“Everything we do is driven by our mission to secure Singapore’s safety and security, and knowing that science and technology plays a pivotal role is exciting. We need to innovate to be better at delivering the capabilities to support our mission,” says Ng Pan Yong, HTX’s Chief Cloud Engineer, who recently took on the additional role of Chief Innovation Officer (CINO).
As HTX’s CINO, Pan Yong will drive the innovation movement in HTX and lead efforts to foster an innovative culture in the organisation. For Pan Yong, the most important attribute of the Chief Innovation Officer isn't in being creative or in being the most innovative, but rather, to be encouraging and empowering.
“All Xponents can innovate,” Pan Yong said. Xponents is the name HTX officers use to call themselves. “It is important to listen to Xponents on their ideas and challenges faced in their innovation journey. My job is to put them on the path of innovation and help propel their ideas to create exponential impact.”
Ng Pan Yong (on stage, extreme left) moderating the S&T International Leaders Roundtable with panellists from Australia, France and USA at the TechX Summit 2022 on April 5 (Photo: HTX)
The interview below with Pan Yong has been edited and condensed.
Q: Please tell us more about what you do at HTX, your background, and what you are passionate about.
I’m the Chief Cloud Engineer at HTX. The role involves designing cloud solutions, developing cloud skills, and putting in place good engineering practices. Besides my core job, I also run the Citizen Developer Community of Interests (COI) group and lead a team producing TechXchange videos and podcasts related to innovation.
Before I joined HTX, I did different things including founding an edu-tech start-up that developed a cloud-based cyber range for cybersecurity skills training, was general manager of engineering for a defence contractor, and held various technology leadership roles. My passion for tech covers a wide spectrum including cloud, coding, hacking, hardware and even practices like agile and design thinking. I tell people that I’m blessed to be working on things that I’m deeply passionate about.
Q: What does innovation mean to you and how does it play a role in your work?
Innovation is taking a step back and asking if we can do things differently. It does not need to be the blue-sky stuff or tech-focused, but it does require pushing the boundaries and changing the status quo. As CINO, I want to encourage everyone to innovate. Innovation inevitably involves failure and I want to create a safety net for people to learn from failure. There is a phrase that says “fail fast and fail forward” – that’s the beauty of innovation.
Q: What excites you about advancing science & tech for public safety and security and how do you plan to foster a culture of innovation here at HTX?
Everything we do is driven by our mission to secure Singapore’s safety and security, and knowing that science and technology plays a pivotal role is exciting. We need to innovate to be better at delivering the capabilities to support our mission. This is not just the role of the teams that are working closely with the Home Team Departments, but also everyone involved in providing supporting services. For example, innovation in our work processes will play a significant role in enabling Xponents to try out new ideas.
Building culture takes time. We need to direct the mind, motivate the heart, and shape the path of change. I’m shaping a comprehensive programme for innovation to be enduring in HTX.