Singapore’s Who’s Who Joins SUTD to Further Design AI Innovation

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has welcomed 16 of Singapore’s Who’s Who—distinguished C-Suite leaders across aviation, healthcare, construction, media, technology, and finance—to advance its Design AI vision through the Distinguished Professorial Fellow (DPF) and C-Suites-in-Residence (CiR) programmes.

This powerful group of the nation’s top executives, including Granite Asia’s Senior Managing Partner, Ms Jenny Lee; SATS’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Kerry Mok; Surbana Jurong’s Group CEO, Mr Sean Chiao; will not only mentor the next generation of human-centred innovators, bridging rigorous academic training with real-world enterprise, but they will also share valuable industry insights to help SUTD establish impactful partnerships and co-develop breakthrough research that is industry-relevant and current.

DPFs set the academic and strategic benchmark, guiding students on ethics, governance, and responsible AI while mentoring faculty on cutting-edge research and curriculum design. CiRs, in turn, anchor the programme to industry, bringing strategic challenges from the boardroom to the classroom and mentoring students on how to build, persuade, and scale ventures. The full list of current DPFs and CiRs, along with their designations, is available in the Annex.

The DPF and CiR programmes are the latest instalment of the University’s mid-term growth strategy “SUTD Leap”, which was launched in March 2024 to propel SUTD to the forefront of the Design and AI education and research space. The industry-led programme goes beyond the usual university-corporate internship programme—it links students with industry movers and shakers, exposing them to fast-paced industries and providing them with mentorship and tools to transform ideas into ventures, platforms, and public goods. Through this initiative, SUTD aims to produce “trilingual” Design AI innovators—students and professionals alike—fluent in design, AI, and sector-specific expertise.

Welcoming the DPFs and CiRs at its Design AI Fab Lab on 1 October, SUTD President Professor Phoon Kok Kwang said: “The world around us is changing faster than ever. Problems are increasingly complex—ageing populations, sustainability, climate change, and technological disruptions, with artificial intelligence foremost among them—posing challenges that are frequent and furious. Singapore needs innovators who can not only create solutions but lead responsibly and at scale. This is why SUTD exists: to nurture human-centred design innovators and innovator-leaders capable of imagining boldly, acting ethically, and shaping the future.”

He added: “Both DPFs and CiRs play equally vital but different roles. With them as co-architects, we will strengthen SUTD’s position as a trailblazing institution shaping tomorrow’s industries and societies. The innovations our students develop will not only impact SUTD, but extend to other universities, as well as industries across a broad spectrum—in Singapore and even beyond.”

Among the distinguished cohort of C-Suite leaders is Ms Jenny Lee, 53, who joined SUTD as its first DPF in February this year. Recognised on Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women list, she serves as a mentor to students while also working with faculty to ensure the curriculum remains at the forefront of AI’s evolution.

Said Ms Lee: “SUTD’s pivot towards Design AI is creating a new kind of talent—innovators who combine AI fluency with economic insight and human understanding. This is exactly the skillset needed to drive meaningful innovation, build resilient businesses, and shape sustainable growth in the AI economy. This work resonates with Granite Asia’s mission of fostering visionary entrepreneurs and building ecosystems where research, innovation, and capital come together to drive impact.”

Joining her are 15 distinguished CiRs from sectors including aviation, healthcare, construction, media, and technology. Professor Ng Wai Hoe, Group Chief Executive Officer of SingHealth, said: “I’m delighted to be part of the C-Suite-in-Residence programme. It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to exchange ideas and expertise with the academic community at SUTD and other distinguished leaders from different industries. SingHealth and SUTD have been long-time collaborators in areas such as population health and innovation. It has been a meaningful and fruitful journey as we synergise the rigour of academic research with real-world applications in healthcare. I look forward to future engagements that will enable us to ignite new inspirations and catalyse more collaborations.”

Anieyrudh R, 22, an SUTD Term 4 Engineering Product Development student who presented his projects, including a vibe-coded app and the AI Fluency course that he taught, to the C-Suite leaders, said: “I’m really looking forward to learning how these leaders think about solving challenges on such a big scale. In class, I am already applying a Design AI mindset to real-world problems, but hearing directly from people who make decisions that shape entire industries will give me a whole new perspective. I hope to pick up not just technical knowledge, but also how to lead, collaborate, and turn ideas into solutions that can make an impact in society.”

SUTD Term 4 Design and AI student, Joshua Cheng Hui, 23, added: “Having C-Suite leaders join us through the DPF and CiR programmes demonstrates SUTD’s strong commitment to bridging education with real-world industry. For students like me, it’s truly inspiring to learn directly from those shaping industries at the highest level. I look forward to gaining deep insights into how they tackle challenges and applying those lessons to my own projects. It really reinforces that what we learn at SUTD goes beyond academics, it also prepares us to make a meaningful impact on the larger world.”

SUTD plans to welcome more DPFs and CiRs to the programme by the end of next year. By building a growing network of visionary leaders across industries and geographies, SUTD cements its position as the world’s leading Design AI university, nurturing innovators who will drive impact not only in Singapore, but across the region and beyond.