Young Singaporeans must think beyond our shores

The Straits Times, Young Singaporeans must think beyond our shores

In his recent S. Rajaratnam Lecture, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke of an increasingly turbulent world.

“The once-rising tide of global cooperation that defined the past decades is giving way to one of growing competition and distrust. As a result, the world is becoming more fragmented and disorderly,” he said.

Amid this turbulence, he highlighted the need for Singapore to remain open to ideas, partnerships and opportunities while continuing to build bridges.

This mindset has been the cornerstone of Singapore’s global engagement. Why is this especially important today?

Success in Singapore is just the beginning and should never be the end goal. It must serve as the starting point for change. And the impact we create cannot be confined to Singapore alone, as the challenges we face – climate change, resource depletion, and social inequality – are global and transcend borders.

The future will be determined by those who can think globally and act locally, contributing to the global movement for change.

Singapore’s role in a changing world

Over the years, working with Singaporeans, I’ve seen first-hand how efficient, responsible and disciplined they are. Singaporeans get things done, move quickly, and operate with precision. They are highly skilled and competent, some of the most professional colleagues I’ve had the pleasure of working with. But in today’s world, competence alone is not enough. Singaporeans must combine their professionalism with curiosity and the willingness to grow beyond what’s familiar.

Take Leonard Ng, for instance, a former banker who reinvented his career as a landscape architect. After 15 years in banking, he decided to pursue his passion, juggling a full-time job and night classes, ultimately earning a Master’s in Landscape Urbanism.

As a qualified landscape architect, Leonard designed Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Jurong Lake Gardens and Kampung Admiralty, and won the President’s Design Award for Designer of the Year in 2023. As Leonard Ng’s journey shows, stepping outside your comfort zone can lead to extraordinary transformation and success.

But let’s take a step further and ask: Why settle for just making it in Singapore?

Singapore’s education system provides a solid foundation, imparting strong technical skills while teaching students to consider the human, social and environmental impacts of their solutions. Institutions like the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the National University of Singapore are leading the charge by bringing technology, design and social sciences together.

For example, SUTD is the world’s first Design AI university, an institution that is making artificial intelligence a partner in the innovation process, emphasising collaboration between humans and AI to create solutions far beyond individual capabilities.

This foundation, however, is just the starting point.

The world is your oyster

Among the many brilliant Singaporeans I have worked with over the decades, some have made great strides in their careers, but few have ever ventured beyond Singapore. Some don’t realise how capable they are, and some just don’t want to risk it.

When the phrase “Senator, I’m Singaporean” was uttered by Chew Shou Zi, the CEO of TikTok, during a US Senate hearing in January 2024, it brought him global attention. He was responding to a senator’s questions about his ties to the Communist Party of China, to which Shou Zi repeatedly asserted that he is Singaporean.

Shou Zi didn’t restrict himself to Singapore; he worked in London, the US and China, before becoming the leader of one of the world’s most influential tech companies. TikTok now reaches over a billion users globally. Shou Zi’s success proves that global opportunities are available to those willing to take the leap and step into unfamiliar territory.

Similarly, Jessica Tan’s journey has been one of global ambition. After earning a degree at MIT, she co-led Ping An Group in China, tripling its customer base to 230 million. She moved on to become president of Sun Life Canada, overseeing a company serving over 12 million Canadians.

In school and in the workplace, Singaporeans have been given the tools, the skills, and the mindset to innovate, solve complex problems, and lead. The key here is to recognise that opportunities won’t simply come to us – we must actively seek them out and create our own path.

Doing that requires going beyond technical expertise. The ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds is just as important and it involves building cultural and emotional intelligence.

The value in connections

In this highly interconnected world, emotional intelligence – the ability to understand and manage both our emotions and the emotions of others – is critical for building successful relationships.

During my time working in the US and China, I learnt first-hand how crucial it is to adapt to different working cultures. In China, I learnt that trust is built outside the boardroom, in informal settings, through personal conversations and relationships. The shift in understanding helped our team collaborate far more effectively with our Chinese partners.

Cultural intelligence – embracing different perspectives, understanding diverse communication styles, and working effectively with people from all walks of life – is as vital as the technical knowledge we bring. It’s not just what you know; it’s how you relate to people and build strong, diverse teams.

Resilience is another essential ingredient for success. We will face setbacks. We will struggle. But true resilience goes beyond bouncing back from failure; it’s growing stronger because of it.

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, has a quote that captures this perfectly: “People often misunderstand that the best jobs are the ones that always bring you happiness. I don’t think that’s right. You have to suffer, struggle, and endeavour. You must do those hard things and work through them to appreciate what you accomplish.”

Growth and success don’t come without sacrifice or discomfort.

We are entering a world where the pace of technological change, especially AI and automation, is reshaping industries and workforces. Jobs are being redefined, and new challenges are emerging, especially in how we leverage AI to drive growth equitably.

Building sustainable AI solutions to combat climate change, designing systems that promote fairness, or creating policies to reskill workers displaced by technology, require fresh thinking.

For young Singaporeans, this is their moment to step up as leaders on the global stage. Singapore has equipped them with the tools to innovate, but now it’s time to take those skills and apply them globally.

The world isn’t waiting for incremental change; it’s waiting for leaders who dare to redefine it.

• Sean Chiao is group CEO at Surbana Jurong Group. This commentary is adapted from a speech delivered at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) on May 31, 2025.