SINGAPORE - Ten professionals from eight companies will be groomed to be leaders for the tech sector under a new initiative to develop talent for Singapore's digital future.
The SG Digital Leadership Accelerator was unveiled by Communications and Information Minister Josephine Teo at a scholarship award ceremony for six agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Information, and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office on Tuesday (Aug 23).
"This programme aims to bring together Singaporean digital leaders at different stages of their career. They will have the opportunity to network and support one another on their leadership journeys while being mentored by established industry leaders," said Mrs Teo, who is also Minister-in-charge of the Cyber Security Agency and Smart Nation Initiative, in a speech at the event at integrated resort Marina Bay Sands.
Those selected will also get overseas exposure that is relevant to their leadership progression, said the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
A spokesman for IMDA added that those under the programme, called SG Digital Leaders, are Singaporeans identified by their companies as high-potential individuals primed for senior leadership positions.
Each year, the authority invites nominations from companies, which include multinational corporations, large local enterprises, unicorns - companies with a value of more than US$1 billion (S$1.4 billion) - and start-ups, said the spokesman.
Each leader will have two years to complete a development programme customised to their needs, which may include executive development programmes, career coaching and mentorship.
IMDA will also provide opportunities for them to expand their network both in public and private sectors, added the spokesman.
The inaugural batch of leaders include Mr Justin Lee, 34, chief product officer at shopping platform ShopBack.
Mr Lee said that he was humbled by his appointment as an SG digital leader.
"I hope to get to know more digital leaders in the space and learn how they have leveraged technology to solve problems of a far greater scale as well as how they have driven enduring digital transformation and innovation at large-scale organisations."
Correction note: An earlier version of this story said 11 professionals were selected to be groomed as digital leaders for the tech sector. It should be 10 professionals. We are sorry for the error.
