Strategy and execution finesse have to work hand in hand to achieve our desired outcomes

WHEN I was approached to join the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) back in 2015, I felt that I could relate to an urgency to adapt to a digital economy and world. As CEO of Group Enterprise at Singtel, I (and my colleagues) have been grappling with similar challenges of how to stay relevant in the new digital economy, swamped as it is by the relentless currents of technological disruptions. We all live in an increasingly volatile, uncertain and complex world which needs bolder and more sophisticated responses if we want to maintain the economic and business foothold that we have gained.

Singtel is no stranger to these rapid technological disruptions and industry challenges. Being the incumbent telco in Singapore, we have been subjected to competition and disruptions since the 1990s when we were first corporatised and the local market subsequently opened up for greater competition. While we are growing the Singapore market as a leader here, we have also made great strides, tapping into the much larger and higher growth developing markets in the region.

Today, the Singtel Group has more than 640 million mobile subscribers across Asia, Australia and Africa. As technology shifts from traditional voice to data-centric services, the Group has been re-engineering the infrastructure across the countries where we have a presence to ride the wave of explosive data growth. Knowing that various technology disruptions are at the gates, we have gained a deep understanding of the implications and exploited the rising opportunities that these disruptions may present us. We made leaps into building high-growth new businesses in digital marketing, data analytics and cyber security. Today, the Group, with significant presence and assets in the region, is one of the key players in the global connectivity and digital space. We have also invested in Amobee, a global digital marketing company, powered by analytics.