Soh Lengwan

Caught up with Colin Low , CEO of Singapore Land Authority (SLA) over a cup of tea at Dempsey. Was very pleased to hear there is a very targeted approach to each asset class held by SLA, whether a hub, incubator, an impact space, arts experience or unconventional spaces for fashion, art, fnb, office, innovation, wellness centres, senior assisted living, elder care facilities , philanthropy, non profit work. I learned about OneMap, which is the national map of Singapore, developed by SLA, built on open sourced platforms. You can use it for a variety of things from Point of Interest Location and information (POIs) such as State Properties, Parks, Local Amenities,Healthcare, Schools, Land Lot and Land Ownership Information, Residential Property Information (Type/Property Price/ Transaction Period+++) . You can even find Real Time Traffic Information. ☺️ Colin showed me the exciting plans for the rejuvenation of Smith Street which will add some pizazz to Chinatown as it’s in the heart of the historic district. Smith Street is well known for its culinary diversity to many and local handicrafts . The joint project by Singapore Tourism Board Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) will add much renewed vibrancy to the historic Chinatown conservation area.It has always been a signature/ must see destination for international visitors and local where we can see traditional festivals and celebrations, occasional performances, diverse cuisines, heritage and antiquity shops, and small tea houses. The new journey of renewal and innovation by integrating more diverse experiences for everyone, by mixing the traditional with contemporary modernity will definitely be a new must visit area soon. This being done while keeping to preserving the rich cultural heritage, while adapting to the evolving needs and preferences of residents, local community and visitors . Some examples are expansion of tenant mix to include possibilities like galleries (art, experiential/installation +++) , community programs , more workshops/ studios, showcasing more local artisans and telling our stories, serviced apartments maybe to co work/ co living spaces for some of the upper stories. Needless to say, what’s really exciting to me is how each person’s perspective of potential use of space is so different and that it’s a real delight to see the imaginative use of our State properties to create immersive and unforgettable settings / backdrops/ spaces. Memorable examples from global brands include Louis Vuitton (@pasir panjang power station),Tiffany (@ command house) and CHANEL (@ 11 Keppel Hill) among others. Exciting stuff Colin Low! #innovate #create #singapore

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Learn from the experiences and insights of Sunway Medical Centre Velocity, the first hospital in #Malaysia to join the Race to Zero, committing to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and reporting annually. The hospital started monitoring carbon emissions using Health Care Without Harm’s Climate Impact Checkup tool and implemented sustainability efforts – including waste segregation and employee engagement initiatives – to support its net-zero goal. Read about their goals, strategies, progress, challenges, and lessons learned in this detailed case study  ➡️  https://lnkd.in/ebuNnE8Z This case study was created as part of the Health Care Climate Learning Initiative, which convened leaders from health care organizations around the world to discuss proven practices, share challenges, and collaborate on climate goals and strategies. 🔗 Check out all 38 case studies and view our guidance to help health care facilities transition toward net-zero emissions while prioritizing health equity, resilience, and adaptive capacity. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/exifbhKa Thank you to all our partners around the world who participated in this effort. #HealthCareClimateLearningInitiative Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia

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This is still early days. There is no mechanism for committed transfer of power to Singapore - when your own country is facing a shortage; there is no clear payment system to pay for power from Laos, passing through Thailand, Malaysia and on to Singapore. It is good that we are starting the discussions now. "Singapore alone cannot ensure change, but it can inspire and support a regional conversation about a greener Asean Power Grid. While Singapore’s electricity demand is limited compared to its neighbours’, as an early adopter it has an opportunity to explore standard-setting and build consensus around the regional scaling of power trade." But the road ahead is still uncertain.

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Singapore's health system has always been touted as unique, front-loaded and specialist-driven. I do not deny that. But with hospitals overflowing at their seams and with #HealthierSG in gear, we need a viable conduit to bridge tertiary care with primary care. Our article explicates how community hospitals can do just that by upholding certain principles at the facility and system levels. 1.  Community hospitals doubling as a potential gatekeeper to higher care levels 2. Managing higher acuity patients in community hospitals 3. Optimise the community hospital care model efficiency by upskilling healthcare staff and harnessing technology 4. Right-siting low-intensity, uncomplicated rehabilitation patients to community partners 5. Work with community partners, patients and caregivers to support early community hospital discharge All this will only be possible with an evidence-based, stepwise approach to transformation. However, Singapore must continue to rejuvenate its acute hospitals and primary care interface. In a recent interview with The Straits Times, I made known the importance of working in parallel and supporting our GPs as best well can, such that #HealthierSG runs its course, in the way that serves Singaporeans, healthcare providers and the health system best. As I continue my clinical training with the guidance of Lee Hong Jing, I found that clinicians need to be both patient-centric and system-aware to solve the problems that plague Singapore's ailing healthcare system. Together with Duke-NUS Global and Population Health SIG, we will continue to explore various factors that will catalyze resilient and cost-optimising health systems in Singapore and globally. You may read the two articles and my Lancet HealthierSG commentary through the links below. https://lnkd.in/g7Fr4Pca https://lnkd.in/gsXjcx4R https://lnkd.in/gc2Dnz6r Hui Xiang C. Ken Wah Teo, MBBS, MPH Sherianne Tan Scott Compton Taufique Joarder Renzo Guinto Adeline Kwan Kheng Hock Lee Clive Tan Madhumitha Ayyappan Chenxinan Ma Duke-NUS Medical School SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute Duke-NUS Global and Population Health SIG Saw Swee Hock School Of Public Health National University of Singapore International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT)

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Transforming Healthcare and Economic Landscapes Through MedTech As experts in securing business grants, we're always on the lookout for sectors that not only promise growth but also offer substantial impact. Singapore's burgeoning MedTech industry is a perfect example of such a sector that is transforming lives while driving economic progress. Sanwa Group's evolution into MedTech through its partnership with Alcon illustrates how local businesses are scaling new heights. This strategic move into precision plastic engineering for medical technologies highlights the potential for innovative solutions and enhanced capabilities in our local enterprises. Singapore's MedTech landscape has grown exponentially, from 59 startups in 2010 to over 300 by 2020, contributing significantly to the manufacturing output and creating high-value, high-tech job opportunities. Such growth is not just a testament to the sector’s vitality but also to the opportunities it presents for grant funding aimed at innovation and technological advancement. For businesses exploring opportunities in high-growth sectors, MedTech offers a promising avenue with potential for substantial impact, both economically and in terms of healthcare advancements. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gVn7apwH Let's tap into this sector's potential and consider how it might benefit from strategic grant applications to further enhance its growth and global reach.  #MedTech #EconomicGrowth #HealthcareInnovation #BusinessGrants #Singapore

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Staying in touch with leadership thinking. This is helpful to position ourselves in good time to ride with the tide for something that is good for Singapore. In a similar vein it is important for us tech people to stay on the edge of new technology if we have a problem to solve. One of the ways would be through our technology partners. Unless the supplier works on a solution we are looking forward to, we are unlikely to apply it quickly enough. We do it to solve our business issues and not apply it for the sake of being leading edge. Leading edge comes with more risks as we don't have precedence that it is acceptable usage. > Let me share an example. In the old days of new relational database tool on not very fast computers, organizations with critical online systems dare not venture into usage for online realtime systems. It may create slow response during peak hours. > I had the privilege to decide on adopting the solution after considering the volume of transactions for the intended use. This is to solve a business need to have a single source of customer information for all products/service types. I managed to get the supplier to buy into the idea and to test the volume usage. We had a win-win situation where special technical support from HQ was given and we learn together to take calculated risks. We grew together as hardware technology improve exponentially over time. > My hope is that tech leaders know their problems and solutions well enough to apply leading edge technology expecting the viable trends that are emerging. https://lnkd.in/gVgt4zDe

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Thanks for sharing. Lets see how we can work together to take Wound Care to the next level

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In a recent article for Tech Collective, our founding member and CRO Srijay Ghosh shines a spotlight on the role that technology plays in Southeast Asia’s decarbonisation efforts.     Srijay argues that decarbonization is a necessary first step, but achieving net zero emissions will require innovative solutions. Additionally, he emphasizes on the importance of partnerships and collaboration between experts and businesses to develop effective solutions.    🔗 Read more of the article here: https://lnkd.in/gXyXtqRJ    #DigitalTransformation #GreenTech #Sustainability #SEAsia  

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I’d like to repost a couple of upcoming events that I and the Carbon Team at UN Global Compact Network Singapore are doing: 1. GCNS SME Series, “Imperative for Decarbonisation - Deeper and Faster“, 27 June 2024. https://lnkd.in/djsP9-SF There’s 2 more days to go but a limited number of seats are still available, in case you want to make a last-minute decision to join in. You can hear in person Cindy Khoo, MD of EnterpriseSG and other eminent speakers speak on the decarbonisation challenge, by signing up here: https://lnkd.in/grnnq_qU We will also be launching our third annual Singapore Business Carbon Report at this event. It’s taken more than 5 months to put together, and an amazing team of contributors has helped to make what I hope to be the most impactful edition so far. Do look out for the download link to this report! #GCNSSMESeries2024 2. Climate Change for Leaders: Risks, Opportunities and Sustainable Finance, 3-4 July 2024. https://lnkd.in/dUpTR5wq I will be co-teaching this course with Professors Lawrence Loh and Lutfey Siddiqi, from the NUS Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS). The objective is to help business leaders and executives gain an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of climate change, sustainable finance and ESG topics in the Asia context. There are still a few seats left, and I would like to invite you to sign up here: https://lnkd.in/dPURu38X. If it’s at capacity, not to worry, we intend to do more runs of this course in the future! #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Leadership Do contact me if you have any questions on the above. Have a great week!

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It was a wrap for my first media event at Mirxes, co-organised with National University Health System (NUHS). The inauguration of NUH DMOC@Biopolis by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat marks a significant milestone in the field of specialty molecular testing for Singapore. This pioneering Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between Mirxes and NUH brings to mind another well-known PPP project - the London Underground. However, the London Underground PPP project failed mainly due to differing priorities between the public and private sectors. While the private sector prioritised profit, the public sector focused on safety and reliability. NUH DMOC@Biopolis presents a well-aligned solution. This innovative PPP seamlessly integrates NUH's extensive clinical expertise with Mirxes' cutting-edge molecular testing infrastructure, catalysing the development and adoption of medical innovations in clinical settings. By uniting expertise and resources from both public and private sectors, NUH DMOC@Biopolis promotes knowledge sharing and advancements in specialty molecular testing. Most importantly, Mirxes and NUH share a critical common goal: improving treatment outcomes for cancer patients in Singapore and the region. For example, NUH DMOC@Biopolis currently offers the APEX (Actionable, Personalized, EXpress) cancer treatment selection test, a cutting-edge 50-gene targeted Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) panel. This test identifies genetic alterations in tumours that may respond favourably to specific targeted therapies, helping to predict patients’ response to certain treatments and potentially improving patient outcomes. *photo credit: NUHS

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You learn a lot when you can join the dots, imagine one bag of dots coming from information that you can get in the media and another bag of dots that you can get from corporate data. Then you have a new opportunity and also a new problem. How do these dots effectively relate to each other. Se you there tomorrow. #businessintelligence #media #networking

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AIGCC Director of Investor Practice Monica B. will be speaking virtually at Moody's Ratings' Green Tech Innovation Summit 2024 on "Leveraging green tech innovation on Asia’s path to net zero". RSVP: https://bit.ly/45a58aW Date: Wednesday, 19 June Time: 2:00pm to 3.30pm HKT/SGT (GMT+8) Discussion topics include: ➡ What are the drivers of and hurdles for green tech innovation in APAC? ➡ Where will the financing for green tech come from? ➡ How can governments support economic development and carbon transition? ➡ How do we avoid unintended environmental and social consequences from decarbonisation? Joining her on the panel are: - Ben McQuhae, Co-Founder, Executive Committee Member and Special Advisor to the Chairman, Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA) - Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist, Institute for the Environment, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - John Wang, CFA, Vice President - Senior Analyst, ESG, Moody's Ratings - Ada Li, Vice President – Senior Credit Officer, Project & Infrastructure Finance, Moody's Ratings - Natasha Brereton-Fukui, Senior Vice President, Global ESG Research, Moody's Ratings . . . #greentech #netzero #decarbonisation #decarbonization #APAC #greentechnology #technology #techinnovation

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Thank you to Singapore Sustainable Finance Association (SSFA) and Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) for the best breakfast I had in a while not just because of the delicious food but because of how our minds were fed. It was a treat to be surrounded with great, passionate impact makers and learn from the insights and challenges faced by early adopters, regulators, investors and financiers - namely Emily McKenzie (TNFD's Technical Director), Snorre Gjerde (Norges Bank Investment Management), Herry Cho (SGX Group) Esther An (City Developments Limited) and Eric Lim (UOB). Such gatherings and knowledge sharing give me hope for the future of our planet. At IHH Healthcare, we are currently focused on risk and opportunities of climate change and how we will mitigate and adapt to it under different warming scenarios (TCFD). Next will be what we need to do to tackle and be ready for what nature and biodiversity loss impact will bring. Soon most jurisdiction regulators will be asking for nature-related disclosures. But beyond complying to regulators, here is why we will have to focus on nature and biodiversity as well: 1) Nature and ecosystems provide essential products, such as water, energy, food and medicine, and essential services, such as climate regulation, nutrient cycling, carbon storage and oxygen production. 2) Up to 1 million out of estimated 8 million species are threatened with extinction – many within decades. Biodiversity loss affects our life-support systems (e.g. food systems) which in turn impacts health and well-being. 3) Let’s not forget about how Mother Nature provides many of our medicine cabinet - both modern and traditional medicine use natural resources. For example, 70% of cancer drugs are derived from natural products or synthetic compounds inspired by nature. Let’s continue to learn to act to make impact. As I keep repeating at every opportunity, while short-term thinking is the biggest threat to protecting the planet, knowledge is the biggest weapon…

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1 step forward, 2 steps back? Maybe the statistics aren't telling the whole story, but you would think that domestic recycling rate would increase given the number of recycling bins in housing estates that were non-existent a decade ago. One however, can take heart in the fact that domestic waste per household has reduced. Hopefully our sustainability efforts can bear fruits soon.... #sustainability #cleanandgreen #reducereuserecycle

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Exciting news from Thailand in the realm of data and AI. The Board of Investment has given the green light to 37 data and cloud projects worth ~USD3 billion. Major players like AWS, Google, and Microsoft are at the forefront of this data center initiative. This development is crucial for fostering FDI on AI/Data in Thailand, especially following the Thai National Cyber Security Committee's recent draft notification on Cloud Cybersecurity Standards. The notification prompts critical information infrastructure (CII) organizations (e.g., commercial banks, stock exchange, and so on) to have their "main" data centers within Thailand. https://lnkd.in/gMEvhvZ6 #Thailand #Data #AI #Investment #CloudComputing #FDI

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Caught up with Sutat Chew 周士达 , Chairman of Community Chest Singapore earlier today. To be honest, I knew little, aside from being the engagement arm of National Council of Social Service (NCSS) Singapore, helping to create a people centred ecosystem that develops and delivers quality solutions and continues to empower the lives of the individuals and families who need a bit more support. In a short span of 18 months , they have pushed forward sustainable philanthropy initiatives as an ESG partner to corporates and institutions as well as family offices and foundations. Raising funding in a difficult environment last year and surpassing previous years to raise 80m$. That is impressive ! I asked how the Change for Charity initiative was going , that partners with and encourage businesses to match donations from their customers, as part of their corporate giving. By increasing opportunities for consumption based giving at various touchpoints, we can build generosity where donating becomes a social norm, infused in all aspects of living. 100% of funds raised through this initiative will go towards supporting over 100 social service agencies and 200 critical programmes across five causes: children with special needs and youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, persons with mental health conditions, and seniors and families in need of support. We spoke about inclusive hiring; special education funding needs; social enterprises and spaces for convening 3P partnerships ; walking the talk and doing not just talking; how corporate thinking about ESG and Philanthropy is evolving , how it will be self fulfilling and self sustainable; metrics of impact and sustainability metrics; engaging the community ; empowering others; women’s empowerment. Always enjoyable to spend time when people mean what they say and say what they mean. #purpose #philanthropy #impact #sustainability #PPP #partnership #womensempowerment #esg #community #socialsector #volunteerism

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Data centre operators seek government support as demand for green energy surges Local supply of green power purchase agreements will likely be limited as Singapore remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels to power its grid Summary: As Singapore's digital transformation accelerates, the demand for data centre services is surging, with an increasing emphasis on sustainable operations. Data centre operators are increasingly seeking government collaboration to secure green power purchase agreements (PPAs) due to the rising energy requirements driven by AI and other high-demand technologies. However, Singapore's reliance on fossil fuels and limited land for renewable energy installations poses significant challenges in meeting these green energy needs. Singapore's Energy Studies Institute notes a growing demand for renewable energy within the data centre sector, aiming to reduce carbon footprints and enhance sustainability credentials. Despite ambitions, the local availability of green PPAs remains constrained, with renewable sources expected to contribute a minor fraction to the nation's total energy output. This has led to innovative approaches, such as the SolarNova 7 program, which involves installing solar panels on numerous buildings, contributing to the grid while providing renewable credits to companies like Equinix. Major tech companies like Meta and Google have engaged in virtual PPAs, allowing them to invest in local renewable projects indirectly. The shift towards renewables is also prompting discussions about importing clean energy and developing infrastructure for such imports, reflecting a broader regional strategy for energy security and sustainability. Key Insights: Rising Energy Demands: Data centres are increasingly power-hungry, particularly with the integration of AI technologies. Green Energy Limitations: Singapore's geographic and resource constraints limit the expansion of renewable energy sources. Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations between public and private sectors are crucial to navigating the energy transition, including potential overseas energy imports. Infrastructure Challenges: Addressing power distribution and capacity issues is vital as demand outpaces supply, necessitating innovative solutions like on-site generation and possibly importing alternative energy sources in the future. Outlook and Implications: The push towards greener data centres in Singapore highlights the broader challenges and opportunities in Asia's energy transition. While local solutions are being implemented, the reliance on imports and regional cooperation will likely increase. These efforts align with global trends towards sustainability but require significant infrastructure and regulatory advancements to fully realize. As usual, an insightful piece by Jun Yuan Yong at The Business Times. Glad to have contributed my perspectives. #GreenEnergy #DataCentres #Sustainability #Singapore #RenewableEnergy #DigitalTransformation

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The demand for environment-friendly #health sector initiatives increased after the pandemic. This ADB #webinar presents 🔵 opportunities for building climate-resilient and low-carbon #healthcare facilities, and 🔵 good practices in the conceptualization and implementation of green hospitals in #Singapore and #Thailand. 🟠 WATCH https://buff.ly/3y6KDQ5 #SDG3 #SDG13 Eduardo Banzon, Shekinah Wenceslao, Sarah Cueno, Elena Villalobos Prats, Jakchai Tittabut

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