As the science and technology agency of the Home Team, HTX has over the years attracted numerous scientists and engineers from many disciplines who share the same passion for creating innovations that enhance the safety and security of Singapore.
Among these individuals is Joseph Tan, who only recently joined HTX in September.
Joseph, who was recently awarded the prestigious Public Administration Medal (Bronze) 2024 for his previous work at GovTech, is currently the Acting Director of HTxDigital.
We caught up with Joseph to find out more about his aspirations and motivations.
Why did you decide to move to HTX?
When I chanced upon this opportunity at HTX, I was inspired by the agency’s mission and ambition. Almost all organisations in this age and time, public or private, will say that they want to harness the power of data and AI more. But many will quickly face constraints with the will, talent and resources to see it through. I think we’re quite lucky to have all three components here in HTX and I’m committed to helping HTX grow and thrive.
While it’s accurate to say that I’ve moved on from my previous organisation to HTX, I’m essentially just at another checkpoint in this journey in the Public Service!
Congrats on winning the Public Administration Medal (Bronze)! What are your thoughts on this achievement?
I am very humbled to receive the Public Administration Medal (Bronze). I see this as a recognition of not just my time in GovTech, but my entire career in the Public Service. It is truly a validation of the contributions and sacrifices my previous team and I had made over the past few years. My last two years in GovTech were pretty challenging given the GenAI wave, and I suppose you can call this the crowning achievement of my time with GovTech!
But this award isn’t just mine alone – it’s really a shared achievement because so many people have positively influenced and guided me throughout my career.
Joseph with Mr Pang Kin Keong, Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs), who received the Meritorious Service Medal, 2024. (Photo: Joseph Tan)
Can you tell us more about what you did at GovTech?
During my eight years with GovTech, I was with the Data Science & AI Division. Although I did many things there, the one common thread linking all of them was upskilling public officers and uplifting public agencies. We did this through training, events, campaigns, and competitions, among others. We also drove innovation efforts and built AI products that benefit the whole of government (WOG). Some of these notable initiatives and products were:
- Data Science Connect, a WOG community of data & AI enthusiasts
- Data Arcade Tournament, a data visualisation and prompt engineering competition
- Data Champions Bootcamp, a training programme for power users
- LaunchPad, an innovation platform where public officers can use various Large Language Models
- AIBots, a multi-purpose, no-code, highly customisable chatbot where you can use your own knowledge bases
I’m also proud to have played a hand in conceptualising the Analytics-By-Design methodology for analytics-readiness in programmes and products, as well as designing the CO-STAR framework for prompt engineering. At one point I also led the data transformation efforts in GovTech, focusing not just on data projects, but also achieving a holistic transformation from training to culture.
That’s impressive! So what do you do now at HTX?
I lead the function called HTxDigital, which is the digital transformation team responsible for architecting and implementing our digitalisation strategy. I hope to play my part in helping HTX become AI First, Digitally Empowered.
There is no standard playbook for digital transformation that works for every organisation. We don’t have a checklist of tasks we can tick off day by day to know that our job is completely done. This means that we’re constantly refining our strategies!
We have crystallised a simple formula that we will pursue in the near term. We call it: A+B+C = Digitally Empowered. The A represents our focus on AI, Automation and Analytics. We are currently looking for solutions and partners in these spaces to enhance our transformation efforts.
We’re also reframing our approach to digital transformation, which is reflected in the 3Bs – buy, build, and buddy. Our diverse approach involves buying high-quality solutions out there that already meet our needs, and buddying with fellow Xponents to co-build and co-own the solutions. HTxDigital is also strengthening our AI product teams that build enterprise-grade applications for HTX and the Home Team.
C refers to creating a strong digital Culture, which will require our staff to have the right digital Competencies. We are also looking to build up a pool of power users, or Champions, who will co-build solutions for themselves and their teams.
I hope to be able to look back and see that we’ve delivered on all fronts and see that the Xponents’ experiences at work have been truly transformed by our efforts.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to make a special call out to product managers, software and AI engineers who believe in the mission of HTX to join our team on this journey!