NUS trailblazers honoured at IT awards
Guest-of-Honour Minister Yaacob (far right) and SCS President Mr Chak Kong Soon (far left) posing with the winners of the IT Leader Awards 2015: (from second left) Yang Sheng, Mr Cheung, Prof Chia and Mr Tan (Photo: SCS)
Four members of the NUS community were honoured at the 2015 IT Leader Awards at the Shangri-La Hotel on 6 March. Into its 19th year, the award ceremony saw NUS alumni StarHub CEO Mr Tan Tong Hai and entrepreneur Mr Darius Cheung named IT Leader and Entrepreneur of the Year respectively, while Quek Yang Sheng, Year One Computer Science student at the NUS School of Computing won the IT Youth Award. In addition, Practice Professor Christopher Chia of the NUS Business School and Chair of the Institute of Systems Science at NUS, was inducted into the Hall of Fame for more than three decades of Infocomm contributions.
Organised by the Singapore Computer Society (SCS), the Awards honour individuals who have shaped the infocomm and media landscape of Singapore. Nominees were evaluated based on factors such as past achievements, innovativeness and personal attributes. This year's ceremony, graced by Guest-of-Honour Minister for Communications and Information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, saw an attendance of over 900 industry professionals and representatives from the private and public sector.
In his acceptance speech, Prof Chia touched on the impact of the changing IT landscape. "The world of IT has, in the short space of a few decades, literally transformed the way the world works, lives and plays. I am truly thankful to have had an opportunity to contribute to this transformation over the years as industry developer, regulator, user and now educator, he said.
Prof Chia joins past Hall of Fame inductees such as Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office; Mr Wilson Tan, CEO of CapitaMall Trust; and Ms Yong Ying-I, Chairman of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. His contributions go back to the early 1980s when he first joined the then National Computer Board, leading Singapore into the Information Age. He later went on to expand the influence of interactive digital media through his appointments as CEO of the National Library Board and the Media Development Authority, and Executive Chairman of National Trades Union Congress Media.
A veteran with more than 26 years of experience in the regional IT, Internet and e-commerce industries, Mr Tan is a firm believer of the transformative power of IT. Currently the Chairman of Nanyang Polytechnic's Board of Governors, he held prior appointments as the President and CEO of Singapore Computer Systems and Pacific Internet. His many achievements include overseeing StarHub's Golden Gurus programme which empowers tech-savvy senior citizens to impart IT knowledge to their peers, and MySmartEye, a mobile app which helps the visually impaired to see their surroundings with the aid of a volunteer network.
Mr Cheung founded mobile security company tenCube, which was later acquired by McAfee. His latest start-up, property search portal 99.co, secured $2 million in funding from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. Mr Cheung is also a Partner at Golden Gate Ventures, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at INSEAD and a Board member of Action Community for Entrepreneurship.
As a student, Yang Sheng's achievements as a promising talent with a knack for technology are noteworthy. During his studies in Temasek Polytechnic, he topped his cohort with a diploma in mobile and network services. He also developed a collaborative educational mobile messaging app for classrooms and worked with the Chinese Development Assistance Council to create a winning workshop titled "Build Your Own Android App".
