a combustion engineer with the Public Utilities Board (PUB), Tan Chin Huat transferred fuel oil to the boiler for combustion at Senoko Power Station. Now, he heads the operations department at Tuas power station, the third largest electricity generator in Singapore. Lim Khoon Huat was a turbine maintenance engineer

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Providing Electricity & Gas to Singaporeans

at Senoko and Pulau Seraya power station. He was involved in restructuring the gas industry in 2003. Today, he helps to regulate it at the Energy Market Authority. Robin Tan Meng Heng heads the Security and Emergency Planning Department there. The agency was formed in 2001 to promote competition in the energy sector and ensure uninterrupted energy supply. When these NTI pioneers graduated in 1985, electricity, water and gas were provided solely by PUB, a statutory board that took in many pioneers. They worked as combustion engineers, turbine maintenance engineers and maintenance managers. There was a shake-up in 1995 when the electricity and gas businesses of PUB were privatised under Singapore Power, a new entity. PUB became the regulator.Then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that privatisation promoted competition, improved efficiencies and created the push to get more business. The upheaval was unsettling. “Most PUB employees were worried about job security,” recalled Wong Moh Seng who was there. He surveyed the landscape and decided that the private sector was the place to be. He is now the Deputy General Manager with Gas Supply, a natural gas trading company. “I worked hard to understand the evolving utilities market and regulatory changes,” said Moh Seng. “I learned to be sensitive to market changes and balance between profit and risks.” William Teh was involved in producing and distributing town gas with PUB. The restructuring saw him retain his job but with different companies. Now, he is with City Gas.

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Liberalisation led more players into the energy market. That provided more ways to climb the corporate ladder. John Ng Peng Wah started as a PUB maintenance engineer. He said, “Many peers joined PUB but left after less than three years. I stayed on.” He took time off to get his Masters in Material Science and Systems Engineering. When deregulation happened, he joined the commercial work at PowerSeraya. He kept rising up the ranks. In May 2009, he was appointed CEO and board member of the PowerSeraya Group. “My engineering background prepared me for a management role,” said John. “It laid the foundation for me to manage people and finance.” A fellow captain of the industry is Han Tek Fong. He is the General Manager in charge of electricity network infrastructure planning at Singapore Power. He credits NTI for his success. “NTI nurtured my passion for electrical engineering. That helped my career.” At Singapore Power, Chin Terk Chung oversees the transmission and distribution network that sends electricity to customers. These NTI pioneers facilitated the provision of electricity and gas that keeps Singapore running. There is another group that plays an equally significant role. They protect the air, land and water resources in Singapore.

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13 Environment Engineering & Inventions “Our knowledge of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics was useful when it came to boilers and turbines.” — Martinn Ho Yuen Liung, MPE Pioneer

T

HE STENCH WAS OVERPOWERING and Martinn

Ho Yuen Liung felt like vomiting. Fresh out of NTI, he had just started work at the Ulu Pandan refuse incineration plant. There was a mechanical failure and the giant travelling crane could not clear the garbage. His mechanical engineering training came to the rescue. “My knowledge of automation technology came in handy,” said Martinn. The fault was a worn-out limit switch. He solved the problem and enabled the refuse trucks to unload the refuse speedily. Joining Martinn at the Ministry of Environment were Beck Choon Hueei, Lee Kheng Seng, Ong Chin Soon, Pang Fook Chong and Tan Kong Seng. They cut their teeth

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as shift engineers at the Ulu Pandan plant. With a team of technical personnel under them, they were responsible for the operation and maintenance of the entire incineration cum power generation plant. Under their care were auxiliary equipment such as instrumentation equipment, water treatment plants, pollution control equipment, air conditioning plants, conveyor systems and elevators. Their work required them to innovate to solve engineering problems. Martinn said, “NTI taught us thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. That enabled us to understand the way boilers and turbines work.” Due to land shortage, incineration is the most viable form of waste disposal in Singapore. The process produces superheated steam to generate electricity, which in turn is used to operate the plant. Excess electricity is sold to the public utility network to generate income. The NTI pioneers know all the waste disposal facilities in Singapore well. When the Tuas Incineration Plant opened in 1986, it used modern equipment and automation. Ong Chin Soon and Pang Fook Chong worked there. Tan Kong Seng is currently the General Manager at the plant. In 1992, the Senoko Incineration Plant was commissioned. Chin Soon helped to set it up. The latest plant is the Tuas South Incineration Plant which began operations in 2000. Fook Chong is the Senior Manager there. After the first incineration plant at Ulu Pandan was shut down in 2009 and the government divested Senoko plant in a sale to Keppel Group, Chin Soon moved to the Tuas Marine Transfer Station as Senior Manager. This station is the collection point for ash from waste-to-energy plants and non-incinerable waste. This

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waste is then sent to the offshore Semakau Landfill where flora and fauna thrives with vibrant diversity amid waste disposal. Most of these NTI pioneers stayed on with the National Environment Agency (NEA) when it was formed in 2002 under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. At the agency, Lee Kheng Seng is the Deputy DirectorGeneral of the Environmental Public Health division. NEA has multiple roles which are critical to Singapore’s public health such as preventing the spread of diseases by vectors, food hygiene and sanitation. Many industries use hazardous substances and generate toxic wastes that pose potential health risks to people and the environment. NEA ensures that hazardous and toxic wastes are well-managed, controlled and disposed of in accordance to strict regulations. Since his posting to the Pollution Control Department in 1990, Martinn was involved in meaningful projects such as the safe application of pesticides used in water catchments, review of air emission standards in Singapore and formulation of tax incentive schemes to promote the use of energy efficient equipment and clean technologies. He also worked with other government agencies and industrial representatives to promote the safe use of chemicals and regulate the import, transport, storage and use of hazardous chemicals. He collaborated with consultants to conduct risk assessment studies on the impact of these chemicals on the environment and was involved in issues pertaining to land use and allocation of industries to ensure the harmonious coexistence of industrial activities with their surroundings. Martinn’s engineering background and desire for

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technical challenges led him to invent things during his free time. He created an automatic system to prevent fouling in water cooled heat-exchanges. Fouling occurs when impurities deposit on the heat exchange surface. The system is the first to operate without a pump or compressor to generate flow, thus saving electricity and improving system reliability. The invention removes and prevents fouling in condenser tubes which improves the energy efficiency of central air-conditioning chillers. The patented invention has won several prestigious awards for its innovativeness and broad industrial application. Martinn said, “The NTI lessons on fluid mechanics, automation, design and fabrication of machine elements, coupled with my plant experience, led to this success.” The government spent a lot of money on the incinerator plants and offshore landfills to help conserve precious land while maintaining a high standard of public hygiene in a land scarce Singapore. Another big-ticket item is public housing and public works. It is an area where many NTI pioneers made their mark.

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14 Building Infrastructure & Housing Millions “I was involved in upgrading the resorts and building two new theme parks.” — Shaikh Ali, MPE Pioneer

W

HEN YOU REVEL IN THE amusement park at

Downtown East, enjoy the cool air-conditioning at Changi Airport or zip into Johor Bahru via Woodlands Checkpoint, you may want to thank Shaikh Ali. He helped transform NTUC Pasir Ris Resort into Downtown East, build the air-conditioning system at Changi Airport Terminal Two and manage the government facility at Woodlands Checkpoint. Shaikh is among several NTI pioneers who built infrastructure. The former engineering manager at NTUC Pair Ris Resort said, “I was involved in upgrading the resorts and building two new theme parks.” Later, he joined Public Works Department (PWD) where he was involved in the

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design and construction of the air-conditioning system at TerminalTwo. “I learned a lot about lifts and air-conditioning,” he said. After getting his Professional Engineer certification, he helped to design the new Parliament House and Tuas Checkpoint. PWD was a key government department which built and maintained public infrastructure such as expressways, roads and government buildings. Mega-projects include Changi Airport, Woodlands Checkpoint and Pan Island Expressway. It was later corporatised and renamed CPG Corporation. It won accolades for designing and conserving landmarks such as the National Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum and Central Fire Station. Currently, Shaikh is the Deputy General Manager with CPG Facilities Management. His accounts include Fusionpolis, NTU@One-North and Ministry of Education headquarters. Desmonde Chong Wai Swee is another industry veteran. He is the Programme Director with PM Link, the project management arm of CPG Corporation. “I manage large projects in and out of Singapore,” he said. After 25 years on the job, he distilled the recipe for success in this line. “You need a dedicated and capable person or team to manage cost, time, quality, stakeholder expectations and safety,” he said. Besides PWD, another key government body that shapes Singapore’s skyline is the Housing Development Board (HDB). It provides housing for most Singaporeans. More than four in five Singaporeans live in HDB flats. HDB employs NTI pioneers such as Larry Lim Tien Kiong. He started with building maintenance and went on to do research

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Building Infrastructure & Housing Millions

and development in the area. Larry sits on the Community Improvement Projects committee that provides funding to build recreational facilities and communal amenities in HDB estates. Neo Sian Phor is with the Building Technology Department. Both received the Long Service Medal at the 2008 National Day Awards. HDB projects were a job lifeline for contractors during the 1985 recession. The contractors employed many NTI pioneers. Chan Kok Jin, Tan Hock Lum and Ho Tuck Chee constructed thousands of flats in Bukit Batok and Tampines. Chay Weng Hang was a Resident Engineer who supervised the HDB Design and Build Projects at Choa Chu Kang and Sembawang. He is grateful for his NTI training. “My practice-oriented education integrated me into the construction industry in and out of Singapore,” he explained. Through the years, HDB went through changes. In 2003, the Building and Development Division was corporatised to form HDB Corporation. Later, it was renamed ‘Surbana Corporation’. Some NTI pioneers who were with HDB moved to Surbana. Tan Teck Khim is with a Surbana subsidiary providing project management and construction supervision services, while Chua Chiow Chye joined Surbana’s consultancy arm in 2009 as Director (Civil & Structural Engineering) after having worked close to two decades in RSP Architects, Planners and Engineers Pte Ltd. A subcontractor closely linked to HDB is Fujitec. The Japanese company supplied most of the lifts for HDB blocks. They recruited many NTI pioneers and trained them on lift installation and maintenance. “I followed the teams to install

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the lifts. It was fun,” shared Peter Hong. While his Fujitec colleagues were busy installing lifts, Jonathan Ooi Hio Tiong, did something else. The company wanted to launch a programme to make employees more quality conscious. Jonathan was tasked to do it. He said, “It was a mammoth task for a fresh 25-year-old graduate leading a small team to educate 1,400 employees.” He pulled through thanks to his “tough NTI-training and positive thinking”. The skills Jonathan gained from this assignment were useful years later when he became a motivational speaker. Public housing contributed to the building and construction boom in the 1990s and 2000s. The boom saw iconic buildings sprout out across Singapore and many NTI pioneers had a hand in constructing these landscape jewels.

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15

Building Jewels In & Out of Singapore “We had to build the foundation with large cavities due to the coralline limestone formation in the ground.” — Tan Hock Lum, CSE Pioneer

S

INGAPORE HAS PLENTY TO SHOWCASE in its

skyline, be it new MRT stations, the iconic Marina Bay Sands or the new shopping haven, ION Orchard. A common thread linking these landmarks is Low Chee Man. He was involved in the construction of these buildings. His company Technocrete is a subcontractor who provides concrete repair and structural strengthening services. His track record includes Marina Bay Sands Sky Garden, Resorts World Sentosa and 313 Somerset. The upcoming Marina Bay Financial Centre has brought a few NTI pioneers together as well. Teik Yean said, “Ong Cheng Lye is with main contractor Kajima and Low Chee

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One Degree, Many Choices

Man is there to rip things apart when Kajima has an ‘oops’ moment. I am with the developer.” The project is jointly developed by Cheung Kong, Hong Kong Land and Keppel Land International. Another icon with a pioneer’s imprint is Biopolis, an international research and development centre for biomedical sciences. Chan Kiang Por was with Jurong Consultants who built it. “I had planned to join the manufacturing sector but ended up in building and construction after a six-month job hunt in 1985,” said the mechanical engineer. One Raffles Quay is close to another pioneer Chay Weng Hang’s heart. He was involved in the supervision of the construction. Weng Hang was representing the developer in the development of Marina Square.The prestigiousWaterside Condominium project took off thanks to Tan Hock Lum. At 31 storeys, it was the tallest residential building project in 1990. Hock Lum was the resident engineer. These NTI pioneers are important players in the local building and construction industry that accounts for four per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product. It remains an important industry –– growing by an estimated $27 billion to $32 billion in 2008 –– despite the economic slowdown. Going forward, the industry will grow further given the trend towards green buildings. With Singapore currently exploring ways to reduce carbon emissions, the country will need some 20,000 professionals, managers, and technicians over the next decade to build such green buildings. Outstanding engineers are coveted as construction works become more challenging. “Given our land constraints, we will need more complex engineering solutions to expand

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Building Jewels In & Out of Singapore

the use of Singapore’s underground,” said Ms Grace Fu who was the Senior Minister of State for National Development. In light of the expected growth, the role of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) as regulator becomes more important. At BCA, Chia Yeou Cheong headed the Quality Assessment department. His department handles the BCA Awards, an annual event to honour companies which practised safety, quality, sustainability and user-friendliness. Later, his role changed to one promoting local construction firms to overseas markets such as India and the Middle East. That gave him insights into the business world. In 2004, he left to start his own business. The expertise of NTI pioneers is also prized abroad. Many are drawn to the construction boom in the Middle East. Chua Chiow Chye helped develop one large scale mixed development project in Palm Jumeirah, a premier resort in Dubai. The self-declared ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ has themed hotels, villas, apartment buildings, beaches, marinas, restaurants, and retail outlets. In Lebanon, Tan Hock Lum developed a waterfront residential complex beside the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut. The buyers are the Middle East elite. He said, “Riots, bombings and political assassinations are part of normal life for the Lebanese.” Later, he went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to build an 81-storey luxurious condominium beside the Red Sea. It was not easy. “We had to build the foundation with large cavities due to the coralline limestone formation in the ground,” said Hock Lum. Desmonde Chong Wai Swee went to the United Arab Emirates where he set up a joint venture with an Emirates

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sheikh. Desmonde brought in one billion dirham ($340 million) worth of projects and business flourished. The staff grew from three to 1,250 in four years. However, things went downhill during the 2008 financial crisis. The following year, he sold his shares to the sheikh and returned to Singapore. The action in Asia is no less happening. Teh Keng Liang worked for various companies and has a wide portfolio. He dabbled in local real estate developments and oversaw a development in South Korea. He managed residential properties, service apartments, and restaurants in Hong Kong and he supervised the development of hotels in the Asia Pacific region. In Myanmar, Tan See Lim is the managing director with Centennial Construction and Management Company, a Thai firm. He seeks to help the country by introducing Western management principles and frameworks to them. In Brunei, Kiang Por helped build a helicopter military base at the Brunei International Airport. He also constructed the flight hangar for the Brunei Sultan. In Sri Lanka, John Lim Meng Cheok was involved in building the Sri Lanka Tower between 1997 and 1998. At that time, the country was in the midst of a civil war. “We had to prepare an emergency evacuation plan in case we needed to evacuate our staff from the country,” recalled Meng Cheok. In China, Song Siak Keong was involved in developing the Tianjin eco-city. He helped plan and build the city’s road network and green transport system. The project is a collaboration between Beijing and Singapore. Joining his peers in China is Teo Yann. He works for Squire Mech,

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a building services consultancy. His portfolio includes apartments, offices and shopping malls. In India, Tan Hock Lum grappled with “stoneage” construction techniques in Bangalore. He was with Keppel Land International. Working there honed more than his construction skills. His political skills got better. He said, “I had to deal with local mafias and their demands. If they did not get their way, they would block access to the construction site and beat up the workers.” One can also find the lone pioneer who chose to build beyond the Middle East and Asia. In Canada, Ooi Ah Hoe built bridges. Canadian work culture is different from Singapore; he explained, “Blue-collar workers can have more say than middle management.” Besides the building and construction industry, another stalwart of the Singapore economy is the aerospace industry which employs many NTI pioneers.

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16 Soaring in Aerospace “I must be competent as the implications of my findings were serious.” — Eric Lim Tow Ghee, MPE Pioneer

A

N AIRCRAFT DISASTER that nearly took place in

Singapore in 2010 highlighted the importance of engineers in the aerospace industry. On 4 November, a Qantas A380 had to do an emergency landing in Singapore after an engine blew up. Engineers from jet engine maker Rolls-Royce scrambled to pinpoint and rectify the problem. The massive publicity underscored the importance of the high-value, high-technology aerospace industry to Singapore’s economy. An aircraft engine alone costs $12 million. Singapore, a major player in the global aerospace industry, dominates the Asia Pacific region with a quarter of the maintenance, repair and overhaul market share. The local

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industry had an output of $7 billion in 2009 and employs 19,000 skilled workers. More than 100 international firms operate here. NTI pioneers contribute actively to the aerospace industry, an industry which Singapore has been promoting since the 1970s. MPE pioneer Ananda Senan Singaravelu spent almost his whole career in the industry. He started as a R&D engineer in 1986 developing new repairs for aircraft engine components. His lucrative initiative raked in millions for the company over 10 years. His career saw him take on many roles in operations, customer service and sales. By the late 1990s, Ananda’s company had a global market for their products. Its success caught the eye of Pratt & Whitney, a global engine manufacturer, which acquired it to beef up their business. Under the new management, Ananda headed the Operations Unit. In 2007, he went to their Global Repair Services division to set up new ventures in the region. At Pratt & Whitney, Samuel Tang was part of the joint venture with Singapore Airlines to provide engine repair services. The highly experienced Samuel had worked for ST Aerospace, General Electric Aviation and Interturbine Singapore. His skills caught the attention of Hobart Airport System which opened their facilities in Singapore in 1990. The company which designs and builds hangars and airport power systems in Asia persuaded him to be their engineering manager. General Electric Aviation is another aerospace bigwig. Eng Tian Soon was the Six Sigma specialist there. Six Sigma is a management system to optimise the performance

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of processes. Getting his Six Sigma Black Belt was not easy. Tian Soon said, “A candidate has to go through 20 days of training and complete two process improvement projects with significant financial benefits.” He is now a managing consultant with Neville Clarke. Another industry heavyweight is ST Aerospace where Kevin Ang Kok Seng helped to replace the engines of the Republic of Singapore Air Force A4 Skyhawk fighter planes. Eric LimTow Ghee supported a fleet of Republic of Singapore Air Force aircraft and marketed the services of an aircraft maintenance facility. Prior to ST Aerospace, Eric was an air engineering officer with the air force. His job was to ensure high performance and reliability of the fleet. His engineering training was an asset. The Board of Inquiry often tasked him to investigate aircraft incidents. “I must be competent as the implications of my findings were serious,” said Eric. “My engineering background helped ensure accuracy in investigations.” Other NTI pioneers in ST Aerospace include Tan Lam Seng and William Teh, while Wong Kong Lin is the Vice President and General Manager of ST Aerospace Engineering. The aerospace industry has been a big growth engine for the Singapore economy. Another growth engine where some NTI pioneers found employment is the life sciences industry.

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17

Banking on the Emerging Life Sciences Industry “I enjoy the challenge of setting up companies in the life sciences sector.” — Choy Kem Wah, MPE Pioneer

A

GE FUELS MPE PIONEER Choy Kem Wah’s desire

to help start-ups in the emerging life sciences industry. He has done that thrice over the past two decades. Shortly after graduation, he joined Becton Dickinson, a United States start-up that produces medical disposable devices. In 1996, he moved to another United States start-up, Applied Biosystems that makes life sciences instrumentation systems in Singapore. He grew the business to include research and development and distribution services. In 2005, he joined Affymetrix, a start-up which deals with DNA gene chip manufacturing. Currently the general manager, Kem Wah said, “I enjoy the challenge of setting up companies in the life sciences sector.” Fortunately,

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he had help from a talented team of like-minded individuals to start the 24/7 operations from scratch. “My role is to ensure excellence in quality, manufacturing, regional procurement, supply chain and continual expansion.” The life sciences industry uses Affymetrix’s technology as an industry-standard tool to analyse complex genetic information.This tool is used by pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies and research institutes. Kem Wah read widely and took short courses at NUS and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to better understand the biomedical industry. His enthusiasm rubbed off on fellow pioneer Samuel Tang who joined his firm. Samuel said, “I was happy to make the milestone foray into the world of DNA.” There are three NTI pioneers in the life sciences industry — Kem Wah, Samuel and Phuah Soon Ek. They contribute to a promising industry that can become an economic growth engine. Singapore aims to be the centre for drug discovery and basic and clinical research. Biology and medicine are central to the life sciences. For three years, Soon Ek was involved in the production of drugs, tablets, dry powder inhalers, sterile injectables and nasal sprays. He is with Schering-Plough, a global powerhouse in the pharmaceutical field. A big investor in Singapore, Schering-Plough pumped in some one billion dollars and set up seven manufacturing plants. Soon Ek works with the process engineers to come up with a conceptual design. “My mechanical engineering background and project experience come in handy,” he said. He builds manufacturing units with new equipment and auxiliaries.

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There is no lack of motivation for Soon Ek to do the job. He shared, “Manufacturing a new drug excites me. It is interesting to work with scientists researching new drugs. They are always full of ideas. I want to help convert their ideas into reality. I build prototypes to let them test their ideas.” Mindful of the promising returns in the life sciences industry, the Singapore government is pouring billions of dollars into promoting research that can tackle among other ills cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and heart diseases. Foreign talents in life sciences are sought out and given incentives to set up base here, while tertiary institutions increase their student intake to support the industry. Agencies also give out more scholarships in this field. At the Biopolis and Fusionopolis, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research oversees 14 research institutes and seven consortia. The aerospace and life sciences industries are mainstream industries. Complementing these is an assortment of other industries where NTI pioneers also make their presence felt.

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18 Making Waves in Other Industries “You won’t believe the amount of drinking and entertaining that I did to get their business.” — Ravi Chandran, MPE Pioneer

D

INING AND WINING WAS ONCE a key part of

Ravi Chandran’s job scope. He was the Regional Sales and Marketing Manager for Seacold Technologies, a supplier of container refrigeration units for the transport of perishable goods. He shared, “My customer was Hanjin Shipping, Korea’s largest container carrier. You won’t believe the amount of drinking and entertaining that I did to get their business.” Ravi was with the company for about 12 years. When he left, it was part of United Technologies Corporation, a 42-billion dollar conglomerate. “My NTI training prepared me well to liaise with technical personnel including vice-presidents of engineering,” he said.

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Ravi was in the logistics industry, an area where Singapore has an edge due to its excellent infrastructure and connectivity to the world. That makes Singapore a natural choice as a hub for supply chain solutions. Logistics companies such as United Parcel Services (UPS) made Singapore their regional headquarters. In 1996 Tan Lam Seng joined UPS, the largest express carrier in the world, where he managed projects. A major customer is Microsoft which uses their service to deliver software packages to retail stores in the region. Lam Seng later moved to 3Com, a leading networking equipment company. 3Com has their regional hub in Singapore. As the Supply Chain Programme Manager, he was involved in distribution planning, fulfilment and inventory management. Currently, Lam Seng is with Seagate where he manages their logistics and supply chain requirements. “Things move so fast at Seagate,” he said. “The pace and cost pressures are severe.” Logistics is part of an assortment of industries employing the NTI pioneers. Another industry is precision engineering, a staple for industrial activity. In 2008, it contributed 10 per cent or $22 billion of the total manufacturing output and employs one in four workers in the manufacturing sector. Its broad capabilities and sophistication have led international companies to undertake complex manufacturing activities in Singapore. Precision engineering produces semiconductor equipment and advanced machine tools. John Lim correctly spotted that the precision engineering has growth potential. He is with ASM Technology Singapore as the Operations Director. The company makes equipment

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that supports the production of semiconductor devices. It is a world leader in the assembly and packaging equipment industry since 2002. At a time when there are fewer young local engineers, John has his work cut out for him. “My passion is to groom fresh graduates into qualified engineers with the confidence to practise engineering,” he said. Classmates Lim Tai Pong and Kelvin Teng Cheng Yeow are also in the same industry. Tai Pong started as a process engineer with DuPont which uses Bruderer Presses — a Swiss precision stamping equipment maker — for its stamping operations. Subsequently, he joined the Swiss firm and is now their Asia office CEO. As for Kelvin Teng, he is the Director of Operations at MMI Holdings, a local public listed company that makes precision engineering components for the aerospace, data storage, oil and gas and industrial equipment sectors. In 2007, it was acquired by an American private equity firm for a cool $1 billion. The automotive industry also has some NTI pioneers. At Cycle & Carriage, Allan Ng Wai Yee took care of after sales operations and the servicing and parts business. He was in charge of brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Kia and Citroen. Now, Allan is with ComfortDelGro Engineering as the Vice-President of Business Development. Allan noted, “Asia is an exciting place to be. There is huge growth in the automotive markets especially in China.” Many industries make up the economic landscape. A juggernaut on this landscape is the government-linked companies which contribute some 13 per cent to the Singapore economy.

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19 Growing Singapore Inc through Government-Linked Companies “As a young engineer, I handled the design and development of a photocopier binding machine for Xerox Corporation.” — Michael Chua Lee Huat, MPE Pioneer

A

T ONE TIME, Yeap Khek Teong’s job was to design

weapons for national defence. His track record of deadly devices included the howitzer, an artillery piece with a long barrel for launching projectiles. Khek Teong was a manufacturing engineer with the Chartered Industries of Singapore. It was set up in 1967 to produce ammunition and weapons for the Singapore Armed Forces. Chartered Industries gave out several scholarships for study at NTI. After graduation, scholars such as Michael Chua Lee Huat returned to serve their bond. “As a young engineer,

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I handled the design and development of a photocopier binding machine for Xerox Corporation,” recalled Michael Chua.Today, he manages defence-related projects. Classmate Eng Tian Soon was a colleague that oversaw the manufacture of equipment. He had a staff of 30 people comprising shift supervisors, technicians and inspectors under him. Chartered Industries has a subsidiary — Chartered Electronics Industries. The latter produce electronic fuses, military communications equipment and small arms training simulators. Chan Yew Meng did research and development for military hardware. His colleague, Chee Choong Yang, went to Germany for training and transferred the technology back to Singapore. In 2000, Chartered Industries merged with ST Automotive to form ST Kinetics, a subsidiary of ST Engineering under the Singapore Technologies Group, a government-linked company. Sudheer Prabhakaran is now in Bangalore, India to set up the ST Kinetics plant to manufacture construction equipment, maintenance equipment, excavators and dump trucks. He said, “I still have the pioneering spirit. I could not resist the chance to build a team to meet the needs of the growing Indian market.” Sudheer was previously the General Manager of Singapore Test Services, a ST Kinetics subsidiary. He spent 16 years with this subsidiary that provides independent testing, inspection and certification services to the industry. Other ST Engineering subsidiaries include ST Aerospace, ST Marine and ST Electronics. ST Engineering is one of the largest firms on the Singapore Exchange. It is one

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of Asia’s largest defence and engineering groups. It specialises in solutions and services for the aerospace, electronics and marine sectors. ST Electronics focuses on satellite communications, interactive digital media and e-government solutions. Mah How Teck is in charge of market development there. He deals with satellite communication and often works with NTU academics on projects. Tay Guan Mong was a project engineer with Singapore Engineering Software, a subsidiary of ST Electronics. Later, he moved to marketing and business development before setting up his own management consultancy, BAllianz. These NTI pioneers work for a government-linked company (GLC). A GLC’s shares are owned by the Singapore government. Their contributions matter greatly as they account for some 13 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. GLCs were set up in the 1960s and 1970s to boost Singapore’s economic development in certain key sectors. There are Keppel Corporation and Jurong Port in shipbuilding and repair, Neptune Orient Lines and Singapore Airlines in transport and SingTel in infrastructure. In the 1980s and 1990s, GLCs were formed from the corporatisation of government bodies. The GLCs contribute significantly to the economy which needs a stable and secure environment to thrive. The defence industry helps to provide such an environment. Many NTI pioneers make the defence industry tick.

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20 Defending our Nation “We take pride in knowing that our inventions have met operational requirements in tough environments.” — Tan Eng Hwa, EEE Pioneer

T

HERE IS NO DOUBT THAT Singapore is a tiny red

dot on the global map. However, it is more important that there be no doubt about the sovereignty of our country. In order to do so, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef), Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and Defence Science Organisation (DSO) National Laboratories play key roles to ensure the country’s security. NTI pioneers have been contributing to the defence of Singapore via these organisations. Lee Yeaw Lip’s first job was with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). As project engineer, he ensured the smooth operation of helicopters and fighter

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aircrafts. He oversaw a team of technicians in charge of maintaining aircraft instruments and electrical components. His colleagues were Joshua Lee Yuan Horng, Heng Guan Teck, and Henry Tan Chin Tuan. They could be credited in part for the annual National Day aerial spectacle. Yeaw Lip’s last RSAF role was to look after supply chains, aircraft spares procurement, warehousing and urgent purchases. Later, at DSTA, Yeaw Lip ran the training facility for their engineers. DSTA’s mission is to “harness and exploit science and technology, and provide technological and engineering support, to meet the defence and national security needs of Singapore”. After graduation, RSAF scholar Henry Tan served at the Radar and Communication School at the Air Engineering Training Institute. The school trained RSAF technicians. Henry was subsequently transferred to the Aero-Systems Programme Office to participate in the F16 aircraft programme. His engineering expertise was instrumental to his appointment as the project engineer covering the avionics systems. He was also with the multi-million dollar Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme to equip a civil aircraft with sensors, communication systems and weapons. Henry remembered one thing with pride. “We were up to the challenge of meeting all operational requirements within the budget and timeline,” he said. WhileYeaw Lip and Henry helped to protect Singapore’s airspace, Neo Lay Beng guarded Singapore’s sea lanes. His lifelong career in the Navy Logistics helps to ensure that a maritime nation such as Singapore has freedom of access to the sea to ensure an unbroken supply of daily necessities.

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Another navy stalwart is Tay Tiong Beng who did his undergraduate and postgraduate studies with SAF scholarships. After graduation, he went back to the navy. Tiong Beng is familiar with the full spectrum of naval operations. He had worked on weapons electronics, propulsion systems, power generation plants, shipboards auxiliary systems and naval logistics. He supported SAF humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts. He was involved in the SAF Day Parade and National Day Parade. When he headed the Naval Logistics Command, he oversaw the maintenance, transport, security and engineering requirements of the whole navy. Serving under him were 1,200 full time staff and 3,200 operational ready national servicemen. Later, he was seconded to DSTA where he procured new warships, sonars and torpedoes. His work was rewarded. He rose through the ranks to become a colonel. After retiring in 2005, Tiong Beng joined DSTA as a consultant. In 2010, he joined the Ministry of Education as the Deputy Director of its Security and Emergency Planning Office. The nerve centre of Singapore’s defence operations is Mindef, the headquarters of SAF. Mindef has a policy of Total Defence which consists of Military Defence, Civil Defence, Economic Defence, Social Defence and Psychological Defence. The SAF’s stated mission is to “enhance Singapore’s peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, and should these fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor”. There are many NTI pioneers at Mindef such as Alfred Tan Cheng Teck. He built bunkers to protect soldiers from

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explosions. After a stint at a military college in the United Kingdom, he returned to Mindef to manage a branch developing multi-million dollar ammunition depots. When DSTA was formed, he became the programme manager in charge of explosive storage safety. The late Dr Goh Keng Swee was credited for building up Singapore’s defence. In 1972, he handpicked three engineers to form the Electronics Test Centre to conduct research on future warfare. Later, the centre expanded its research and development scope and was renamed the Defence Science Organisation (DSO). That became DSO National Laboratories in 1997. Programme Director Tan Eng Hwa enjoys working on defence projects that are usually associated with foreign big powers. “No MNC can give us this privilege,” he shared. DSO allows for collaboration across disciplines in the defence eco-system. “We take pride in knowing that our inventions have met operational requirements in tough environments,” said Eng Hwa. Programme manager Yong Siong and Chief Engineer Boon Chin added, “While we are confident of the merit of our inventions, we hope it will not be used in a real war. Our wish is for younger colleagues to build upon our work to protect Singapore.” Senior engineer Lim Kwong Hwee likes the environment at DSO that allows him to pursue his engineering interests. “Even though promotion prospects are not bright, the projects are challenging,” said Kwong Hwee. “Defence engineers are multi-disciplinary and work across a myriad of high technologies,” added senior engineer Seah Boon Huak, “Managing projects is most fulfilling and can consume

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us. This is because we need to get the various groups involved to meet the performance specifications and to keep within the development schedule committed. It takes us half a lifetime to achieve a delicate balance between work and family.” Both Kwong Hwee and Boon Huak have been there since graduation. The defence ministry is one of the many mainstream industries where many NTI pioneers ply their trade. All these industries gave the pioneers a wealth of experience waiting to be tapped. It is no surprise that many chose to go into academia.

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21 Moulding Future Leaders “It was satisfying to impart this know-how to students.” — Low Kay Soon, EEE Pioneer

C

HUA CHEE KAI CALLS HIMSELF a true-blue NTI/

NTU thoroughbred. The associate professor who helms NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (MAE) said, “NTU holds many memories for me. I spent time here as an undergraduate, followed by graduate research. Now I am the MAE Chair.” That is a milestone for NTI pioneers! One of their own is holding a top post in the alma mater. Academia was not Chee Kai’s first job. After graduation, he worked as a manufacturing engineer at Hewlett Packard (HP) where he did his industrial attachment. “HP was a nice place to work but I was inclined towards academia,” said Chee Kai. He seized the opportunity to

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do research when the famed aerospace conglomerate Grumman International set up a computer-aided design and manufacturing centre in NTI. That was a stepping stone to joining the School of MPE as a lecturer. Chee Kai is aware of his far-reaching influence as an academic. He said, “It excites me to be able to mould Singapore’s future leaders.” Chee Kai is one of several NTI pioneers who returned to their alma mater to teach. They derive great satisfaction from imparting their skills and knowledge to students the way the founding NTI lecturers did. Low Kay Soon is a case-in-point. The associate professor worked on the first made-in-Singapore micro-satellite. The 106 kg satellite was designed and built on campus. Named X-SAT, the project was successfully launched into space in April 2011. It captured its first image of Singapore a month later. “It was satisfying to impart this know-how to students,” said Kay Soon who is the NTU Satellite Research Centre Director. The X-SAT project has foreign partners. They are India Space Research Organisation, German Aerospace Centre and South Korea SaTReCi. Now, Kay Soon is supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students to build a 6-kg nano-satellite. His Satellite Research Centre focuses on satellite engineering research, in particular nano-satellite technology, remote sensing and communication applications. There are other NTI pioneers at NTU. Peter Loh Kok Keong, who obtained his PhD from NTU, teaches at the School of Computer Engineering. He develops and teaches courses in software engineering, computing innovation. He is involved in Temasek Laboratories@NTU, a partnership

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between DSTA and NTU to develop technology programmes. Another NTI pioneer who obtained his PhD from NTU is Tay Beng Kang. In 2008, he was appointed as the Associate Chair for Research in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Fellow classmate, Lee Peng Hin teaches at the same school. He did his PhD in Mathematical Engineering and Information Physics at the University of Tokyo. Some NTI pioneers went overseas to teach. Casey Lim Kok Chew teaches finance courses at City University of Hong Kong. After NTI, he went to the United States for his MBA at Virginia Tech and PhD at University of Florida. “The recession was in full swing when I graduated,” said the civil engineering graduate. “The economic downturn prompted me to study business and economics to understand more about economic growth and financial markets.” His MBA course got him hooked on finance and banking and that led to a PhD in finance. Casey’s classmate Loh Boon Toh lectures at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is in the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management. University is not the only academic arena where the NTI pioneers can be found. There are those who teach in the polytechnics and institutes of technical education, all of which are part of the local tertiary education landscape.

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22 Training Engineers at the Frontline “When we are relevant to the industry, we can impart the latest knowledge to students.” — Tan Ah Kat, MPE Pioneer

E

EE PIONEER LIM PENG HUN may not be an F1

racer but his job as a Singapore Polytechnic lecturer saw him race through 1,000 kilometers of the Australian desert in 1999. The Deputy Principal led a team to the 5th World Solar Challenge in Australia. He said, “We travelled 3,000 kilometers in a solar-powered car from Darwin to Adelaide through the desert highway. Unfortunately, it rained and the car sputtered to a screeching halt.” That was not his only eye-catching desert foray. Earlier in 1993, he had led a team to install solar panels in the Mongolian desert. They were there to build an automation laboratory at the Mongolian Technical University.

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Peng Hun’s experiences give a glimpse of the significant contributions NTI pioneers made to Singapore’s engineering education. Engineering has long been the backbone of the economy. The country’s speedy rise from third-world port to global city is due in part to the efforts of its engineers. Hence, the role of engineering educators — including many NTI pioneers — is important as they are at the frontline training future engineers for Singapore’s economy. Many NTI pioneers went into teaching with a wealth of experience. Heng Guan Teck was a project engineer with the Republic of Singapore Air Force. His background was an asset when he joined Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to oversee the curriculum. Currently the Deputy CEO, he enjoys formulating policies and the satisfaction of seeing the positive impact of ITE on students. The list continues. Ah Kat had worked in shipbuilding and electronic manufacturing industries; Choong Yang was a product engineer with Chartered Electronic Industries; Benjamin Wong Liang Juee owned a firm providing cable harnessing to clients in the electronics industry. When the clients moved operations to China and Thailand, he sold his shares. In 2003, he went to teach at Temasek Polytechnic. Albert Wong Yuen Choe brought his wealth of computeraided design and manufacturing experiences to Nanyang Polytechnic. Passion drives these NTI pioneers.Their mission in Guan Teck’s words is to “equip graduates with relevant knowledge and skills to be globally competitive”. They are continuing the fine tradition of a practice-oriented training where they impart practical skills honed from years of industry

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experience. These academics keep abreast of industry trends and put their expertise to good use. Ah Kat, for instance, had designed courses for manufacturing companies. He designed a smart vending system, stackable prison bed and a domestic air cleaner. Such involvement with the industry benefits Ah Kat’s students. “When we are relevant to the industry, we can impart the latest knowledge to students,” he said. Like Ah Kat, Daniel Tan Kim Soon’s contributions go beyond the campus. The Singapore Polytechnic School of Architecture and the Built Environment Deputy Director had designed courses for workplace safety with the Ministry of Manpower. The NTI pioneers’ teaching experience evolved in tandem with changes in the local technical education. Previously, there were training institutes such as the German-Singapore Institute under the Economic Development Board (EDB). Later, three of them merged to form Nanyang Polytechnic in 1993. Looh Chee Wai was with the training institutes. Now, he is a manager at the Electronics Division of the School of Engineering. This division is headed by Chan Yew Meng who pushed for collaboration with EDB and SPRING Singapore. The NTI pioneers also pushed for the use of technology at their polytechnics. Lim Peng Heng was part of the Ngee Ann Polytechnic team that did a 10-year study on the use of technology in learning. Their work entrenched its use at his polytechnic. Peng Heng is a senior manager with the Teaching and Learning Infrastructure Department. The use of technology also impacted Choong Yang. “As a lecturer in the polytechnic, I see the influence of technology on the

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youths’ values, habits and motivations,” he said. “It makes me rethink the way we educate them.” Teaching brings satisfaction to these NTI pioneers. Loh Chung Chiang who teaches at Singapore Polytechnic said, “Teaching is the best part of my working life.” His NTI study was sponsored by the polytechnic. The source of satisfaction varies from person to person. There are those who found joy in becoming entrepreneurs.

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23 The CSE Entrepreneurs “We competed with international players and got the SkyPark project.” — Sonny Bensily, CSE Pioneer

C

HANGI TERMINAL THREE AND Marina Bay Sands

(MBS) SkyPark have a special place in Sonny Bensily’s heart. His company Prime Structures Engineering was involved in building the two icons. “We competed with international players and got the SkyPark project,” he said with much satisfaction. This mega MBS project brought Sonny into contact with some fellow NTI pioneers. He worked with Low Jhon Hien and Yong Siew Lod. The two of them run their own project management consultancy firms. Sonny is one of 14 NTI civil and structural engineering pioneers who became their own boss. Joining Sonny in the construction industry are Er Kian Hoo and Chan Kok Jin.

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In 1992, Kian Hoo set up Towner Construction Company specialising in retrofitting and conservation works. Kok Jin is a serial entrepreneur with a lucrative knack for networking. After working for six years, he formed TSS Construction and got his first contract from a former colleague. He went to the second company that he worked with and became their subcontractor. As TSS Construction grew, he roped in Jhon Hien to form R3 Builders. Kok Jin gets satisfaction from quality work. “My company is known as one of the best installers in the non-HDB precast building industry,” he said. With their work experiences, setting up a consultancy is a natural progression. ChiaYeou Cheong started Buzworkz International which trades in light fittings, fixtures and industrial equipment.The former Building and Construction Authority officer went on to set up car-grooming company Steam Jet Car Spa followed by Asia Property Inspectors, a firm that provides home and property inspection services. His latest company, Building Consulting Group provides building consultancy, project management and fire safety audits services. While some of his peers’ work pertains to their training, Kelvin Chan Keng Chuen did something different. His company Teian Consulting International has helped some 800 companies in and out of Singapore become more productive. His clientele reads like a mini United Nations roll call. Kelvin was a senior officer with the National Productivity Board where he became skilled in productivity practices. “In the course of my work, I had to train managers from the government and private sectors. It was stressful

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but the exposure was great,” said Kelvin. That enabled him to start his own productivity consultancy. He also became the Chief Expert for productivity in the Asia Productivity Organisation. That role saw him conducting courses for government officers from developing countries. The road to entrepreneurship can be filled with dangers. Tan Shan Kiat nearly died on two occasions at work. After graduation, he worked for a Malaysian soil investigation company as a site engineer. Once, he was driving through tough terrain and the brake on his Land Rover failed. He almost fell into a deep ravine. On the second occasion, he was working in a factory owned by Kian Joo, a leading Malaysian can manufacturer. He was electrocuted but lived to tell the tale. “God preserved me and I survived,” he said. In 1990, Shan Kiat was hired as a logistics executive to set up a factory to make dry cargo containers for shipping companies. It was a joint venture with Malaysian, Singaporean and Japanese partners. There was a lot of infighting. Coupled with poor container sales, Shan Kiat saw no future in the business and left. It was the right move. The company closed down two years later as they were unable to fend off the competition from China. He was then roped in by a wood manufacturer to manage the business prior to its public listing. At 30, he was a general manager who did everything except finance. “It was a valuable experience as I got to learn all aspects of the business,” said Shan Kiat. His work caught the eye of Malaysia Berjaya Group in 1997. They made him the general manager of their wood division. A year later, turnover doubled and

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the company made a tidy profit. It was a highly stressful job. He said, “I oversaw 400 people and the entire operation. The timber business was getting tougher due to the lack of wood supply.” Armed with that experience, Shan Kiat set up his own wood trading business in 2000. He was fortunate as a string of contracts came along. However, business dwindled after four years. For a few years, he made do with various small orders before a door opened in the relatively new wood plastics business in China in 2007. Business shot up. He is now involved in developing new products which are distributed across Europe. The CSE graduates did well as entrepreneurs but they are not the only ones. The EEE pioneers fared just as well.

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24 Technopreneurs from EEE “When I came back to Singapore, the entrepreneur bug bit me time and again.” — Eugene Tan Eng Khian, EEE Pioneer

T

HE 2011 NUCLEAR CRISIS IN JAPAN brought back

memories of a similar disaster for Tay Guan Mong. After graduation, he joined a company which posted him to Sweden in 1986, the year of the deadly Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The explosions released a plume of radioactive fallout that drifted over large parts of the former Soviet Union and Europe where he was. Between 1986 and 2000, some 350,000 people had been evacuated from the most severely contaminated areas in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. “I went through it in Stockholm and lived to tell the tale,” said Guan Mong. In fact, Guan Mong did more than that. He went on to start a business that specialises in business strategy and

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implementation. His firm BAllianz has serviced some 100 clients from government and private sectors. Earlier, he was with an American firm that offered the same services. Guan Mong is one of 15 NTI Electrical and Electronic Engineering pioneers who started their own businesses. Eugene Tan Eng Khian’s job with Singapore Technologies Ventures as a technology investment analyst was a springboard towards his entrepreneurial dream. “As an analyst, my role was to use technical knowledge to evaluate investments,” said Eugene, who was involved in investments in Chartered Semiconductor and Creative Technology. His company sent him to the Silicon Valley in the United States for training. The six years at the high-tech nirvana was an eye-opener. “When I came back to Singapore, the entrepreneur bug bit me time and again,” said Eugene. His first start-up was from Creative Technology during the dot-com boom. It was sold after four years. His second company was from the NUS incubator programme. It was sold within a year. Now, Eugene is managing his third company, XentiQ which offers product design services. The firm has done hundreds of product design and development projects with MNCs, SMEs and high-tech start-ups. XentiQ’s track record for quality and creativity is well known. They have their fair share of accolades through the years. They won the President’s Design Award in 2007. They also bagged the prestigious international Red Dot design award in 2006 and twice in 2004. Lam Yee Loy took a different route to setting up a business. The former NTU academic saw the commercial viability of his work. He had built up a strong photonics

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research group at the university. Sensing that he had a winning formula on hand, he left NTU with three other lecturers to start their company DenseLight Semiconductors in 2000. DenseLight provides components for cutting edge optical networks. They deliver integrated optical subsystems on a single chip. “This will give customers a competitive advantage in performance and power consumption,” said Yee Loy. The company also designs and makes super-luminescence infrared light sources. Another product is optoelectronics that is used in laser applications. Chua Thian Yee decided to strike out on his own after some differences with his management. He was with Gemplus, a French smart card company. When they decided to focus on their core card business, Thian Yee felt that it was time to move on. He took the concept of applications that could operate from the card and started CASSIS International. He said, “This is similar to Apple’s Apps Store concept but focuses on secure services needed by financial institutions and mobile operators.” This technology will enable a mobile phone to make payment. Thian Yee is the founder and CEO of the startup which boasts of offices in Asia, Americas and Europe. Its board of directors include Jackson Tai, the former DBS Group CEO. Besides the CSE and EEE pioneers, there are also MPE graduates on the entrepreneur bandwagon.

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25 MPE Graduates who became their own Boss “I like to design something interesting, turn it into a product and sell it.” — Yew Wee Chong, MPE Pioneer

T

HE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT runs deep in the

NTI Mechanical and Production engineering pioneers. Sixteen of them started their own businesses. Their goods and services include engineering consultancy, marine products, sofa leather, printing solutions and books. Their reasons for taking the plunge: a desire to be the boss, the lack of challenges in their salaried job and business opportunities. A prime example is Eddie Ng Seng Leong. Married to a Taiwanese, he saw a niche in supplying European leather to sofa makers in Taiwan. In 1992, he shifted to Taiwan and

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pumped in his life savings of $50,000 in a joint venture with a local partner. It paid off handsomely. Ligo Leather Enterprise became the largest supplier of sofa leather in Taiwan. In 18 years, their assets soared from $500,000 to $60 million. Wanting to replicate their success in China, Ligo set up a branch there in 2002. However, China was not an easy market to penetrate for Philip Kee Tuang Loh. The former naval officer started Luke Philips Consultants in 1991. It helps companies implement the ISO 9000 Quality Management Systems. The ISO 9000 is a family of standards to ensure that companies meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders. Luke Philips was among the consultancy services pioneers in China. Things went well until the turn of the millennium. Competition was stiff and there was an on-going price war. In 2003, Philip closed down all branches in China and returned to Singapore. Many of the classmates that Philip roped in as consultants, such as Khong Cheng Mun, Lee Ngee Boon, and Sng Soon Heng, eventually started their own consulting firms. The yearning to explore new things prompted Vaidyanathan Srikrishnan (Sri) to become an entrepreneur. Sri had a fascinating 12-year stint at Esso. He started his own company after feeling that “there was nothing more to learn at Esso”. In 1997, he set up NorthLab with fellow NTI pioneer A Murugappan and two others. The firm sells, rents, repairs and calibrates offshore oil and gas equipment. Being the boss was not easy but he pressed on. “Finances were tight and at times, there was no salary to bring home,” said Sri. They went on to set up branches

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in Malaysia and India. Success followed and affirmation came. “I was interviewed on Vasantham Central in a Tamil programme featuring those who did something meaningful with their lives,” said Sri. Brian Lee Lai Heng ventured into the same marine and offshore oil and gas industry. He founded VTech Equipment targeting the Vietnamese market. The company markets offshore cranes, flares, pumps, valves and other industrial equipment. Joining Brian as an entrepreneur is Yew Wee Chong, who is based in Canada. He provides clients in the United States and Canada with programmable logic controllers. It is a digital computer used for automating electromechanical processes such as controlling machinery in the factory assembly lines. “I am fortunate that my business is my hobby,” he said. “I like to design something interesting, turn it into a product and sell it.” At the turn of the millennium, he moved his family to San Jose, California where he set up a subsidiary company to expand his business. He had planned to settle down in the United States but decided against it after the September 11 attacks. “America turned into a xenophobic and unwelcoming place,” he explained. His family migrated to Canada where they live in Vancouver. Another inspiring story is Ravi Chandran. His route from employee to boss was a string of successes. In recession-hit 1985, SGS Thomson hired him despite a headcount freeze. He proved his mettle when his work resulted in energy savings of $500,000 for the company. Four years later, he applied for four jobs and received

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offers from all. He chose Singapore Bus Services, only to be headhunted five weeks later to join Seacold Technologies. His plump earnings over the years enabled him to join Stamford Media — a printing solutions firm — as an equity partner in 2004. Two years later, he moved on to become the managing director of CRO McIntyre, an engineering consultancy. Then there’s fellow pioneer Ng Chyou Lin, who runs a company that designs and builds cleanrooms. Differentiating himself from the herd is a trait ingrained in him. When he graduated in 1985, he could not find a job for six months. He saw a newspaper article lamenting the lack of takers for a night shift job. Chyou Lin and classmate Ananda turned up at the factory and volunteered to do the graveyard shift. “We were offered the job on the spot,” recalled Chyou Lin. “There are still opportunities in bad times but you have to work hard to find them.” Henry Wong Lye Fatt trades in precision mechanical components. In 1990, he started with Nozag Gear, a Swiss precision gears company, as his principal. This is a specialised field. The precision gears are used by Leica in their optical instruments for the military. “One kilogramme of these gears is worth many times the same weight in gold,” said Henry. Paul Tan How Boon runs a firm that trades LCDs and Printed Circuit Board. During his university days, the well-known maverick managed smoking, drinking, mahjong, projects, tutorials and exams with finesse. “I set up my company after my boss went pok kai,” said Paul with a grin. ‘Pok Kai’ means ‘bankrupt’ in Cantonese. His

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mahjong and drinking skills honed on campus are useful in the competitive trading business where relationships count.

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PART III

THE LADY ENGINEERS Lady engineers are rare. In the Class of 85, there were only 56 of them, a mere 10 per cent of the cohort. As such, they deserve special mention. More than half of the lady EEE and MPE pioneers went into the electronics industry which manufactures semiconductors, consumer electronics products, computers, and telecoms equipment. Life in the electronics industry is a roller-coaster ride: when demand surges, employment goes up; when demand cools and prices drop, factories close and move out. The resilient lady engineers take these fluctuations in their stride. More than half of the lady CSE pioneers practised as civil engineers. They built roads, bridges and buildings. Thousands of hours were spent on-site solving pressing problems. Their passion stands out and deserves as much recognition, especially in a traditionally male-dominated field. Some found a niche in the Infocomms Technology and Education industries. A chapter is devoted to those who ventured out on their own. Another chapter is dedicated to those in Human Resources. Finally, we pay tribute to the ones who took the path less travelled. There is a museum curator, a weight-loss consultant, a police commander, a venture capitalist, and some homemakers.

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26 Adding Value to the Electronics Industry “Companies like to restructure during financial crisis. I was weary.” — Cheong Yoke Yin, EEE Pioneer

I

N THE 1980s AND EARLY 1990s, prior to the advent of

mobile phones, pagers were popular with people on the move. When a page is made, the caller’s telephone number will appear on the receiver’s pager. The receiver can then call back from a landline. At that time, Motorola was the pager giant in the world. It commanded a whopping 85 per cent of global pager sales. After graduation, Chan Lai Yee joined Motorola as a Research and Development engineer.The company was one of three winners of the first Malcolm Baldrige National Quality award. The United States Congress launched the award to inspire the pursuit of quality in American businesses. In 1986, Motorola introduced the Bravo numeric pager,

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the world’s best-selling pager. Lai Yee’s job was to refine the gadget to meet the consumers’ insatiable demand for pagers in various colors. Her colleague Lim Geok Yian was a process engineer there. They were working for Motorola in its heyday. Revenue soared from $14 billion in 1989 to $24 billion in 1993 after the company successfully transitioned from pagers to mobile phones. In August 2011, Google announced the acquisition of Motorola’s mobile phones business under the Motorola Mobility Division. Today, Geok Yian has taken on a global role supporting Supplier Development in the Motorola Solutions Division. Another big company with a lady pioneer’s presence was Matsushita Electronics. Tey Week Lian designed their radio cassette recorders. In the 1980s, there was no CD, MP3 or smartphone. Music lovers turned to cassettes or records for their fix. After honing her design skills at Matsushita, she moved to Thomson Consumer Electronics, a French powerhouse. She designed all their televisions. Thomson moved its manufacturing to cheaper countries in 1994 but kept the research and development here. In 2001, Week Lian joined Fuyu Corporation, a subcontractor for HewlettPackard (HP). She designed the printer hardware for HP. The lady NTI pioneers were spread out in various big names in the electronics manufacturing industry. Yang Hsao Hsien is a semiconductor veteran, having worked at Texas Instruments, Fairchild Semiconductor, National Semiconductor and STATS ChipPAC. Teo Boon Ching was at Texas Instruments doing process engineering. She later went to Semiconductor

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Equipment and Materials International as an operations manager. Yong Seow Kin spent nine years supporting the fabrication of wafers. Today, she oversees the development of infrastructure of the facilities under the SingHealth Group. Yoke Yin started as an engineer with Chartered Electronic Industries. She left to do her MBA in the United Kingdom. As part of her curriculum, she went to China to survey the international businesses there. “At that time, not many realised that it would become the world’s second largest economy,” said Yoke Yin. After her MBA, she joined IBM in marketing. That was followed by a stint with the Singapore Economic Development Board. She went to European countries to promote Singapore as a telecommunications hub. She visited powerhouses such as Nokia and Siemens. On the move again in 1994, Yoke Yin joined HP to market its products in the Asia Pacific region. Her five years there saw the company roll out a slew of new products and services in Asia and revenue shot up. When part of the company split to form Agilent,Yoke Yin quit. The period from 1997 to 2004 was a challenging one across the world. Various events rocked the world starting with the Asian financial crisis in 1997. That was followed by the dot-com bubble burst, September 11 terror attacks and SARS. Job security was thrown out of the window. “Companies like to restructure during financial crises,” said Yoke Yin who moved from job to job trying to stay employed. Ironically, her salary saw the greatest hike during this period.

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The constant change of jobs took its toll. “I was weary,” she shared. Yoke Yin started exercising at the gymnasium. That paid dividends. “The world brightened up again,” she said. “I felt different. I had more stamina than before.” When the dust of the economic crisis settled, Yoke Yin joined Printronix as head of marketing for the Asia Pacific region. Her HP colleague Gek Noi saw the outsourcing trend and set up a call and data centre. Another HP stalwart was Josephine Chua who was in the semiconductor division. The division was spun off to form Agilent Technologies and later, Avago Technologies. She was in charge of its global supply chain. In early 2010, Josephine left the corporate world to teach yoga, ballroom dancing and do business coaching. She is now on the human resource team at Resorts World Sentosa. While the electronics industry took in many lady engineers, there is another group who practised as civil engineers.

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27 Holding their own in a Man’s World “I wanted to see if I could handle a full building contract from piling to completion as a main contractor.” — Rosaline Ng Siew Lay, CSE Pioneer

R

OSALINE NG SIEW LAY REMEMBERS the scene

vividly. She was a lady engineer boss in the foreign land of Indonesia. There were 2,000 local workers holding placards and shouting at the top of their voices demanding for better pay. They looked menacing –– these burly and rugged men towering way above her. The spunky pioneer did not shy away. “I put myself in their shoes, calmed them down and settled the dispute,” recalled Rosaline. Overcoming challenges and breaking new ground is a constant theme in her career. During the recession year of 1985, Rosaline started off as a site supervisor with Teamcon,

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a contractor. Her monthly pay was a paltry $1,000 but that did not deter her. “I used it as a platform to learn,” she said. Rosaline proved herself and rose all the way to become a project director. That was just the beginning. In 1998, she was headhunted to join Environ. Eager to push her boundaries, she jumped at the opportunity to build an eight-storey office building with two basement car parks. “I wanted to see if I could handle a full building contract from piling to completion as a main contractor,” she said. She did but the satisfaction was temporal. When the familiar itch for uncharted waters returned, she moved to a firm which sent her to Jakarta to build a small shopping mall. Her good performance gained her the trust of her bosses. She was entrusted with prestigious projects such as the Sun Plaza Shopping Mall in Medan and Bulgari Resort and St. Regis Resort in Bali. From there she went on to build a coalfired power plant in a gold mining site in central Kalimantan. Currently, Rosaline is in Singapore with Cityneon, a public listed firm. She handles all its projects at Universal Studios in Sentosa. Rosaline’s breaching of the glass ceiling is a testament that women are equal to men in the demanding world of civil engineering. There were 27 lady NTI pioneers in the civil engineering course. Fourteen of them became technical managers, structural engineers, project engineers and consultant engineers. Another sterling example is Tan Chek Hui. After graduation, she joined McDermott, a leading global firm in oil rig structures design. The company set the world’s

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first steel template platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 1947. “I joined McDermott to practise structural design,” said Chek Hui. Classmate Salamat was a design engineer there. McDermott posted Chek Hui to Shenzhen, China to observe the construction of an offshore oil structure. Chek Hui took the male-dominated environment in her stride. “Initially, there was a bit of discomfort. It turned out well eventually as most men engineers are gentlemen,” she said. Getting respect was not a problem. Her principle: If you want someone to respect you, you must respect him or her first. Later, she left the company to do her masters in engineering at NTU before joining L& M Structural System, a public listed firm. “Joining L&M allowed me to do projects related to structural damage and repair technologies,” she said. Unfortunately, she had to leave when the company was liquidated. She is now with Raffles Management Group where she offers consultancy services. For Chek Hui, being a civil and structural engineer was a package of joys and difficulties “Rushing to meet project completion deadlines was tough, but there was joy whenever it was done,” she said. While many lady NTI pioneers went into civil engineering, some chose to do jobs related to infocomms technology.

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28 Luminaries on the Infocomms Technology Stage “IDA’s job rotation framework gave me a chance to work at various government agencies.” — Foo Yeen Loo, CSE Pioneer

T

HE HIGHLIGHT OF Foo Yeen Loo’s career was

tinged with national pride. In 2002, she was in Stockholm to receive the prestigious Stockholm Challenge award on behalf of the Singapore Government. The international competition acknowledges initiatives that use information and communications technology to benefit society. Singapore’s eCitizen portal beat 17 finalists from 90 submissions worldwide. Yeen Loo was the executive information technology (IT) consultant for Infocomm Development Authority (IDA). Yeen Loo spent her IT career in the government. “IDA’s job rotation framework gave me a chance to work and contribute at various government agencies,” said Yeen Loo.

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In 2005, she did a project to help elderly and blue-collar Singaporeans transact with the government online. “The government wants everyone to enjoy the convenience and benefits of transacting online,” said Yeen Loo, who was IDA’s Assistant Director of the Electronics Services Division. “We offer help and hope to bridge the digital divide over time.” In 2008, she went to the Subordinate Courts to head the information systems department. Her role was to use new technologies to enhance efficiency.Yeen Loo is concurrently the deputy director at the Ministry of Transport and the head of the IT department in the Ministry of Finance. Yeen Loo makes a modest contribution to the information, computer and telecommunication industry. It accounted for about six per cent of Singapore’s gross domestic product over the past decade. IDA is the statutory body tasked to develop this industry. There are other lady NTI pioneers who spent their entire career in this industry. Un Wai Foon is the Vice President for IT at the National Healthcare Group; Janet Sie Thim Theam is with SingTel doing network infrastructure; Chong Geok Thine is the customer service manager at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic computer centre. In 2008, she received the Efficiency Medal, a National Day award given to those who help to enhance productivity at work. Estee Lim Siew Tan started her IT career with National University Singapore Computer Center’s computeraided design and manufacturing division. She moved to Data General, a billion-dollar computer company in the late 1980s. Later, she joined SAP, a leading global firm

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in business management software where she took care of key accounts. Foo Su Ling was a systems engineer with IBM. She helped the Singapore government move from mainframe computers to high-performance workstations. While on the job, she saw a niche for helping small and medium enterprises computerise. “It was hard for the small companies to embrace information technology,” said Su Ling. “I helped maximise their limited resources.” In 1994, she became an independent consultant. At the turn of the millennium, Singapore banks started online banking to cut costs and increase revenue. In 2000, Su Ling joined United Overseas Bank to implement their Internet banking system. She said, “The banking sector was liberalising. Foreign banks had the competitive edge and local banks had to catch up.” While this group of lady NTI pioneers stand tall on the local IT stage, another group is quietly grooming the next generation to stand on the world stage.

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29 Grooming the next Generation “The discipline that I picked up in my engineering course prepared me for my career in education.” — Chock Siew Hwa, CSE Pioneer

D

EPUTY PRINCIPAL OF Anglo Chinese School

(Independent) Chock Siew Hwa’s engineering background is a good conversation starter with students. She explained, “They are intrigued that I decided to teach instead of becoming an engineer. They asked if it is a waste of my degree.” That gave Siew Hwa an opportunity to impart a lesson. “The first degree does not determine the end career of a person,” she said. “The discipline that I picked up in my engineering course prepared me for my career in education. It is more important to do your best in a field that you are passionate about.” Siew Hwa’s entry into the teaching arena was not by choice. “I could not get any engineering job after graduation,”

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she said. “So I took up a three-year contract teaching position with the Ministry of Education.” When ACS(I) started in 1988, Professor Lawrence Chia was the principal. He was prepared to take in graduates who had teaching experience but no professional teaching qualification. “National Institute of Education did not take in those with engineering degrees then,” said Siew Hwa. She became a mathematics teacher at ACS(I). At the same time, she was given the IT portfolio “perhaps due to her engineering background”. Later, she headed the IT department. She was recognised for her ability and dedication and the school entrusted her with two signature courses — the Integrated Programme and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. In 2001, ACS(I) was the first local school to offer the International Baccalaureate in lieu of the A levels. That first batch of students produced results that were among the best in the world. “It was a very rewarding and fulfilling outcome,” said Siew Hwa. “Impacting students and forging strong relationships with them make teaching very meaningful.” For Teo Siew Chin, the interest in technology in education saw her devote the past two decades in this area. The former cleanroom project engineer taught in a secondary school and polytechnic before moving to Singapore Technologies to do instructional design and technology. From there, she joined U21Global, an online school offering postgraduate programmes. “I provide online learning for working adults in various industries,” said Siew Chin, the Director of Learning Design. “With the advent of web-technology, learning at a distance takes a different

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form from what many adults were used to in their earlier days in school.” Besides her U21Global work, Siew Chin also helps organisations and education institutions go into online learning. Another pioneer Melina Silva headed to Vietnam to lecture at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology International based in Ho Chi Minh. Pauline Chan Sau Lin and Fong-Lee Chun Peng are senior electrical and electronic engineering lecturers at Singapore Polytechnic. After leaving National Semiconductor in 1989, Ee Poh Ngoh, a Malaysian, taught at Ngee Ann Polytechnic for four years. In 1994, she returned to Malaysia for good for the sake of her family. Fellow colleague at National Semiconductor, Chan Bee Kiau also puts her family first. She teaches parttime at Temasek Polytechnic in order to spend more time with her son. After being salaried employees for a while, some lady NTI pioneers spotted business opportunities, took the plunge and never looked back.

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30 Jumping onto the Business Bandwagon “MNCs needed manpower from China and I saw a niche opening.” — Tan Gek Noi, EEE Pioneer

I

N 2008, PIONEER LEE BEE WAH was at the forefront

of bringing long-awaited joy to the entire nation of Singapore. The Singapore team had won silver at the Beijing Olympics, Singapore’s first Olympic medal in 48 years. Bee Wah is the President of the Singapore Table Tennis Association. Her team went on to beat China in the finals of the World Championships in Moscow. Sporting glory is only one of Bee Wah’s achievements. She is also active on the entrepreneurial scene. After a 12-year employee stint first with Singapore Technologies Construction and later Wing Tai Properties Management, she founded LBW Consultants LLP in 1996. The firm which provides civil, structural and project management

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consultancy brings in $2 million a year. Her company had been awarded the Rotary-Asme Top Entrepreneur of the Year Award. As a registered engineer, she was given the title ‘Er’. Bee Wah is deeply convinced of the importance of her trade. “Civil and structural engineering creates and sustains the very infrastructure of society,” she said. “It improves the basic quality of life.” That conviction led her to become the president of the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES), the first woman to hold the post. In 1999, IES wanted to recommend her to be a Nominated Member of Parliament. She consulted Inderjit Singh, an MP cum fellow pioneer. “I became one of his grassroots leaders and came under the PAP’s radar,” she said. During the 2006 general elections, she was elected as part of the Ang Mo Kio GRC team led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Another lady making waves as an entrepreneur is Tan Gek Noi. When she started IM&P Services in 1993 to provide MNCs with manpower from China, there was only one employee: herself. Today, the company, which is now called Xcellink has surpassed her “wildest dream” in terms of scope, staff strength and revenue. It enjoys a turnover of $23 million with some 1,000 people on its payroll, a far cry from the one-woman outfit almost two decades ago. Nowadays, Xcellink offers customers IT-managed services in the areas of data center and call center management and various IT support functions. Gek Noi is a visionary with the gumption to act on opportunities. She shared, “MNCs needed manpower from

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China and I saw a niche opening. I learned the ropes, recruited engineers from China and contracted them to Hewlett Packard (HP).” NTI can be credited for introducing her to HP when they sent her to the HP Management Information System Department for her industrial attachment. “That attachment launched my career in Information Technology,” said Gek Noi. It was the start of a fruitful and enduring relationship with HP. In 1991, she joined HP as a software application specialist. Gek Noi’s work required her to interact with many contract programmers from China. That was how her business idea came about. HP gave her the bulk of her business when she started IM&P Services and her excompany remains a core customer to this day. Out of the many projects that HP outsourced to her company, the most memorable was the Year 2000 project. In the run-up to the year 2000, there were worries that computer systems would break down when the “...97, 98, 99, 00...” ascending numbering assumption suddenly became invalid. Companies and organisations worldwide checked, fixed, and upgraded their computer systems. IM&P Services worked hard to ensure that the problem was pre-empted at HP. They succeeded. Gek Noi said, “We were prepared from all angles. Thankfully, the millennium came and went without a hitch. It might be an anti-climax but I did not complain.” IM&P Services went from strength to strength. In 2001, they set up a branch in Malaysia, running a managed service for HP’s data center. In 2004, the company was rebranded Xcellink as “the link to service

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excellence”. A year later, they started another company, Talense, to focus on new businesses in the IT arena. A joint-venture — Xcellink Inc — was set up in the Philippines in 2007. The company prides itself as a family-oriented business, having received the Work-Life Excellence Award from the Ministry of Manpower. The corporate emphasis on the family can be traced to Gek Noi, whose priority is her family. She said, “I am blessed to be able to entrust the company to a committed team and have time for my children.” Her “best” decision came in 2001 when she hired a general manager to manage the day-to-day running of the company. “Now, I involve myself part-time in the business, focusing on business strategy,” she said. “I am with my family full-time.” Currently, the family is based in New Orleans, United States where her husband works. Joining Gek Noi as an entrepreneur is Florence Tan Sok Bee. After a stint as a sales engineer, Florence and her husband set up CAD-IT in 1991. Their firm provides software from architectural, design and manufacturing to engineering simulation. “We help companies and their supply chains achieve more product innovation and productivity,” she said. Business grew. From an initial investment of $6,000 and four staff, CAD-IT grew to 200 staff and an annual sales turnover of $35 million in 2011. They have eight offices spread out across South-east Asia and China. CAD-IT has a customer base of some 1,800 engineering companies and has trained over 10,000 professionals in the region. The company has also branched into manufacturing with the

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setting up of two factories in China that supply moulds and plastic parts for the automotive industry. The company pulled off a coup in 2005 when they inked a deal with Queensland Technology University to provide postgraduate courses certified by the university. Five years later, CAD-IT collaborated with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency to offer courses to help local companies. The aim was to help these firms upgrade their technological capabilities towards higher value-add research and development. Florence’s NTI training helped her develop her company’s portfolio of world-class product life-cycle management and engineering simulation solutions. CADIT has won over 60 international awards for marketing and service excellence. Her daughter followed in her footsteps and is studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NTU. In all businesses, managing talents is a key component. This is where human resource (HR) management comes in and some NTI pioneers became expert HR practitioners, leveraging on their engineering background.

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31 Developing Human Capital “I positioned HR as a partner to help other departments achieve their goals.” — Lucy Tan, MPE Pioneer

A

N NTU JUNIOR WHOM LUCY TAN did not know

gave her a memorable moment as a Human Resource (HR) manager at 3M, a United States conglomerate. The mechanical and aerospace engineering graduate came for an interview for an engineering position. She had the most depth compared with five other candidates. “I did not let her know that I was her senior but I was proud of her performance,” said Lucy. The NTU graduate got the job, beating the rest from overseas universities. Another highlight was leading the 3M team to win the MAXA Manufacturing Excellence award in 2007. “That was my proudest moment,” said Lucy. A panel of international judges decides on the award, the highest accolade for

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manufacturing excellence in Singapore. Lucy is well placed to do a HR job. She had held an operational role and understands 3M’s business. Lucy said, “I positioned HR as a partner to help other departments achieve their goals.The business units trusted me and gave me the buy-in.” In order to further equip herself, Lucy took up a part-time HR diploma course. She learned HR planning, recruitment, compensation and benefits, and employee relations. The transition was not too difficult for Lucy. The HR director of a business unit mentored her and her HR colleagues helped her. Lucy spent four years in HR from 2006 to 2010. Excelling in the HR operations of a giant company such as 3M is no mean feat. 3M Company produces thousands of products for diverse markets. Its core strength is applying its more than 42 distinct technology platforms — often in combination — to a wide array of customer needs. With $35 billion in sales, 3M employs 76,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 60 countries. Today, Lucy is back to her operational role as the Regional Manufacturing and Supply Chain Manager. Her HR role benefitted her. “It prepared me for my current role where I have to liaise with colleagues from China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the Americas,” said Lucy. Another lady pioneer who found her engineering background an asset in HR is Joesphine Chua. Josephine was the business HR development manager at Avago. The company used to be the semiconductor business of Hewlett

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Packard. “Engineers can be effective HR managers in businesses with heavy engineering content,” said Josephine. “A HR manager with an engineering background can better meet the needs of technical people and business concerns of the organisation.” Josephine’s MBA also helped her HR work. She learned basic HR principles and personnel management. That enabled her to recommend HR programmes to the management. Josephine had developed a positive thinking course for some 1,000 Avago employees. She came up with a leadership development programme for top management that included the managing director and vice presidents. She is clear about the traits of a good HR manager. “The person must be a people-oriented employee advocate,” said Josephine. “He or she needs to have good processes and systems in place to support the organisation’s growth.” Josephine took a break in 2010 before taking on the post of senior manager for HR and training at Resorts World Sentosa. HR is her calling. “I am passionate about developing human capital,” she said. HR was fulfilling for Lucy and Josephine. There are other lady NTI pioneers who found similar fulfilment in serving the nation.

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32 Aces in the Police & Defence Arenas “I remember the advertisement – Join the police force, an extraordinary career. Every day is different.” — Zuraidah Abdullah, CSE Pioneer

C

SE PIONEER ZURAIDAH ABDULLAH might not

have donned a safety helmet to build the MRT line like many of her classmates did, but her contribution to Singapore is just as significant. For one thing, she helped to keep the streets safe. She joined the police force and rose to the top ranks after serving various stints in investigations, training, research, planning and operations. She was Jurong Police Division’s commander and was awarded the Good Service Medal and the Long Service Medal for her police work. Zuraidah contributes to the positive public image of the police which has been credited for Singapore’s low crime rate. This is despite having a smaller police-citizen

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ratio compared to other major cities. Singapore has been ranked consistently among the top five positions in the Global Competitiveness Report in terms of its reliability of police services. Zuraidah said, “I remember the advertisement – Join the police force, an extraordinary career. Every day is different.” She applied and never looked back. In recognition of her ability, she was seconded to Yayasan MENDAKI, as CEO in 2007. The organisation seeks to uplift the Malay/ Muslim community. “MENDAKI allows me to give back to the community,” she said. The agency seeks to further the educational, social, economic and cultural development of the Muslim community. That year, another honour came. Zuraidah was appointed a member of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), the first woman to achieve the feat. “As long as we set our hearts and minds to do the best, nothing is unachievable,” she shared. MUIS’s role within the Malay community is to promote religious, social, educational, economic and cultural activities according to Islamic principles. Zuraidah credited her NTI hostel stay for her success. “I learned to work with different people, a must on my job,” she said. Zuraidah is currently the Assistant Commissioner of Police and commander of the Police Training Command. She is also the deputy chief executive for administration of the Home Team Academy. The academy trains officers from the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Central Narcotics Bureau, Singapore Prison Service, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and Internal

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Security Department. Zuraidah still wears many hats in the public sector. She is on the board of the Health Promotion Board and National Heritage Board. She chairs the Malay Heritage Foundation. “I want to ensure that our Malay heritage remains relevant to the younger generation,” said Zuraidah. Mirroring Zuraidah’s commitment at the Ministry of Defence is Yap Kah Leng, a defence engineer and explosives expert. She is with Material Management Organisation which plans for the defence industries. “I signed up with the Ministry of Defence upon graduation in 1985 as there was very little choice in the private sector due to the recession,” said Kah Leng. Being a woman is no handicap at Mindef. “The only problem is when I am on the field and need to use the toilet,” said the defence engineer who also holds a Master’s degree in explosives ordnance engineering from the Royal Military College of Science in the United Kingdom. She is familiar with ammunition ranging from small arms to heavy calibre tank-demolishing rounds. Kah Leng was also recognised for her good work. In 2009, she received a commendation medal at the National Day Awards. “If I could turn back the clock, I would do this again,” said Kah Leng. Serving the nation is a joy for Zuraidah and Kah Leng. For another group of lady NTI pioneers, joy is found in treading on paths less travelled.

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33 Treading Paths Less Travelled “The seduction of a new experience in a completely different arena became too intense to ignore.” — Foo Su Ling, MPE Pioneer

F

OO SU LING LIKENED ENGINEERS among the NTI

pioneers to Tony Stark, the lead character in the movie ‘Ironman’. Although the chief executive of his hightech empire, he remains a hands-on engineer, designing, testing, maintaining and improving the gadgets that support his noble deeds. Su Ling said, “Kudos to our classmates who continue to be involved in the bolts and nuts of engineering –– you are the real life Tony Starks making a difference in the real world!” Su Ling chose a path less travelled. After 18 years in the hectic IT industry, she took up a course in Southeast Asian Studies. She is now the curator at the National University of Singapore Museum. “The seduction of a new experience in

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a completely different arena became too intense to ignore,” she said. Reasons vary for the decision to do something different from engineering. Sometimes, the pull of young ones plays a part. Evelyn Tan Shu Hun and Koh Ai Li were in their family businesses before marriage. When the children came, they chose to become full-time homemakers. After a career in the semiconductor industry, Teo Boon Ching became a stay-at-home mum to spend more time with Lyndon, her only child. Her husband’s work requires the family to live overseas. They have lived in the United States and Taiwan. Now, they are in China. Ee Poh Ngoh, a Malaysian, taught at Ngee Ann Polytechnic for four years. She returned to Malaysia and became a life insurance agent with Prudential Assurance. Today, she is a will writer with Rockwills Corporation, the first company in Malaysia to specialise in personalised and professional will-writing. “I have placed priority on family over career over the last 10 years,” said Poh Ngoh. While careers vary, the pioneers agree that their NTI engineering training make them versatile. Cheong Yoke Yin was drawing a six-digit annual salary in a “comfortable” job when love came knocking on the door. Her New Zealander husband convinced her to follow him. “Some close friends tried to talk me out of it but I decided to follow my heart,” she said. She uprooted to New Zealand where she chose to work as a weight loss consultant with the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research. Yoke Yin could do the job as she has a Masters of Science in Exercise and Nutrition Science. The institute had been

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researching on a sustainable healthy diet to help relieve the obesity problem. “We led a team of dieticians, activity coaches and recipe consultants and turned their findings into an interactive website for individuals seeking professional advice on weight loss,” saidYokeYin. The website was tested commercially and many customers paid to get advice on achieving a healthy weight. Doris Yee Dai Nee was with the National Science and Technology Board (NSTB), which later became Agency for Science,Technology and Research.The former was set up in 1991 to foster scientific research and talent for a knowledgebased Singapore. Doris was tasked to provide grants to start-up technological companies with the potential to grow. She led the organisation’s efforts to promote R&D in the electronics and telecommunications industries, and spearheaded the Research Incentive Scheme for companies. That led to R&D commitments of some $1.4 billion from 1993 to 1999. “It was an unprecedented government effort to make Singapore’s science and technology capability world-class,” said Doris. Prior to the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, Doris left NSTB to join her ex-boss at iGlobe Partners, a venture capital firm. Her job was to travel the world in search of promising technology start-ups to invest in. Currently, she serves on the Investment Committee of iGlobe Treasury Fund, a 31 million dollar fund supported by the New Zealand government.

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PART IV

NONENGINEERING PURSUITS Henry David Thoreau once wrote: “Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” Studying engineering is different from practising engineering. While all the NTI pioneers started with an engineering degree, some did not embark on an engineering career. Others switched paths along the way. Those that switched found that their engineering training gave them the flexibility to succeed in their chosen field. Here are some stories of those who switched …

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34 Serving in Politics “Engineering taught me to break a problem into parts and find solutions. These skills helped my political career.” — R. Sinnakaruppan, MPE Pioneer

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FTEN REFERRED TO AS “first among equals”,

R. Sinnakaruppan was the first from the NTI pioneer engineering Class of 85 to enter politics at age 31, only six years after he graduated from MPE. While getting involved in grassroots work during his spare time, Sinna came face to face with poverty. He saw people who were struggling to put food on the table or a roof over their heads. His eyes were opened to the reality of hunger pangs for some people in affluent Singapore. The two-term Member of Parliament from 1991 to 2001 said, “My parents were not rich but at least we did not have to worry about where our next meal was coming from.”

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Sinna’s foray into politics started in 1985 when a friend cum grassroots leader Quah Siew Heng roped him in to reach out to people in one-room flats in Toa Payoh. He started a sports club to engage them. From there, his desire to help the lower strata of society grew. “One thing led to another and soon I was helping out at the Meet-The-People sessions,” said Sinna who became the Assistant Secretary of Kuo Chuan People’s Action Party branch. At that time, the MP in charge of that constituency was Mr Wong Kan Seng, the former Deputy Prime Minister. Sinna was then working as a project manager with National Semiconductor. In 1990, he was appointed to the NTU Council which was preparing for the transition from NTI to NTU. He sat on the Board of Directors, now known as the Board of Trustees. He got noticed and was asked by the government to reach out to the Indian community. He joined the Hindu Endowments Board and the Action Committee on Indian Education, chaired by the respected career civil servant Mr J.Y. Pillay. It was a speedy trip to the “world of politics” in Sinna’s words. His profile was raised by his grassroots and Indian community work. In the run-up to the 1991 parliamentary election, Mr Wong and Mr Pillay recommended him to the PAP leadership. In June 1991, he was interviewed by then DPM Lee Hsien Loong and then Law cum Home Affairs Minister S. Jayakumar. Sinna said, “I was told that a snap election was coming and I would be a candidate.” Two weeks later, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong dissolved parliament and called for a General Election. On 21 August 1991, Sinna was part

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of the Kampong Glam Group Representation Constituency which had a walkover win. Sinna’s NTI engineering training equipped him for politics. He said, “Engineering taught me to break a problem into parts and find solutions. I learned to analyse problems in a logical and systematic manner. These skills helped my political career.” Besides his academic training, his stint as the first NTI Student Union President was also an asset. “That gave me great exposure,” he said. When Mr Goh Chok Tong spoke at NTI in 1985, Sinna was the moderator. During his university days, Sinna worked closely with the late Member of Parliament Yeo Choo Kok who headed NTI’s student affairs office.The latter gave a positive appraisal of Sinna when asked by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Sinna’s student union experience taught him interpersonal skills that came in useful when he entered parliament. “I was able to interact with people, understand their problems and help them to the best of my abilities,” said Sinna. Sinna is currently the Chairman and CEO of the Singapore Education Academy, the largest provider of supplementary education here. He was in this business before leaving politics in 2001. It is a natural progression given his involvement with educational policies. He was Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (Education), Chairman of the Advisory Council of Continuing Education and Training and board member of NTU, Singapore Polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education. Following Sinna’s footsteps to serve the people of Singapore is Inderjit Singh. He became a member of

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parliament after the 1997 General Election. He was part of the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency with Mr Lee Hsien Loong. Into his fourth term as MP, Inderjit is an outspoken advocate of entrepreneurship. He started a number of successful businesses and is currently the President and CEO of Infiniti Solutions, a semiconductor manufacturer. Inderjit started his career with Texas Instrument Singapore. He rose through the ranks from a product engineer to director of Worldwide Assembly and Test Operations of the Memory Division. He credits NTI for enabling him to hit the ground running. “The education at NTI allowed me to contribute immediately at work,” said Inderjit, “Being part of the first batch built up my pioneering spirit. That laid the foundation for my entrepreneurship.” With Sinna and Inderjit setting the pace, it is no surprise that in 2006, Lee Bee Wah became a Member of Parliament. The three of them came from the three different NTI engineering disciplines. Different people are motivated by different things. So while some NTI pioneers found their calling serving the people, there are others who were attracted to the booming financial sector.

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35 Carving out niches in the Banking & Finance Industry “In the market, everyone is trying to make money off the other players. Had I not loved my job, I would have had a nervous breakdown.” — Ho Tian Fui, CSE Pioneer

A

NUMBER OF THE ALUMNI branched into the

banking, finance, securities and insurance industry. Some did it soon after graduation while others made a switch along the way. The switch is no surprise given their strength in mathematics and analysis. NTI pioneers graduated into a recession in 1985. For Leong Sow Hoe, the inability to get a job interview was a blessing in disguise. “I sent out many applications for five months and did not get a single interview,” he said. An unexpected door opened when a friend recommended him to go for an interview with Prudential. “He knew of my

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active campus life and thought that I would be suitable for sales,” said Sow Hoe. The friend was right. Sow Hoe elaborated, “I was impressed with the scope and financial rewards in the financial planning industry. I could be my own boss and chart my success.” He did very well. As a rookie, he made it to the Million Dollar Round Table — a feat by top performers — in 1986 and 1987. Sow Hoe found his calling. A series of promotion followed through the years and he is currently the Senior Financial Services Director at Prudential. Joining Sow Hoe in the financial industry is Ho Tuck Chee, a civil engineer turned full-time trader. In December 1999, Tuck Chee passed an exam conducted by the Singapore Exchange and got a permit which allowed him to trade products such as Nikkei Index futures and Singapore MSCI futures. The career transition was nerve-wracking. He said, “I had neither trading experience nor proper training and it is a fact that most new traders fall out fast.” Tuck Chee turned out to be a survivor with a short learning curve. He started making money after just three months of losses. With rising confidence, he tested his strategies for different market scenarios and hit pay dirt with a fair amount of success. He did not look back. In his third year, he was the third most active trader on the Singapore MSCI contract. By May 2006, Tuck Chee had set up his own company to qualify for tax concessions. He said, “I decided to leave the construction industry because civil engineering graduates were lowly paid and highly pressured. The recession in 1985 did not help, and construction then was seen as a sunset industry.”

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The passion that drives Tuck Chee is also evident in Ho Tian Fui. After getting his Masters in Business Administration (Finance), the former MRT site engineer became a trainee forex dealer with a United States bank in Los Angeles. That gave him a “license” to manage risk. He took the high-intensity manager job in his stride. Tian Fui said, “In the market, everyone is trying to make money off the other players. Had I not loved my job, I would have had a nervous breakdown. It is like a volleyball match. During the match, I spent all my energy and aggression. Once the game ended, I let go and rested to fight another day.” Tian Fui has since moved to a business management role at Commerzbank AG, the second largest bank in Germany. Lim Suy Meng’s NTI training is an asset to his banking job. Currently, he heads the Project Finance and Advisory Team for a Japanese bank. Based in Singapore, he oversees the provision of loans to projects that repay mainly with money generated from the projects. “My engineering and construction background is useful as such projects pertain mostly to oil and gas facilities, power plants, petrochemical plants, sea ports, roads and other infrastructure,” said Suy Meng. He did not start off as a banker. He was a construction engineer for three years. When the construction of the MRT lines was about done and the volume of work dwindled, Suy Meng made the tough decision to make a career switch. He took on a trainee officer post in the dealing room of a local bank. “I suffered a pay cut of more than a thousand dollars,” he said. “Life in the dealing room was not easy as I had to work the night shift to serve customers.” In order to boost his career, Suy Meng did his MBA at NUS. After his study,

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he joined Banque Paribas, a French offshore bank as a credit officer before moving to his current bank. Sow Hoe, Tuck Chee, Tian Fui and Suy Meng are part of a handful of engineering graduates who contributed to the financial sector, a vital growth engine for Singapore over the past 40 years. More than 600 financial institutions, ranging from the world’s largest players to boutique firms, operate here. Together, they provide a wide range of financial products and services in the areas of consumer banking, corporate and investment banking, fund management, insurance and treasury activities. Singapore’s strategic geographical location enables it to access 3.2 billion people in Asia within seven hours of flight. Financial institutions tap on the country’s connectivity across the world. Singapore continues to be a global foreign exchange trading hub and a major wealth management centre in the region. Besides the finance industry, there is another industry that adds buzz to Singapore. It is the hospitality and entertainment industry.

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36 Making Zoe Tay & Joanne Peh Stars “I had to manage people from different nationalities, cultural background and political convictions.” — Oor Yit Teik, CSE Pioneer

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EDIACORP SUPERSTAR ZOE TAY owes her

success in part to NTI. The link is MediaCorp Deputy Group CEO Chang Long Jong, a CSE pioneer. The government scholar recalled, “When I graduated in 1985, the Public Service Commission could not get me a job related to my training. They offered me an administrative post with Singapore Broadcasting Corporation –– now known as MediaCorp –– and I accepted it.” Two years later, Long Jong joined the drama production unit which organised the first Star Search contest in 1988. Zoe won the inaugural competition and the rest is history. She went on to reign as the Queen of Caldecott Hill.

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Zoe is not the only MediaCorp royal to benefit from Long Jong’s work. Fourteen years later, the spotlight fell on Joanne Peh, one of MediaCorp’s seven princesses. In the 2002 Miss Singapore Universe pageant, Joanne won the ‘Miss Elegant’ and ‘Miss Personality’ titles. MediaCorp Studios, which came under Long Jong, saw her potential and took her under its wing as an artiste. It was an astute move. Joanne went on to win accolades including the 2009 Best Actress Award for her role in the hit drama ‘The Little Nyonya’. Long Jong’s engineering background proved to be a great help to his career. About 70 per cent of his work involves managing people; setting goals for the teams under his portfolio, and helping them achieve these targets. His initial training in management came during his industrial attachment with an engineering and construction firm which was then building the Treasury Building in Shenton Way. He said, “That stint taught me to deploy and supervise manpower. I learned to solve problems, an invaluable skill in my job.” He oversees, among other things, Channels 5, 8 and MediaCorp Studios. Joining Long Jong in the entertainment industry are Lee Yat Cheong, and Dennis Sng Cheng Hong. They are with the Media Development Authority. Yat Cheong oversees the infrastructure and land development for Singapore’s media sector. Dennis is tasked to grow Singapore into a vibrant global media capital. The Media Development Authority is a promotional and regulatory body, formed in 2003 by the merger of the Singapore Broadcasting Authority,

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the Films and Publications Department and the Singapore Film Commission. Oor Yit Teik’s foray into the hospitality industry began when he joined World Express Group, a local travel agency. They had a project to develop some shop houses in Tanjong Pagar into an Italian restaurant and art gallery for tourists. Yit Teik did well and went on to helm Singapore Sightseeing, a subsidiary within the group. His excellent performance caught the eye of Far East Holding, a Hong Kong-listed company. They offered him a post to manage the operations of a theme park ranging from show performances, food and beverage to security and retail merchandising. With such a sterling track record, a Singapore government job then came knocking on his door.The job was to oversee the running of the Aloha resort holiday bungalows in Singapore and Malaysia. Yit Teik took up the offer. Under his leadership, occupancy rate rose from 55 per cent to 90 per cent. Yit Teik went on from strength to strength. His next job was with Resort World Sentosa. Then, another attractive offer came in 2008. He went to Macau to take up the role of Chief Operating Officer overseeing the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf, a theme park. The experience is an eye-opener. “I have to manage people from different nationalities, cultural backgrounds and political convictions,” he said. The efforts of NTI pioneers such as Long Jong, Yat Cheong, Dennis Sng and Yit Teik add vibrancy to Singapore’s entertainment and hospitality sector. Their work helps to

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pull in the crowds. Singapore is on track to achieve the forecast of 13 million visitors and $24 billion in tourism receipts in 2011. The hospitality and entertainment industry is a dynamic, fast-paced industry that may not suit everyone. Some NTI pioneers prefer the more gradual pace of moulding younger minds.

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37 Making Singapore a Famed Education Hub “We can easily adapt to the teaching environment.” — Koh Tong Seah, CSE Pioneer

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SE PIONEER CUM EDUCATOR Koh Tong Seah

likened educating a student to constructing a good building. “A good building needs a sturdy foundation, good design and strong execution,” he pointed out. “Cultivating a young man requires wellplanned education programmes and teachers to execute it effectively.” Tong Seah was a site engineer with his industrial attachment company. However, tough working conditions made him rethink his career choice. When the National Institute of Education (NIE) started enrolling engineering graduates to be trained as teachers, Tong Seah went in

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together with 13 other pioneers. After the one-year NIE course, Tong Seah was posted to Tanjong Katong Secondary School in 1989. He observed that engineers-turned teachers seemed to be disadvantaged vis-à-vis those who studied mathematics, science and arts in university. The latter have knowledge related to their teaching subjects. However, the engineering training is far from a liability. “Our engineering background enables us to analyse and solve problems,” said Tong Seah. “We can easily adapt to the teaching environment.” His track record speaks for itself. He taught mathematics and design and technology. Later, he headed the craft and technology department. In 2005, Tong Seah was promoted to vice-principal at the same school. After a stint with Wah Chang International as a civil engineer, Jason Tan Seng Chong went into teaching together with Tong Seah. His teaching career path was different. After teaching design and technology for a few years, Jason took up a role at the Ministry of Education headquarters to develop the curriculum for the subject. In 2002, Jason joined the National Institute of Education to train and educate design and technology teachers to teach this subject to secondary school pupils. His student teachers hold engineering degrees. They come to NIE for their postgraduate course in education. Vincent Yong Swee Lek is also a design and technology teacher. He spent 14 years in the disk drive industry before becoming a teacher. “It was a refreshing change,” shared Vincent. He was posted to Montfort Secondary School to

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teach design and technology. While an engineering job is tough, teaching is also not easy. “Students can be demanding and challenging,” he said. Another disk drive veteran, Chng Siew Chye, joined Woodlands Ring Primary School as the Vice-Principal for Administration after 24 years in the industry. “The school environment is very different from the industry. We need to adapt,” he said. The co-curricular activities that teachers oversee can be a platform to teach priorities in life. Gan Yee Seng, who teaches design and technology, is in charge of the National Cadet Corps (Air) at Changkat Changi Secondary School. Yee Seng, who has a Masters in Education, said, “I stress to cadets that they should balance studies with unit commitment and family time.” He and classmate Sng Fook Chong spent many years in the electronics industry before becoming teachers. They are now colleagues at the same school. These NTI pioneers are part of the teaching corps that makes Singapore a famed education hub. They help produce a highly educated workforce that attracts foreign investors. In 2009, the literacy rate of Singaporeans above 15 is 96 per cent, one of the highest in the world. Many foreign leaders laud Singapore’s education system. While the quest for meaning led some NTI pioneers to teaching, there are those who chose to go beyond.

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38 Beyond a Self-Focused Life “A self-focused life is a narrow one” — Daniel Chien Tiaw Huat, MPE Pioneer

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HEN DANIEL CHIEN TIAW HUAT resigned

as an engineer in 2001, he had three young daughters and no job in hand. He was not acting on impulse. “After 16 years as an engineer, I received a divine call to help the poor and needy,” he shared. “I was searching for meaning beyond material wealth, and I found it in God’s will for me to serve others. A self-focused life is a narrow one.” With his wife’s support, Daniel took up a masters degree in counselling. Friends expressed mock surprise that he had left the “materials” world. After a three-month wait, he was offered a counselling job at Care Corner Counselling Centre. His career switch turned out to be the right choice. Daniel said, “I found

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satisfaction in counselling clients, conducting workshops in prisons and improving the lives of others. I was able to experience things that are different from the engineering world.” His dedication was rewarded. He rose to become an executive director at Care Corner, a member of the National Council of Social Service. “We are concerned to meet human needs as they are felt, enable people to face life’s challenges and foster the enjoyment of and reverence for life,” said Daniel. “In the discharge of these roles, our sole motivation is the love of God.” Care Corner offers their services to people regardless of race, language or religion at their 23 centres. Another person who is motivated by his faith in his career is Peter Hong Yong Kong. In 1993, Peter and three Catholic friends started Wellsprings Catholic Books to provide affordable Catholic and Christian literature. He said, “We seek to help readers know God through books.” Besides their shop in Sin Ming Lane, Wellsprings has an online store with 13,000 titles and worldwide delivery. “At Wellsprings, book lovers can shop among a wide range of books in a warm and friendly environment,” said Peter. Daniel and Peter are among the handful of NTI pioneers who chose to devote themselves to social and religious causes. Their role is important in Singapore. They promote the well-being of individuals and families. They seek to help people restore their function in society. Singordan Nalla Thamby is another good example. He is the former CEO of the Hindu Endowments Board, a statutory board under the Ministry of Community

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Development, Youth and Sports. It manages Hindu kindergartens, halfway houses and temples such as the Sri Mariamman. They organise Hindu festivals such as Thaipusam. They help temples on staff matters, religious issues and get land for relocation. The closest to Nalla’s counterpart in the Muslim circle is Zuraidah Abdullah. She was a board member of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS). MUIS was set up as a statutory body in 1968 when the Administration of Muslim Law Act came into effect. Under the Act, they advise the President on all matters relating to Islam in Singapore. The agency has various roles. They build and run mosques, administer Madrasah and Islamiceducation, issue religious rulings known as fatwas and provide financial help to poor and needy Muslims. In the Buddhist circle, Phuah Soon Ek is active at the Amitabha Buddhist Centre. He was involved in transcribing the teachings of Geshe Chonyi, the resident teacher at the centre. The centre is affiliated to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, an international non-profit organisation. It is devoted to the transmission of Mahayana Buddhist tradition worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.

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PART V

EPILOGUE years have passed since the pioneer batch of students graduated from NTI. The engineering landscape has changed a lot over the years. In the 1980s, an engineering degree was coveted. It required (and still does) a strong grasp of mathematics and sciences. Engineering mathematics involving Fourier Series and Laplace Transformations were daunting stuff. It was a four-year course compared to the three-year science, business, accountancy or arts courses. Back then, engineering jobs were among the best paid in the industry. The starting monthly pay for engineers was at least $1,600 compared to $1,000 for the science, business, accountancy or arts graduates. Today, students strong in mathematics and sciences are applying to business schools. Engineering becomes an after-thought. Is engineering still relevant? Does engineering still offer a versatile platform to enter other fields? The next few chapters try to answer these important questions.

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39 NTI’s Impact in Retrospect “As pioneers, we had no precedent and charted our own course. That built character in us.” — Seow Kim Kheng, EEE Pioneer

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ANY THINGS CAN HAPPEN over 25 years.

Hairlines recede, tummies bulge and children grow up. Looking through the prism of time, some pioneers reflect on their NTI education and its impact on their lives. All were glad that they took the plunge to join a new university. Seow Kim Kheng said, “As pioneers, we had no precedent and charted our own course. That built character in us. NTI taught me to keep going when the going gets tough.” Song Siak Keong enjoyed his time in NTI despite the “spartan facilities and flies in the canteens.” Joe Hui learnt how to “make do”, a spirit that saw him through various start-ups.

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A common thought is that one might not end up doing what one was trained in. However, that does not negate the value of the training. Alan Lim said, “While I never practised engineering, NTI prepared me well for my career at ExxonMobil.” His engineering basics enabled Henry Tan to pick up new technologies. He was able to move from the aerospace industry to the information technology sector and finally ending in the telecommunications industry. NTI enabled Alfred Tan to build upon his training and go beyond. At the Ministry of Defence, he picked up new skills to design structures to withstand explosions. NTI taught Tan Lam Seng to attend to details and gave Yeap Khek Teong “strong mental training” to overcome challenges. Eugene Tan is adamant that “only engineering trains one to systematically reduce complex problems to solvable bits”. Some NTI pioneers singled out the practice-oriented approach for praise. Ho Tian Fui found the in-house practical training valuable. Daniel Tan “appreciates going through the entire construction process from planning to budgeting and execution”. Phuah Soon Ek’s industrial attachment enabled him to adapt to fieldwork easily. Chong Wai Swee was able to do his work as a foreman from day one. Chan Kok Jin’s industrial attachment stint gained him valuable contacts. There were grateful words for the founding lecturers. “They came from the industry and imparted useful knowledge, experiences and skills to us,” said Song Siak Keong. Tan Shan Kiat lauded them for helping students apply theory in real life situations. There were areas where the NTI training could have

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done better. Estee Lim Siew Tan wished that there was more business content. Yoke Yin believed that students need to be taught better communication skills to articulate the use of technology. The time in NTI enabled many to learn inter-personal skills and make long-lasting friendships. “The communal campus life helped foreign students like me to settle down,” said Ho Tian Fui. He was proud to be a member of the volleyball team that won the inter-varsity games. NTI gave him more than a medal. He met his wife at the hostel. Being in the dragon boat team honed James Soon Peng Hock’s leadership skills, an asset in his naval career. Ravi Chandran was the President of the Junior Common Room Committee which plans activities for hostel residents. “The activities sharpened my inter-personal skills, an asset when I took up a sales and marketing job,” he said. Martinn Ho cautioned against thinking that a degree equals a good job and money. “The Internet-era, with its easy access to knowledge, means that a degree is no longer a must to do well,” he said. “Many young entrepreneurs make good money from online businesses while still in school!” Mark Zuckerberg, for instance, dropped out from Harvard University and was never employed. Yet he created a socialnetworking behemoth, Facebook, which made him the world’s youngest billionaire at the age of 28. Martinn added that there is no more lifetime employment and that one must constantly add value to himself to remain employable. Engineering has come a long way since the pioneers entered NTI. In the next chapter, NTU leaders give their take on engineering education going forward.

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40 Engineering Education Then, Today & the Future “Engineering education has to broaden.” — Professor Bertil Andersson, NTU President (2011 – present)

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TU’S COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING today has six

schools and 16,000 students. It is one of the largest engineering colleges in the world. It was set up in 2001 to integrate and promote interaction within NTU’s engineering disciplines. Corporate bigwig Koh Boon Hwee took over from Dr Michael Fam as the chairman of the NTU council in 1993. The council is now the board of trustees. On his watch, he helmed the transformation of the university to one of growing international stature. A mechanical engineer by training, Boon Hwee has a ringside view of the changes in the engineering field over the years.

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“The nature of engineering has gone through a sea change since I did my undergraduate study in mechanical engineering in the 1970s,” he said. “In the old days, the major engineering disciplines were mechanical, electrical and civil engineering. These stand-alone disciplines will not suffice in the modern world which requires a multi-disciplinary approach.” The former Hewlett Packard Managing Director in Singapore gave an example. An inkjet printer cannot be built on mechanical engineering alone. There is a need to understand the electronics that enable the printer to spit out 60,000 ink dots in a controlled manner. The crossdisciplinary nature of engineering is very apparent at NTU. When NTI started, there were three engineering schools. Today, there are six. “Engineering now is more inter-disciplinary within itself,” said Boon Hwee. “Engineers must also be able to work in a cross-disciplinary way with other faculties. While one can practise medicine the traditional way, progress in the field requires more integration with engineering. There is a growing need to interface engineering with medicine to create products and services that will further advance people’s quality of life. Computer-assisted surgery is a good example.” As such, NTU is setting up a medical school which will start taking in students in 2013. “The students will tap on cutting-edge technology such as robotics to treat patients,” said ex-NTU President Su Guaning. His successor Professor Bertil Andersson noted that over the past 15 years, the universities that won the most Nobel prizes are MIT, Stanford and Caltech. He said, “They

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have a strong engineering school on top of other disciplines. This means that nowadays engineering combined with other disciplines is driving discoveries. Engineering education has to broaden. Students need to go beyond hydraulics, electrical circuits and applied mathematics to study other things such as communication, social behaviour, environment and biology. NTU has all these elements under one roof. It is well-placed to emulate the feats of Nobel Prize-winning universities.” The reach of the engineering field extends into the government. “The progress or deterioration of a country can be seen from the state of their infrastructure and their ability to maintain it,” said Boon Hwee. “This is the interface between engineering and government. Being able to work these things out in a cross disciplinary manner within a university environment is increasingly important going forward. NTU recognises this and is modifying the curriculum towards that end.” Given that the scope of engineering is much broader than in the past, there is a greater requirement for some understanding of humanities and the social sciences. Engineers need to know how society works.The increasingly challenging cyber-terrorism and security issues surrounding us today require more than engineering know-how. It needs an understanding of human behaviour. “It is not engineering that makes things go viral on the Internet,” Boon Hwee explained. “It is human behaviour, but I think that engineers do not understand that.” Some of the problems in the corporate world are due to failures in project management, not engineering. A case-in-point is the inability of Boeing or

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Engineering Education Then, Today & the Future

Airbus to get its planes out on time.This is not an engineering issue alone. It is a project management issue. In an increasingly complex world, engineering education has its work cut out for it. “Engineering education must intensify the analytical skills of engineers,” said Boon Hwee. For example, the integrated circuit (IC) that the NTI pioneers dealt with in 1985 is a far cry from the IC today in terms of complexity. When the Class of 85 graduated, there was no Internet. Programming a computer was basically confined to one’s hardware. Now, that can be done from any spot in the world to any computer. “Going forward, the amount of required engineering knowledge will intensify,” he said. The advances in engineering are going to come from people who are multi-disciplinary. Knowing mechanical and electronics engineering is not enough. Another case-inpoint is the production of printers. That requires knowledge of chemistry besides engineering. The interface between engineering and science will become more interlocked. Processes such as desalination and reverse osmosis combine knowledge of mechanical engineering, chemistry and membrane properties. “As we advance the biological sciences, we put bacteria to different use be it reducing waste or fighting oil pollution,” added Boon Hwee. The combination between science and engineering will become more dominant. The interface between the two will blur more going forward. Boon Hwee continued, “This is where most of the advances for mankind will come from. If the last 30 years have been the era of electrons, the next 30 to 50 years will be the era of biology. Biology without engineering does not solve any human problem. It will not be

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One Degree, Many Choices

surprising if a new discipline called ‘biological engineering’ emerges.” Inevitably, the engineering profession will expand into a much wider variety of disciplines because engagement with technology has far outgrown any one occupation. The future of engineering education lies in accepting this multiplicity. With more career choices created by an increasingly diversified economy, engineering education faces a tough task ahead. It has to compete for talent.

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Chapter

41 Competing for Talent “By way of preserving one’s options for the future, few undergraduate courses can match engineering.” — Koh Boon Hwee, Chairman of Board of Trustees, NTU (1993 – present)

I

N RECENT YEARS, LOCAL ENGINEERING courses have

lost ground to courses such as business, law and medicine. Boon Hwee singled out two reasons for the decline. He pointed out that an engineering education is hard work. As society progresses, people can take softer choices. Three decades ago, engineering education was a pathway out of poverty for many. That is true of China and India today. They produce large numbers of engineers because it is the way to a better life. Engineers with an entrepreneurial bent tend to start their own companies. The shift from engineering and technology to the softer disciplines such as finance seems inevitable in all developed countries such as the United States and Europe.

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One Degree, Many Choices

Secondly, the structure of the world is such that the financial sector pays much better than engineering jobs. Boon Hwee said, “We may be sceptical of the value-add but young people are not stupid. For those who want to go where the money is, that is an easy and lucrative way.” He is convinced that an engineering education holds great value for the future. “Engineering is the best undergraduate degree to pursue because the entire field is open to you at the graduate level,” said Boon Hwee. In the United States, people with an engineering degree go on to do medicine. They produce some of the most innovative medical devices that use a combination of engineering and medicine. It is also not surprising that some top bankers are engineers. Boon Hwee did his masters in business administration at Harvard Business School. He did a stint as the finance director in HewlettPackard Singapore prior to becoming managing director. Boon Hwee added, “Engineers by definition have to understand mathematics. Finance is mostly mathematical models nowadays. By way of preserving one’s options for the future, few undergraduate courses can match engineering.” The declining interest in engineering, if left unchecked, does not augur well for Singapore’s future. “Singapore is a major foreign exchange centre in the world,” he explained. “We trade financial services, financial products and commodities products. We do import and export. However, in times of crisis, trade and services can vanish in the blink of an eye. It is easy for trading to move to other places. Hence, an over-emphasis on commercial and financial services makes a country extremely vulnerable. If a nation-state like

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Competing for Talent

Singapore is to survive over the long-term, its ability to anchor its own industries is very important. While a bank can shift its foreign exchange trading from Singapore to Hong Kong overnight, a Keppel Shipyard will do everything it can to remain competitive as its activities are anchored in industry here.” Boon Hwee added that if a large number of young people forsake engineering and industry, the vulnerability of Singapore to a crisis increases. Pretending that no nation will face a crisis is not a good thing. “A nation needs a firm industrial base to last a long time,” said Boon Hwee. “We cannot be like New York because it has the rest of America to depend on. Singapore does not. If Singapore is purely a commercial and financial centre, our vulnerability increases tremendously. We need some of the best and brightest in engineering.” His sentiment on the importance of engineering to the economy is shared by NTU President Bertil Andersson, a Swede. Using his country as an example, he said, “Today, Sweden is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe with well-known companies such as IKEA, Electrolux, Ericsson, ABB, and SKF that have great engineering capabilities. This is also true for powerhouses such as Germany and Switzerland. Engineering is sexy in these countries.” Professor Andersson is upbeat about engineering going forward. He said, “It will be a cycle. Young people will embrace engineering again but it will be different from the past. The new engineering will be more than grease, pistons and circuits. It will go beyond making cars, ships

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One Degree, Many Choices

and planes. It will be environmental engineering, for example, like solving the world’s water problems. In this area, Singapore has done well with its water catchment, a testament of its engineering capabilities. It will be engineering with medicine to address health concerns in the field of improved artificial body parts. It will be new energy systems in a world running out of cheap oil. Engineers are needed to solve these pressing problems facing the world. Engineering in integration with medicine, business and humanities has the solutions.” On the role of NTU vis-à-vis local and foreign universities, Boon Hwee said, “In every country, there will always be multiple engineering schools. As a public institution, we must take care of the engineering education of a large spectrum of people. Schools with a much lower intake can be more discriminating.” Recognising this, NTU has launched the elite Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP) in August 2011 within the College of Engineering. Professor Andersson added, “NTU seeks to emulate the spirit behind the 14th century revival of arts and sciences in Europe known as the Renaissance.” The first batch of 50 students is the cream of the crop among those who applied for NTU courses. They will be equipped with engineering and business management skills to take on senior positions in companies and government. Professor Andersson said, “This will reverse the trend whereby the guy who started in business school becomes the boss of the engineers. That relegates the latter to second-class employees.” Graduates of the fourand-a-half-year REP will get a Bachelor of Engineering

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Competing for Talent

Science degree and a Masters of Science in Technology Management. As undergraduates, they will live on campus and study a spectrum of subjects bridging engineering, business and the liberal arts. They will spend one year at the University of California Berkeley, USA and do an Industrial Orientation programme in Silicon Valley. Like other engineering schools, NTU has its own vision. Boon Hwee said, “NTU is committed to ensuring that the bulk of the cohort is educated to be useful to industries and able to pursue careers that are as varied as what is represented by the Class of 85. NTU engineering will provide an environment with a futuristic outlook to enable undergraduates to research in a much more crossdisciplinary way.” The focus on the present and future is also very much on Professor Andersson’s mind. He said, “The Class of 85 helped to build up Singapore. The infrastructure is now in place and new engineers are needed to further develop the economy.” Professor Andersson noted too that the Singapore education system is changing. “They are moving from rotelearning to self-directed learning and problem solving,” he said. Recognising the power of curiosity in the new paradigm, he pointed to Leonardo da Vinci, an artist cum scientist of repute during the Renaissance. Intrigued by the bird’s ability to fly, Da Vinci believed that man can do likewise. He went on to design the concept of a helicopter. Professor Andersson said, “Da Vinci said ‘If birds can fly, so can we’. Likewise, we can ask, ‘If the chlorophyll in leaves can turn sunlight into energy, why can’t we convert leaves into solar cells’. The

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One Degree, Many Choices

future of engineering education in NTU will be to inspire and prepare a new generation of young people to solve real problems, be it energy, environment, food, healthcare, and world security. That is the potential of the new engineering graduate from NTU.” The focus of NTU engineering depends on the convictions of its leaders. Boon Hwee is able to speak with authority on the relevance and importance of engineering because he experienced it first-hand.

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Chapter

42 How I Benefitted “My engineering education honed my analytical power and enables me to see the relevance of engineering excellence to a company’s operations.” — Koh Boon Hwee, Chairman of SingTel (1986 – 2001), Chairman of SIA (2001 – 2005), Chairman of DBS (2006 – 2010), Non-executive Chairman of Yeo Hiap Seng (2010 – present)

K

OH BOON HWEE’S mechanical engineering

background is a prized asset in his illustrious career spanning diverse industries. “My engineering education honed my analytical power and enables me to see the relevance of engineering excellence to a company’s operations,” he said. “It adds value to my management of companies such as Singapore Airlines (SIA), SingTel and Yeo Hiap Seng.” Boon Hwee was the Chairman of SIA from 2001 to 2005. “SIA seems to be in the consumer business because it deals with passengers but at the heart of it, a good airline

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One Degree, Many Choices

has to operate on a solid engineering basis,” he said. “The timeliness of your take-offs and landings or punctuality is important to customers, but it ultimately depends on the reliability of your engines and airframe; in short, your engineering integrity. Some carriers seem tardy in terms of timeliness performance and have more mechanical problems during flights. It can be because many of them outsource their engineering. When you do that, you are no longer in control of the quality of engineering that is being performed. SIA is one of those companies that did not outsource their engineering. It is retained in-house. Therefore, it is possible to exact high performance standards for engineering.” Elaborating on the importance of engineering excellence, Boon Hwee added, “Once every few years, there is a major check-up of the aircraft. SIA Engineering Company holds the world record for the time taken to complete the check. It is a testimony of the high level of engineering.” Analytical skills are also useful in day to day operations. On SIA flights, classified advertisements are taken out of The Straits Times because it is heavy. Every kilogram in extra weight translates into $42,000 of extra fuel per year. Boon Hwee said, “Few people go through the advertisements. It is not missed. This is the detail of the analysis that goes into the operations.” His engineering background was also a boon to SingTel which he chaired from 1986 to 2001. He oversaw the transformation of a statutory board in a monopoly environment to a leading integrated communications service provider in Asia.

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How I Benefitted

“When I joined SingTel, there was a department that prepared your premises to receive the line,” he said. “One guy would run the line to your home. A second guy would come to your home to give you the telephone. A third guy would test your line to make sure it works.” He could not understand this artificial division of an overall responsibility. Boon Hwee said, “The person who runs the line could set up the telephone and test it. We changed the system and reduced SingTel’s manpower requirements by almost 4,000.” Engineers tend to be good at this sort of thing because they understand project management and work flow. Engineers understand what it means for things to be on a critical path. Boon Hwee said, “When you see something like this, you can make an immediate contribution. The flexibility of an engineering education is tremendous.” Currently, Boon Hwee is the non-executive Chairman of local food and beverage giant Yeo Hiap Seng where his analytical skills also came in handy. A big expenditure in this business is distribution and logistics cost. In this area, the company’s figure seems in line with the industrial average. However, they decided to look beyond the averages. They asked for 80,000 pieces of data pertaining to the cost of moving a product from factory to distributor. Before the management could get those data, they came to their own conclusion that some of these products were not worth moving from factory to distributor. By eliminating all of those, it saved the company more than a million dollars. “This is the power of analysis and it is something that all engineers are trained to do because averages and rules of

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One Degree, Many Choices

thumb can conceal a lot,” said Boon Hwee. “It is a skill that engineers can bring to any profession.” With the benefits of an engineering education clearly spelt out, those on the threshold of university will do well to heed some practical advice from the NTI pioneers.

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Chapter

43 Compass at the Crossroads of Life “A basic engineering degree gives more options for careers.” — Ng Chyou Lin, MPE Pioneer

T

WENTY-FIVE YEARS HAVE PASSED since the NTI

pioneers graduated. The passage of time gives them fresh insights into university education and working life. They have a wealth of tips to share with those on the threshold of university life. Their collective wisdom is gleaned from reflections on career and life over the past 25 years. It can serve as a compass and pre-empt unnecessary detours for young ones at the crossroads of life.

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Fire up your interest with passion

There is the need for passion in your choice of study and career. “Always follow your passion. There is nothing worse than hating what you pursue, be it studies or work. Do what you love and love what you do,” said Wee Chong, whose passion is engineering. “If you do what you are passionate about, you will never work a day in your life,” added Ananda. Engineers apply principles of mathematics and science to develop new solutions to technical challenges all around us. They are crucial in all industries and take on critical responsibilities in a wide range of roles from R&D, to product development, manufacturing, construction, maintenance and servicing. With so many types of engineering and career options, it is important to “follow your interest and not the herd.” Tuck Chee’s interest in structures led him to study civil engineering. Lucy said, “If you end up in a course that is not your first choice, develop the passion for it.” Casey Lim wanted to study medicine but did not get a place. He chose engineering and moved on. Can’t make up your mind?

Chyou Lin recommends engineering for the indecisive. He said, “A basic engineering degree gives more options for careers.” Yat Cheong’s engineering background enabled him to move into property development and project management. Ditto for ACS(I) Vice Principal Siew Hwa. “The skills that I picked up in engineering helped me to be

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Compass at the Crossroads of Life

what I am today,” she said. For Hock Lum, his background is his platform to take up different roles in the construction and real estate industry. He had been a consultant, contractor and developer. Industry prospects do change

Do not choose a course based solely on the industry prospects. The industry may change by the time you graduate.Yoke Yin said, “Who would expect the manufacturing industry, which was growing rapidly when we joined NTI, to be hollowing out before we retire.” A practical piece of advice from her: To land a job quickly, choose a final year project in a job area that you are interested in. Doesn’t pay to be a loner, even though it’s okay to be one

One vital ingredient for success is networking. The time on campus should not be spent just buried in books. Ravi said, “Network and enjoy the company of your friends on campus. When you go out to work, some will become your colleagues and these friendships will hold you in good stead.” A strong network is highly precious. It is knowledge plus contacts that get things done. Who you know can make a world of difference. It is important to start networking on campus. Get involved in societies and committees. “You have the youth, health and freedom to push your limits,” said Tan Lam Seng. “University life is short. When the next World Cup comes, you will have graduated.”

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One Degree, Many Choices

Interact with people and make your money work for you

Excellent communication skills are also a must-have. “Poor communication skills can break your career,” said Brian. Eddie struggled in the first few years of work due to a lack in communication skills. He said, “I wished I had spent more time interacting with people at NTI.” Analytical skills are also important. Thiam Huat explained, “At work, you often need to diagnose a problem and fix it.” Top it off with a dose of financial knowledge, urged Sow Hoe. “Many people earn good money but do not become rich as they fail to invest to make more money,” he said. Learn as you earn

A university education is only the beginning, it is a career foundation. “The height to which you want to take your career is for you to decide,” said Kok Jin. Kelvin stressed the need to learn new things and adapt to an ever-changing environment. “You need hard work, passion and persistence to succeed,” he said. Keep your perspective and attitude in check

Srikrishnan espoused a positive mindset when the going gets tough. Syn Pui believed that a positive attitude can lead to success even in the absence of paper qualifications. “Success

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Compass at the Crossroads of Life

does not happen by chance but by thinking big and taking chances when the opportunity arrives,” said Eugene. However, Gek Noi has a different take on this. She tells people not to look for success. “Focus on doing well whatever you are doing and success will find you,” she said. Gek Noi who runs her own company is always looking for employees with the right attitude. In order to separate yourself from the pack, focus on adding value to your organisation instead of the reward. In an era of global economic uncertainty and stiff competition from China and India, a good attitude stands out. Life is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. In the midst of changes, some things remain. “Whatever you do, be ethical. Do the right thing,” stressed Kevin Ang. “Otherwise, there will be repercussions.” Keep an open mind

Taking up post-graduate studies can boost your career or lead to a switch. Tian Fui and Suy Meng furthered their banking careers after getting a MBA. Su Ling took up a course in Southeast Asian Studies. She is now a curator at NUS museum. Also, job security is a dinosaur. Lifetime employment is a thing of the past. “Add value to yourself to remain marketable. Be proactive in charting your career path,” said Martinn Ho. Have a career plan and milestones to track progress. Build a marketable resume and keep your options open.

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Life’s not just about work

While a career is important, it is not the be-all-and-endall. You should set priorities and strike a balance between work, family and friends. “Do not neglect relationships at home in favour of career advancement,” said Philip Kee, whose son got married in 2011. Priorities in life change over different phases. Daniel Chien said, “Academic knowledge and intellectual ability are insufficient for life. We need to develop other areas –– the physical, emotional, social and spiritual sides.” Celebrate your own ride

Finally, when you have done your best and do not make it big like Bill Gates, do not be too hard on yourself. Chung Chiang said, “Sometimes, luck plays a part in getting a good job at the right time. Do not blame yourself if you are not prosperous like some of your classmates. Your luck may not be as good.”

184

APPENDICES 7

185

186

APPENDIX I

The Highs & Lows of the Singapore Economy The life stories of the 557 NTI pioneers are intricately linked to the developments of the Singapore economy. Knowledge of these developments will provide the context to better understand these stories. Here’s a quick summary of the economy over the past 45 years: TABLE 1 Real GDP Growth Rates 1965 – 2010 (%) at 2005 Market Prices PERCENTAGE 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6%

1 1965 (7.6%)

4% 2% 0%

2

- 2%

3

1985 (-0.7%)

5

4

2009 (-0.8%)

2001 (-1.2%)

1998 (-2.1%)

- 4% 1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

2010

7.6%

13.8%

4.4%

10.0%

-0.7%

10.1%

7.3%

9.1%

7.4%

14.5%

Source: Singapore Department of Statistics 1 1965 was the year Singapore was separated from Malaysia 2 1985 Recession 3 1998 Asia Financial Crisis 4 2001 Dot Com bust and SARS 5 2009 Global Financial Crisis

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The Highs & Lows of the Singapore Economy

Prior to 1985

Since 1965 when Singapore separated from Malaysia, the economy averaged 9.7 per cent growth per year. The only serious decline was during the 1974/75 oil crisis which resulted in a global recession. Growth went down to 4.4 per cent. As Singapore was industrialising, there were still plenty of jobs for engineers. 1985 Recession

Singapore suffered the first major recession after 20 years of economic growth. The recession was triggered by a drop in demand for goods from trading partners. That led to production cutbacks in local factories which were meant to be sources of employment. A headcount freeze followed by retrenchments worsened the gloom. The construction sector had been growing rapidly until the end of 1984. When the recession hit, there were few uncompleted public projects. The private commercial and residential property markets were saturated. As a result, the construction industry contracted by 14 per cent in 1985. Many NTI pioneers took six to nine months to land a job. The civil engineers took longer. 1987/97 The Golden Decade

“The 1985 recession forced us to reassess our economic policies…These policy changes worked better than we had hoped for … For a decade until the Asian Financial Crisis

188

Appendix I

broke in 1997, growth averaged 9.2 per cent a year. Within a generation, the lives of Singaporeans had been transformed beyond recognition,” said Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an address in 2003. Recovery peaked in 1988 with the highest double-digit growth since 1973. It peaked again in 1993. In 1992, the industrial electronics sector accounted for more than half of the industry’s exports, half of its output, and 43 per cent of its employment. The sector’s output was dominated by disk drives, although the production capacity of computers and communications equipment had expanded rapidly since 1992. With more than 10 years of experience, many of the Class of 85 rose to middle management. 1997/98 Asian Financial Crisis

The Asian Financial Crisis began as an exchange rate crisis in Thailand and spread almost immediately to Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Korea. This led to severe downturns in these economies. The impact of the Asian Financial Crisis was largely contained within Asia. External demand, especially in the developed economies, was not severely affected. Singapore emerged largely unscathed due to the government’s active management. Construction projects were brought forward. CPF rates were cut to lower labour costs. In less than a year, the Singapore economy recovered fully and continued to grow.

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The Highs & Lows of the Singapore Economy

2001/02 Dot-com Bust

The dot-com bubble was a stock market bubble powered by the rise of Internet sites and the tech industry between 1995 and 2001. The global IT industry was affected by massive over-investments in IT by firms. When the bubble burst, there were a slew of cancellations of orders for electronic equipment.Thankfully, the contraction in Singapore’s exports was relatively short-lived, and there was a strong rebound. With the economic crises and China’s rise as an economic power, the government has been slowly reducing its reliance on electronics and manufacturing. Singapore moved away from hard disk drives and assembly work to wafer fabrication and solar panel production. It diversified and went into biomedical sciences such as pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines. Aged 40 and above, the Class of 85 had honed their strengths in the industry and could handle the dot-com bust well. The best was yet to come. 2003 SARS

After recovering from the dot-com bust with modest growth, the Singapore economy stagnated during the first nine months of 2003. The outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) threatened short-term growth prospects. Visitor arrivals and hotel occupancy rates plunged. Revenues at retail shops and restaurants dived. Taxi drivers reported fewer passengers, stock prices fell, and people lost their jobs.

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Appendix I

At the height of the outbreak in mid-April, the government announced a $230 million relief package to help affected industries in a bid to save jobs. The outbreak in Singapore was contained by May 2003. Manufacturing recovered quickly as the United States and Europe markets were not affected. 2008/09 Global Financial Crisis

The Global Financial Crisis was triggered by a liquidity shortfall in the United States banking system in 2008. The collapse of the United States housing bubble, which peaked in 2007, caused the value of securities tied to United States real estate prices to plummet, damaging financial institutions globally. Tightened credit, falling equity prices and dismal consumer and business confidence caused households and businesses around the world to cut back on expenditure. Global cut-backs in consumer and business spending plus disruptions in financial systems significantly affected global trade which Singapore was dependent on. Global trade contracted by 11 per cent in 2009. Singapore was the first Asian country to fall victim to the global financial crisis. Its worst two quarters of contraction were in late 2008 and early 2009. The recession came mainly through the fall of non-oil exports caused by the deteriorating economic conditions in the United States and Europe. The Global Financial Crisis effectively signaled the end of electronics manufacturing in Singapore. Even profitable companies took advantage of the downturn to get rid of

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The Highs & Lows of the Singapore Economy

middle and senior management. Some 40 per cent of those retrenched were professionals, managers, executives and technicians. The Singapore government took the unprecedented step of drawing upon Singapore’s reserves to help Singaporeans keep their jobs and boost overall confidence. At the same time, the government spent heavily on big construction projects such as the Marina Bay financial sector and new MRT lines and approved the investments in two integrated resorts by Las Vegas Sands and the Genting Group. The economy recovered well in 2010, registering a staggering 14.5 per cent, the second highest in the world. However, uncertainties in the global economy remain, especially in light of the debt crisis in Europe. Aged 49 and older, the Class of 85 was in middle or senior management. At this age, they found it an uphill task to get a similar job when retrenched. With a background in engineering, many were able to teach or repackage their skills and experience to provide consultancy services.

192

APPENDIX II

Profile of the NTI Pioneer Engineering Class of 85 The charts below shows the makeup of the Class of 85:

Graduates CSE 186 (33%)

Total:

557

EEE 194 (35%)

MPE 177 (32%)

193

Profile of the NTI Pioneer Engineering Class of 85

Gender

CSE 27

LADIES

Ladies

56 (10%)

MPE 12

EEE 17

CSE 159 GENTLEMEN

501 (90%)

Gentlemen EEE 177

Educational Background

CSE 134

A levels

414 (74%)

MPE 165

EEE 155

A Levels MPE 125

CSE 52 poly

143 (26%)

194

Poly EEE 39

MPE 52

Appendix II

CSE 84

Nationalities

EEE 158

Singaporeans MPE 147

SINGAPOREANS

389 (70%)

CSE 99

OTHERS

Malaysian

10 (2%)

MPE 28

EEE 31

MALAYSIANS

158 (28%)

CSE 3

EEE 5

Others MPE 2

Source: Alumni Affairs Office, NTU

195

APPENDIX III

Gone but not Forgotten This page is dedicated to the NTI Pioneer Engineering Class of 85 members who are no longer with us: Mr Chong Tuck Ming/CSE Mr Tan Kah Sin/CSE Mr Tan Keng Leong/CSE Mr Thium Choon Kong/CSE Mrs Goh-Thien Lee Peng/EEE Mr Lam Jin Cheong/EEE Mr Yap Tek Hua/EEE Mr Tan Oon Seng, Michael/MPE Mr Wong Ban Chong/MPE Mr Wong Chok Leong/MPE

Source: Alumni Affairs Office, NTU

196

APPENDIX IV

List of Acronyms ACS(I) Anglo Chinese School (Independent) BCA Building and Construction Authority CAD Computer-Aided Design CAM Computer-Aided Manufacturing CEO Chief Executive Officer CPF Central Provident Fund CSE Civil & Structural Engineering course at NTI, 1985 D&T Design & Technology DPM Deputy Prime Minister DSO Defence Science Organisation DSTA Defence Science and Technology Agency EDB Economic Development Board EEE Electrical & Electronic Engineering course at NTI, 1985 GINTIC Grumman International NTI CAD/CAM Centre GLC Government-Linked Company GRC Group Representative Committee HDB Housing and Development Board HP Hewlett Packard Company HR Human Resource IC Integrated Circuits IDA Infocomm Development Authority IES Institute of Engineers Singapore

197

List of Acronyms

IT Information Technology ITE Institute of Technical Education LCD Liquid Crystal Display MAE Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering MBA Masters in Business Administration MBS Marina Bay Sands Mindef Ministry of Defence MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology MNC Multi-National Corporation MOF Ministry of Finance MP Member of Parliament MPE Mechanical & Production Engineering course at NTI, 1985 MRT Mass Rapid Transit MRTC Mass Rapid Transit Corporation MUIS Islamic Religious Council of Singapore Nantah Nanyang University, Chinese translation, 1955 to 1980 NEA National Environmental Agency NIE National Institute of Education NSTB National Science and Technology Board NTI Nanyang Technological Institute, 1981 to 1991 NTU Nanyang Technological University, 1991 to present NTUC National Trades Union Congress NU Nanyang University, 1955 to 1980 NUS National University of Singapore, 1980 to present PAP People’s Action Party PC Personal Computers

198

Appendix IV

PS Permanent Secretary PUB Public Utilities Board PWD Public Works Department R&D Research & Development REP Renaissance Engineering Programme RSAF Republic of Singapore Air Force RSN Republic of Singapore Navy SAF Singapore Armed Forces SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SIA Singapore Airlines SingTel Singapore Telecommunications SME Small and Medium Size Enterprises SMRT Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Corporation SPRING Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board ST Singapore Technologies TAS Telecommunications Authority of Singapore UMIST University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology UPS United Parcel Services

199

APPENDIX V

Class of 85 Name List (in alphabetical order) It is an honour to have journeyed as part of NTI’s pioneer engineering graduates.

31 1 Alagappan Murugappan M EEE 32 2 Alagesan S/O Kulanthaivelu M EEE 33 3 Alphones Ronnie Paul M CSE 34 4 Ananda Senan A/L A. Singaravelu M MPE 35 5 Ang Chin Pheng M EEE 36 6 Ang Kheng Keong F CSE 37 7 Ang Kim Chwee M MPE 38 8 Ang Kok Seng Kevin M MPE 39 9 Ang Liang Ann M MPE 40 10 Ang Sei Lim M EEE 11 Ang Seng Kok M EEE 41 42 12 Ang Siew Hoon Jenny F CSE 43 13 Ang Wan Tiang F EEE 44 14 Arkarattanakul Nirand M EEE 45 15 Beck Choon Hueei M MPE 46 16 Boey Chong Yoong M EEE 47 17 Brandon Chong Cher Keon M EEE 48 18 Chan Bee Kiau F MPE 49 19 Chan Cheow Wah M MPE 50 20 Chan Chor Seng M EEE 21 Chan Hua Tek M EEE 51 22 Chan Kah Sing M CSE 52 23 Chan Keng Chuen M CSE 53 54 24 Chan Kian Guan M CSE 25 Chan Kiang Por M MPE 55 26 Chan King Far @ Gary Chan M MPE 56 27 Chan Kok Jin M CSE 57 28 Chan Lai Yee F MPE 58 59 29 Chan Sau Lin Pauline F EEE 30 Chan Siew Kong M EEE 60

200

Chan Soo Lee M EEE Chan Wai Yong M CSE Chan Whye Quine M MPE Chan Yew Meng M EEE Chan Yue Meng M CSE Chang Ching Woei M MPE Chang Joe Yew M EEE Chang Long Jong M CSE Chang Rea Woun Raymond M EEE Chang Toon Khim M CSE Chang Yee Shen M MPE Chay Weng Hang M CSE Chee Choong Yang M EEE Chen Kheng Seong M CSE Chen Teck Liong M EEE Cheng Teck Hin M EEE Cheong Ping Kee M EEE Cheong Yoke Yin F EEE Cheong Yow Kin M EEE Cheow Hock Beng M CSE Chew Min Lip M EEE Chew Swee Ling F EEE Chew Teik Boon M CSE Chew Thiam Huat M MPE Chia Chun Wah M MPE Chia Gek Liang M EEE Chia Gek Wah M EEE Chia Teo Kiang M EEE Chia Yeou Cheong M CSE Chiang Heng Jaik M EEE

Appendix V

61 Chien Tiaw Huat, Daniel M MPE 62 Chin Chun Ping @ John Chin M CSE 63 Chin Kim Ping Andrew M CSE 64 Chin Kong Tad M CSE 65 Chin Nyuk Hean M MPE 66 Chin Terk Chung M MPE 67 Chin Tuck Koon M EEE 68 Chng Siew Chye M MPE 69 Chock Siew Hwa F CSE 70 Choe Charng Ching M CSE 71 Chong Geok Thine F CSE 72 Chong Kee Hwee M MPE 73 Chong Ming Ying M EEE 74 Chong Teik Yean M CSE 75 Chong Tuck Ming (D) M CSE 76 Chong Wai Swee M CSE 77 Chong Yee Fatt M EEE 78 Chong Yen Pah M CSE 79 Chong Yoon Hean M CSE 80 Choo Koon Leng Danny M EEE 81 Choo Seng Kok M EEE 82 Choo Yock Meng M EEE 83 Choy Kem Wah M MPE 84 Chua Boon Huat Stephen M CSE 85 Chua Boon Kiang M EEE 86 Chua Chee Hwee M CSE 87 Chua Chee Kai M MPE 88 Chua Chiow Chye M CSE 89 Chua Chong Kheng M EEE 90 Chua Choon Ngoh F EEE 91 Chua Chor Pheng M CSE 92 Chua Hock Seng M MPE 93 Chua Hoon San M MPE 94 Chua Kim Seng M EEE 95 Chua Kok Hua M MPE 96 Chua Kok Soon M EEE 97 Chua Lee Huat M MPE 98 Chua Meng Leng M MPE 99 Chua Thian Yee M EEE 100 Chun Kok Yuen M CSE 101 Chung Ching Thiam M EEE 102 Chung Kean Beng M CSE 103 Chung Soon Ann M EEE 104 D’Rozario Patrick M MPE 105 Ee Poh Ngoh F EEE 106 Elangovan S/O Rajangam M MPE 107 Eng Bak Sing M CSE 108 Eng Tian Soon M MPE 109 Er Kian Hoo M CSE 110 Fok Hew Wai, Peter M MPE

111 Fok Lam Fatt M MPE 112 Fong Kam Wai M CSE 113 Foo Boon Chew M CSE 114 Foo Chow Ming M EEE 115 Foo Hee Keat M CSE 116 Foo Miaw Hui F CSE 117 Foo Ming Yang M MPE 118 Foo Siang Sin M MPE 119 Foo Su Ling F MPE 120 Foo Yeen Loo F CSE 121 Gan Hock Chai M EEE 122 Gan Yee Khoon Steven M EEE 123 Gan Yee Seng M MPE 124 Goh Ai Gek F EEE 125 Goh Chye Lee M MPE 126 Goh Eng Ngeow M EEE 127 Goh Heng Tai M MPE 128 Goh Kee Kok M EEE 129 Goh Khing Sua M MPE 130 Goh Kok Tai M MPE 131 Goh Koon Yeap M EEE 132 Goh Siok Piew M EEE 133 Han Boon Siew Philip M MPE 134 Han Fung Siew Edward M EEE 135 Han Tek Fong M EEE 136 Harjit Singh S/O Inder Singh M CSE 137 Heng Aik Swan Charlie M EEE 138 Heng Guan Teck M EEE 139 Heng Mung Suan M EEE 140 Ho Boon Kiat Anthony M EEE 141 Ho Joo Guan M MPE 142 Ho Lip Tse M MPE 143 Ho Seng Kong M CSE 144 Ho Tian Fui M CSE 145 Ho Tuck Chee M CSE 146 Ho Wah Foo M CSE 147 Ho Wei Ping Johnson M EEE 148 Ho Yuen Liung Martinn M MPE 149 Hoe Puay Hoon Ivan M EEE 150 Hon Soo Shin M CSE 151 Hong Shaw Chiat M EEE 152 Hong Yong Kong, Peter M MPE 153 Hoo Kew Ming M CSE 154 Hui Keen Leong Joe M EEE 155 Hwong Jong Haur Alex M MPE 156 Inderjit Singh M EEE 157 Jaw Tee Ming M MPE 158 Jeffrey A John De Silva M CSE 159 Johari Bin Syed Ahmad M MPE 160 Joo Han Liang M CSE

201

Class of 85 Name List

161 Jow Hai Sing M MPE 211 Lee Kok Hoe Cecil M CSE 162 Kalwant Singh M EEE 212 Lee Koon Haw M CSE 163 Kan Kok Hong M MPE 213 Lee Lai Heng M MPE 164 Kang Ann Beng M MPE 214 Lee Leng Keong M EEE 165 Kee Tuang Loh M MPE 215 Lee Meng Fong M MPE 166 Khong Cheng Mun M MPE 216 Lee Nang Sin M MPE 167 Khoo Beng Huat Dennis M CSE 217 Lee Ngee Boon M MPE 168 Khoo Boo Kian M CSE 218 Lee Peng Hin M EEE 169 Khoo Siang Hock M EEE 219 Lee Peng Thiam M CSE 170 Khoo Teng Chong M CSE 220 Lee Seng Beo M EEE 171 Khor Eng Leong M CSE 221 Lee Ser Tat M EEE 172 Kim Mui Huang F CSE 222 Lee Teng Fuo M MPE 173 Koh Ai Li F CSE 223 Lee Wai Mun M MPE 174 Koh Chan Tia M EEE 224 Lee Wee Cheong M EEE 175 Koh Chwee Lan F CSE 225 Lee Woon Onn M MPE 176 Koh Chye Hin M CSE 226 Lee Yat Cheong M CSE 177 Koh Hock Thiam M CSE 227 Lee Yeaw Lip M EEE 178 Koh Kai Neng M EEE 228 Lee Yip Fatt M EEE 179 Koh Kian Kee M EEE 229 Lee Yow Jinn M CSE 180 Koh Tong Seah M CSE 230 Lee Yuan Horng Joshua M EEE 181 Koh Yeang Choo F CSE 231 Leong Peng Chuen M MPE 182 Kok Keng Kiong M MPE 232 Leong Peng Ham M EEE 183 Kong Jit Sun M EEE 233 Leong Peng Kwai M EEE 184 Kor Choy Yim M MPE 234 Leong Set Kok M MPE 185 Kuan Sui Toh M EEE 235 Leong Sow Hoe M CSE 186 Kuo Wen Siang M EEE 236 Leu Yew Seng M EEE 187 Lai Ying Cheung M EEE 237 Liau Hon Chung M EEE 188 Lai Yit Chun M CSE 238 Liaw Tiong That M CSE 189 Lam Chee Ming M MPE 239 Lim Ah Shan M MPE 190 Lam Hin Haung M EEE 240 Lim Beng Boon M MPE 191 Lam Jin Cheong (D) M EEE 241 Lim Bock Ho M CSE 192 Lam Khee Yong M CSE 242 Lim Boon Chin M EEE 193 Lam Shee Hung M CSE 243 Lim Cheng Siong M CSE 194 Lam Wee Soo Alan M CSE 244 Lim Chi Chen John M MPE 195 Lam Yee Loy M EEE 245 Lim Chin Boo M MPE 196 Lau Lai Keat M CSE 246 Lim Chin Sang M CSE 197 Lau Peng Chiew M CSE 247 Lim Ching Kwang M MPE 198 Law Syn Pui @ Lo Syn Pui M EEE 248 Lim Chwee Poh M EEE 199 Lee Bee Wah F CSE 249 Lim Chye Joo M CSE 200 Lee Boon Hong, Ivan M MPE 250 Lim Ewe Gen M CSE 201 Lee Chiaw Boon M CSE 251 Lim Fong Choo Anne F EEE 202 Lee Chin Fuan M CSE 252 Lim Geok Yian F MPE 203 Lee Ching Keat M MPE 253 Lim Hong Kiat Raymond M MPE 204 Lee Chiong Wong, Eric M MPE 254 Lim Jit Eng M CSE 205 Lee Chun Peng F EEE 255 Lim Jit Meng M EEE 206 Lee Eng Ling M EEE 256 Lim Kah Huat M CSE 207 Lee Ewe Ghee M CSE 257 Lim Khoon Huat M MPE 208 Lee Gen Sie Philip M EEE 258 Lim Kian Huat M CSE 209 Lee Joo Kiong M EEE 259 Lim Kok Chew M CSE 210 Lee Kheng Seng M MPE 260 Lim Kok Seng Alan M MPE

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Appendix V

261 Lim Kok Shen M CSE 311 Neo Lay Beng M MPE 262 Lim Koon Yew M EEE 312 Neo Sian Phor M CSE 263 Lim Kwong Hwee M MPE 313 Neoh Hock Guan M CSE 264 Lim Lian Hwa M EEE 314 Ng Ah Leh M MPE 265 Lim May Leng F CSE 315 Ng Chan Fong M CSE 266 Lim Meng Cheok M CSE 316 Ng Chong Kwong M EEE 267 Lim Meng Soon M EEE 317 Ng Chorn Chien M MPE 268 Lim Peng Heng M CSE 318 Ng Chyou Lin M MPE 269 Lim Peng Hun M EEE 319 Ng Geok Hin M CSE 270 Lim Pik King M CSE 320 Ng Hock Siong M MPE 271 Lim Puay Chit M CSE 321 Ng Joo Chye M EEE 272 Lim Siew Lang F EEE 322 Ng Kok Leong M CSE 273 Lim Siew Tan, Estee F MPE 323 Ng Lay Hua F CSE 274 Lim Soo Shin M CSE 324 Ng Pan Seng M EEE 275 Lim Soon Tein M EEE 325 Ng Peng Wah John M MPE 276 Lim Sor Liak M EEE 326 Ng Peng Wai Terence M EEE 277 Lim Suy Meng M CSE 327 Ng Poh Teck M EEE 278 Lim Swee Huat John M CSE 328 Ng Seng Leong M MPE 279 Lim Tai Pong M MPE 329 Ng Siew Lay Rosaline F CSE 280 Lim Teng Lye M EEE 330 Ng Song Hang M MPE 281 Lim Tien Kiong Larry M CSE 331 Ng Teck Num M CSE 282 Lim Tow Ghee M MPE 332 Ng Teck Wai M CSE 283 Lim Yew Ban M EEE 333 Ng Tong Hai M CSE 284 Lin Sin Khng M CSE 334 Ng Wai Yee Allan M EEE 285 Liu Fook Thim M MPE 335 Ng Wee Kee M CSE 286 Loh Chung Chiang M MPE 336 Ng Woei King M CSE 287 Loh Kia Leng F CSE 337 Ng Yew Hung M CSE 288 Loh Kok Keong Peter M EEE 338 Ng Yik Peng M EEE 289 Loh Lai Soon M MPE 339 Ng Yong Huat M EEE 290 Loh Shyh M CSE 340 Ngai Chee Kin M EEE 291 Loh Yue Thong M EEE 341 Ngiam Siew Jit M EEE 292 Loi Michael M MPE 342 Ngo Kah Thay Joseph M CSE 293 Loo Cherng Ching M CSE 343 Oei Lie Hwat M EEE 294 Loo Ching Nong M CSE 344 Oh Chee Soon M MPE 295 Looh Chee Wai M EEE 345 Oh Wai Some M MPE 296 Low Boon Toh M CSE 346 Ong Chee Fatt M CSE 297 Low Chai Thiam M MPE 347 Ong Cheng Lye M CSE 298 Low Chee Man M CSE 348 Ong Chin Soon M MPE 299 Low Jhon Hien M CSE 349 Ong Hock Lam M MPE 300 Low Kay Soon M EEE 350 Ong Kar Lock M MPE 301 Low Kiah Hwee M MPE 351 Ong Kian Beng M MPE 302 Low Koon Teck Linus M EEE 352 Ong Lai Keong M EEE 303 Low Siang Bak M EEE 353 Ong Lay Kuan F CSE 304 Lum Chang Leong M MPE 354 Ong Oon Chien M EEE 305 Lum Siak Foong James M EEE 355 Ong Pang Soon M MPE 306 Mah How Teck M EEE 356 Ong Seow Phay M EEE 307 Mak Lin Seng M EEE 357 Ong Tah Chuan M CSE 308 Manoj Patil M CSE 358 Ong Yew San Leslie M EEE 309 Melina S Silva F CSE 359 Oo Ewe Kiat M MPE 310 Munir Mallal M EEE 360 Ooi Ah Hoe M CSE

203

Class of 85 Name List

361 Ooi Hio Tiong M MPE 411 Tan Chek Sim M EEE 362 Ooi Hock Yee M CSE 412 Tan Cheng Teck Alfred M CSE 363 Ooi Kok Chan M EEE 413 Tan Chin Huat M MPE 364 Oor Yit Teik M CSE 414 Tan Chin Tuan Henry M EEE 365 Pak Lo Ping M EEE 415 Tan Chong Chnya M MPE 366 Pang Eng Mong Edward M MPE 416 Tan Chor Nyat M MPE 367 Pang Eng Poh M EEE 417 Tan Eang Min M CSE 368 Pang Fook Chong M MPE 418 Tan Eng Hwa M EEE 369 Peh Ping Hing M EEE 419 Tan Eng Khian M EEE 370 Phan Choo Hin M CSE 420 Tan Gek Noi F EEE 371 Phang Yeh Juang M MPE 421 Tan Geok Lan F CSE 372 Phoa Eng Joshua M EEE 422 Tan Hak Hwee M EEE 373 Phua Kia Chik M CSE 423 Tan Hock Lum M CSE 374 Phuah Soon Ek M MPE 424 Tan Hong Sia M MPE 375 Quek Ser Boon M MPE 425 Tan How Boon, Paul M MPE 376 Rai Vinay Kumar M EEE 426 Tan Hwee Khoon M EEE 377 Rajasegaran A/L Periasamy M CSE 427 Tan Jen Tao M CSE 378 Ramasamy Sinnakaruppan M MPE 428 Tan Kah Sin (D) M CSE 379 Ravi C Thambinayagam M MPE 429 Tan Kay Chia Roger M MPE 380 Ravi Kannan M CSE 430 Tan Keng Hoe Kelly M MPE 381 Salamah Sa’Ad F CSE 431 Tan Keng Kheong M MPE 382 Seah Boon Huak M EEE 432 Tan Keng Leong (D) M CSE 383 Seah Kok Hua M CSE 433 Tan Kian Thong M CSE 384 Seng Meng Tet M EEE 434 Tan Kim Hwee M MPE 385 Seow Kim Kheng M EEE 435 Tan Kim Soon M CSE 386 Shaikh Ali Bin Hassan M MPE 436 Tan Kim Teck Stanley M MPE 387 Sie Thim Theam Janet F EEE 437 Tan Koi Yong F CSE 388 Sim Ee Hai M MPE 438 Tan Kong Leong M EEE 389 Sim Kay Hee M CSE 439 Tan Kong Seng M MPE 390 Sim Kwang Khiang M CSE 440 Tan Koon Poh M EEE 391 Singordan Nalla Thamby M MPE 441 Tan Lak Suan M EEE 392 Sng Cheng Hong Dennis M EEE 442 Tan Lam Seng M MPE 393 Sng Fook Chong M MPE 443 Tan Liong Choon M EEE 394 Sng Soon Heng M MPE 444 Tan Lucy F MPE 395 Soh Kwok Chye M MPE 445 Tan Meng Heng Robin M EEE 396 Soh Siang Loh M MPE 446 Tan Oon Seng, Michael (D) M MPE 397 Song Siak Keong M CSE 447 Tan See Lim M CSE 398 Sonny Bensily M CSE 448 Tan Seng Chong Jason M CSE 399 Soon Peng Hock James M EEE 449 Tan Shan Kiat M CSE 400 Soong Fook Choy M EEE 450 Tan Shu Hun Evelyn F MPE 401 Sow Yun Chuen M EEE 451 Tan Siew Meng M EEE 402 Sudheer Prabhakaran M MPE 452 Tan Soh Hin F MPE 403 Tan Ah Kat M MPE 453 Tan Sok Bee, Florence F MPE 404 Tan Ah Peng M EEE 454 Tan Teck Guan M CSE 405 Tan Aik Kuai M EEE 455 Tan Teck Khim M CSE 406 Tan Boon Leong M CSE 456 Tan Wui Hin M CSE 407 Tan Chee Seng M MPE 457 Tan Yong Siong M EEE 408 Tan Chee Wah M CSE 458 Tan Yong Tee Christopher M EEE 409 Tan Chee Whee M CSE 459 Tang Hock Yin M MPE 410 Tan Chek Hui F CSE 460 Tang Kong Yuen M EEE

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Appendix V

461 Tang Yik Yuen M MPE 511 Wong Ban Chong (D) M MPE 462 Tay Beng Kang M EEE 512 Wong Chok Leong (D) M MPE 463 Tay Cher Seng M MPE 513 Wong Chong Kai M CSE 464 Tay Guan Mong M EEE 514 Wong Gnaw M CSE 465 Tay Hooi Seng M CSE 515 Wong Kah Siong M CSE 466 Tay Leng Chua M MPE 516 Wong Kim Ket M EEE 467 Tay Seow Yong M MPE 517 Wong Kong Lin M EEE 468 Tay Teck Leong Francis M EEE 518 Wong Liang Juee, Benjamin M MPE 469 Tay Tiong Beng M MPE 519 Wong Lye Fatt Henry M MPE 470 Tee Keong Seng M CSE 520 Wong Moh Seng M MPE 471 Teh Keng Liang M CSE 521 Wong Sai Kit M MPE 472 Teh Khiang Yam, Simon M MPE 522 Wong Ser Yian Roger M MPE 473 Teh Kuee Lian M MPE 523 Wong Soon Fatt M MPE 474 Teh Leong Hock M CSE 524 Wong Tuck Cheong M EEE 475 Teng Chee Mun M CSE 525 Wong Wee Phong M EEE 476 Teng Cheng Yeow M MPE 526 Wong Yow Leong M CSE 477 Teng Chew Koon M MPE 527 Wong Yuen Choe M MPE 478 Teo Beng Chow M MPE 528 Woo Fan Yuen M CSE 479 Teo Boon Ching F MPE 529 Wu Kum Weng M EEE 480 Teo Chew Kwee M MPE 530 Yang Hsao Hsien F EEE 481 Teo Ee Chew M EEE 531 Yang Yeut Ling M CSE 482 Teo Ek Thong M EEE 532 Yap Guat Cheng F CSE 483 Teo Gek Hwa M EEE 533 Yap Kah Leng F MPE 484 Teo Kim Peng M EEE 534 Yap Kiat Hoong M MPE 485 Teo Lye Hock M MPE 535 Yap Pow Look M EEE 486 Teo Ngak Huak M MPE 536 Yap Tek Hua (D) M EEE 487 Teo Pheng Soon M CSE 537 Yau Kok Leong M CSE 488 Teo Siew Chin F CSE 538 Yeap Ai Kean F CSE 489 Teo Yann M MPE 539 Yeap Khek Teong M MPE 490 Tey Week Lian F MPE 540 Yee Dai Nee Doris F EEE 491 Tham Chee Yuen M EEE 541 Yee Meng Kai M CSE 492 Tham Kok Kay M EEE 542 Yeo Chee Meng M EEE 493 Tham Sau Khin F EEE 543 Yeo Choon Meng M CSE 494 Then Yeow Seng M EEE 544 Yeo Kia Teak M CSE 495 Thia Boon Har M MPE 545 Yeo Robert M MPE 496 Thien Lee Peng (D) F EEE 546 Yeo Swee Choo F CSE 497 Thium Choon Kong (D) M CSE 547 Yeo Teck Gee Jason M EEE 498 Thomas Philip M EEE 548 Yeo Yeong Nelson M EEE 499 Tiong Choon Hin M EEE 549 Yeo Yu Peter M EEE 500 Tjan Sing Bin M CSE 550 Yeoh Cheng Looi Cecilia F CSE 501 Tnee Kee Teng M MPE 551 Yew Wee Chong M MPE 502 Toh Chee Kian M EEE 552 Yip Peng Seng M MPE 503 Tong Jun Sian @ Herwin Tangtra M CSE 553 Yong Seow Kin F EEE 504 Tong Kong Fooi M EEE 554 Yong Siew Lod M CSE 505 Toong Yit Fuh M CSE 555 Yong Swee Lek Vincent M MPE 506 Un Wai Foon F CSE 556 Yong Wei Yin M MPE 507 Vaidyanathan Srikrishnan M MPE 557 Zuraidah Abdullah F CSE 508 Wan Hone Kong M EEE 509 Wee Kee San M CSE 510 Wen Kin Meng M EEE

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The Support Team This book would not have been possible without the Support Team. We thank the NTU Alumni Club office for their unstinting administrative support. The book committee wanted this project to be professionally done. Mr. Lee Tee Jong and Mr. T Shanmugaratnam, Managing Director of MapleTree Media have been very patient with us over a period of one year to put this book together. About the Writer Lee Tee Jong was formerly The Straits Times South Korea Correspondent. He covered the political, social and economic developments on the Korean Peninsula between 2004 and 2009. He is currently a businessman, adjunct polytechnic lecturer and freelance book writer. He is part of NTU alumni, having graduated from the School of Communication Studies (now known as Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information) in 1998. About the Media Company Mapletree Media is one of the region’s leading publishers of high end and luxury publications and our current portfolio include over 120 of Singapore’s biggest brands including many government bodies. Their books are read by the mass affluent each year thanks to a very powerful and effective distribution strategy in both print and online formats.

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