
About The Event
A promising career for “non-techies” in the tech sector is viable for Singaporeans. Despite restructuring and layoffs in some tech firms, "the information and communications sector was particularly active in creating new vacancies in 2023", according to the Singapore Ministry of Manpower. (source: Straits Times, 28/03/2024). This presents a tremendous opportunity for Singaporeans to enter the exciting world of tech, even if they do not have a background in software engineering or development.
We held a panel discussion in partnership with Veeam Software, which revealed the breadth of opportunities in tech beyond traditional technical roles. It was an inspiring session that highlighted how individuals can thrive in the tech industry, even without a software engineering background.
A special thanks to our distinguished panellists, who shared their invaluable experiences and offered actionable insights: Chee Pin Chua (Vice President South-East Asia and Korea, Veeam), Cindy Tan (Managing Director of Meta, Global Clients), Kiren Kumar (Deputy Chief Executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) Singapore), and our expert moderator Dr. Swapna Dayanandan, PhD (Gerontology) (Chief Learning Advisor at SGLN and Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI)).
The discussion dove into three key themes that resonated with the audience:
-
Soft Skills in a Digital World: In a highly digitalized environment, it’s not just technical skills that matter – soft skills like communication and adaptability are essential to stay relevant and succeed.
-
Staying Engaged with Tech: To stay ahead, immerse yourself in technology. Just like learning a language, consistent practice is key to mastering new tools and platforms.
-
The Impact of AI: With AI transforming industries, we're moving from Googling to using tools like ChatGPT. AI is redefining how we learn, work, and collaborate.
Key Moments

About the Singapore Leaders Network
Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and managed by the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI), the Singapore Leaders Network (SGLN) aims to prepare Singaporeans for global leadership roles. We aspire to help advance the social capital of Singaporean corporate leaders who can support one another on their professional and personal leadership journeys - whilst cultivating a vibrant and robust community. This is achieved through activities that enable members to learn, lead, and link including through large scale in-person events, smaller business networking sessions on various topics of interest, a structured mentoring programme, an Ambassador programme, as well as an online LinkedIn community.
Moderator

Dr. Swapna Dayanandan
Chief Learning Advisor, SGLN, Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI)
Dr. Swapna is the Chief Learning Advisor to SGLN, HCLI.
She is CEO and Founder of Joy in Living Aged Care Services Pte Ltd, a social enterprise that provides geron-technology and eldercare innovative solutions to tackle the ageing opportunities in Singapore and globally. Dr. Swapna is an associate faculty with the Singapore University of Social Sciences. She also heads the Healthcare Workgroup of the Smart Cities Network (SCN) and is currently involved in SCN’s outreach and projects in Malaysia and the Philippines.
Prior to starting her company, Dr. Swapna was in management role with the Civil Service College, Singapore (CSC). Her portfolio included leading teams and providing advisory support for service management consultancy projects, designing and curating milestone programmes for the public service leadership since July 2013.
Dr. Swapna is a board member of Sree Narayana Mission, Singapore (SNM) that does charity in the eldercare sector. Swapna was the President of SNM from 2011 – 2015. She currently chairs two SNM sub-committees: Smart Nursing Home Taskforce and the Eldercare Services Management Sub-committee.
Swapna was the recipient of two National Day Awards: The Commendation Medal, 2018 and the Long Service Medal, 2021.
Panellists

Chee Pin Chua
Vice President South-East Asia and Korea, Veeam
Chua Chee Pin is the Vice President of Southeast Asia and Korea (SEAK), overseeing Veeam’s business operations and growth in the region. With nearly 25 years of sales and business development expertise in the IT industry, Chua has a remarkable track record, having contributed significantly to renowned organizations such as Brocade, Cisco, EMC, and Salesforce.
In his current role at Veeam, Chee Pin is at the forefront of navigating the ever-evolving landscape of cloud-driven technologies. He is dedicated to ensuring Veeam's enduring success by aligning with key customer priorities and fostering robust relationships with channel and alliance partners. His strategic vision and extensive experience make him a pivotal force in charting the company's direction in the dynamic SEAK region.
Chee Pin is not just a business leader; he is a well-connected professional with a deep understanding of the partner network in the region. Previously, as the Area Vice President of Greater China, Japan, Korea, and South East Asia at Commvault, Chua was instrumental in driving sales and marketing strategies. His role demanded a keen understanding of diverse markets, and Chua's ability to achieve exceptional customer results underscored his leadership capabilities.
Beyond the boardroom, Chee Pin has a keen interest in HIIT fitness and a love for Vespas, architecture and interior design.

Cindy Tan
Managing Director of Meta, Global Clients
A seasoned commercial leader with a career spanning diverse industries. As Meta’s Managing Director of Global Clients, she leads a team advising global brands to scale with Meta’s solutions and delivering value to users and consumers.
Previously, Cindy was on INTO executive board as Chief Commercial Officer for INTO University Partnerships. She led the international recruitment, operations, and digital marketing team, even amidst the challenges of the Covid pandemic, Cindy worked with her team to deliver accessibility and tutorial solutions to enable students to continue and fulfil their study journey.
In her previous role with TripAdvisor, where she served as Global Vice President for Retail and APAC Display, expanded the company’s presence in APAC and launched new business verticals, forging critical global partnerships. In her early days, Cindy was also part of Singapore's first entertainment magazine founding team, which was eventually acquired.
Committed to leadership development, Cindy founded Newton Leaders, a career development platform. She also advises digital startups entering APAC markets and previously lectured at the Singapore Institute of Technology, to serve the next generation of leaders.

Kiren Kumar
Deputy Chief Executive,
Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) Singapore
The IMDA Digital Industry & Talent Group comprises Digital Industry Singapore and Human Capital Cluster.
Mr Kiren Kumar assumed the appointment of Deputy Chief Executive (Development) of Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on 1 January 2021. He spearheads the development of Singapore’s digital economy and drives the implementation of the ICT industry strategy across both industry verticals and economic horizontals. Mr Kiren oversees both the Sectoral Transformation Group and Digital Industry & Talent Group to accelerate digitalisation across the industries and businesses to grow Singapore’s digital economy. Mr Kiren will also lead human capital development efforts to provide the right skillsets for ICM sectors as well as raise the digital literacy of Singapore’s workforce.
Prior to holding office as DCE (Development) in IMDA, Mr Kiren was the Assistant Chief Executive (Digital Industry and Talent) at IMDA and Executive Vice President (Digital Industry) at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
Mr Kiren joined EDB in 2001 and took on various portfolios such as economic policy formulation and industry development in the Info-Comms & Media, Electronics and Precision Engineering sectors as well as worked closely with various multinational corporations on their Asian strategies and investments into Singapore.
In 2004, Mr Kiren was seconded to the International Enterprise Singapore where he assisted Singapore based companies to expand into the Asian, European and American markets.