Dr Mohamad MALIKI Bin Osman
MINISTER
Prime Minister’s Office
SECOND MINISTER
Ministry of Education & Ministry of Foreign Affairs
REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman was elected a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in 2001 and 2006. He was elected as one of the MPs for the East Coast GRC in May 2011, September 2015 and July 2020.

Dr Maliki served as Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports (MCYS) from August 2004 to June 2006 and the Ministry of Health (MOH) from August 2004 to October 2005. He moved on to become the Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of National Development (MND), and was promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary on 1 November 2010.

Following the 2011 General Elections, Dr Maliki was re-appointed as the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development and was concurrently appointed as the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence. He was also appointed Mayor for the South East District. He was promoted to Minister of State for Defence and National Development on 1 September 2013. In the Ministry of National Development, Dr Maliki served as the Chairman of the Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC) and the Private Estates Upgrading Programme (EUP) as well as oversaw Singapore’s food security, including food safety and the development of our agriculture sector.

After his re-election as MP for the East Coast GRC in September 2015, Dr Maliki was promoted to Senior Minister of State for Defence on 1 October 2015, and was also concurrently appointed as Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He continues as Mayor for the South East District.

Dr Maliki was re-elected again in July 2020 for the East Coast GRC and was promoted to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). At MOE, Dr Maliki oversees ITE and Polytechnic Education as well as Chairs the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce (UPLIFT) and the Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee (MLLPC). At MFA, Dr Maliki continues to advance Singapore’s interest overseas in various regions including ASEAN, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

Dr Maliki has previously held the position of President of the Singapore Armed Forces Reservist Association (SAFRA) and Co-Chairman of the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence or ACCORD in MINDEF.

As Ex-Mayor of the South East District, Dr Maliki championed interfaith engagement and appreciation through innovative programmes like the Common Senses for Common Spaces Interfaith (CSCS) Forum Series as well as facilitated stronger relations between the people, public and private sectors in developing social programmes to meet varying needs in the community. At the community level, Dr Maliki is also Advisor to the Centre for Promoting Alternative to Violence (PAVe) and the East Coast GRCs’ Grassroots Organisations.

Dr Maliki graduated with his Bachelor and Masters Degrees from the National University of Singapore (NUS). He obtained his doctorate in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998 and became an Assistant Professor at the NUS Department of Social Work and Psychology that year.

Dr Maliki was born in Singapore in 1965. He is married with two children, a girl and a boy. He spends most of his leisure time with his wife and children, going out to the movies. He enjoys watching Korean drama series, exercises in the gym regularly to keep fit and healthy, and performs on the Guzheng to raise funds for charity.

Associate Professor Dirk Morrison
University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Associate Professor Dirk Morrison is an Associate Professor of Educational Technology and Design and Graduate Chair in the Department of Curriculum Studies, College of Education, University of Saskatchewan. His research focus areas include e-learning, instructional design, educational technology and impact of informal self-directed learning on the well-being of older adults. He has recently published his research on heutagogy, a theoretical and practical framework for understanding and facilitating informal, self-determined older adults’ online lifelong learning activities and processes.

Tan Hsien Wei
Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore

Tan Hsien Wei is the Assistant Director for Business Development & Marketing at the Temasek SkillsFuture Academy (TSA), which is the Continuing Education Training (CET) division of Temasek Polytechnic. Hsien Wei’s education and early career was in the hospitality and food & beverage industry. He pioneered the team that developed the Temasek Culinary Academy and moved on to forge meaningful industry collaborations during his time at the School of Business. In his current role at the Temasek SkillsFuture Academy, Hsien Wei hopes to leverage on the Polytechnic’s wealth of expertise and education know-how to provide adult learners with up-to-date, relevant and meaningful lifelong learning opportunities.

Chelvin Loh
Director, Jobs-Skills Insights Division, SkillsFuture Singapore

Chelvin Loh is currently the Director of Jobs-Skills Insights Division in SkillsFuture Singapore, which is a statutory board under the Ministry of Education.

Helming a team of Jobs-Skills Analysts and Jobs-Skills Solutions Specialists, she and her team examines anticipatory jobs-skills changes in Singapore’s economic and industry landscape arising from technology disruptions, business model innovations, new care models, and other emerging trends. Her team also works very closely with sector agencies, industry and tripartite partners, training providers, and innovation-led firms to develop and roll out fit-for-purpose and timely jobs-skills insights to support the changing jobs-skills conversations on the ground.

Before this, Chelvin was helming the Industry Development Division 1 in SkillsFuture Singapore, which is part of the Training Partners Group account-managing both public and private training partners in the CET ecosystem and developing jobs-skills interventions for the manufacturing, trade & connectivity, healthcare, social services, and built environment sectors. Prior to joining SSG, Chelvin was part of the management team driving SME development, business capabilities and human capital development, and internationalisation efforts in Enterprise Singapore / SPRING Singapore and IE Singapore.

Chelvin received a Masters in Applied Economics from Nanyang Technological University in 2001, focusing on econometric analysis, shift-share analysis, and monetary policy reviews.

Dr Florence Mwagwabi
Murdoch University, Singapore

Dr Florence Mwagwabi is a Lecturer in Information Technology and Academic Chair of Transnational Education at Murdoch University’s Singapore campus. She holds a PhD from Murdoch University. Her major research interests include cyber-psychology, ageing and ICT use. Her recent research includes a study on the impact of information technology on leisure and quality of life of older adults. Florence is also a volunteer trainer for older adults in Singapore, teaching senior citizens courses such as how to stay safe online, productivity tools such as cloud storage and mobile phone usage.

Dr Tania Lim
Murdoch University, Singapore

Dr Tania Lim is a Lecturer in Communication and Discipline Lead at Murdoch University’s Singapore campus. She holds a PhD from Queensland University of Technology, majoring in creative industries, global media and communications, and East Asian popular culture. Her major research interests are in digital and media literacies (around older adults, AI ethics and fake news), East Asian mediascapes in television and new media communicative practices.

Dr Jagriti Gangopadhyay
Centre for Women’s Studies, Manipal Centre for Humanities, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), India

Dr Jagriti Gangopadhyay is an Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the Center for Women’s Studies, at the Manipal Centre for Humanities, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). Her research interests are in social gerontology, family and medical sociology. She has published works such as “Understanding the everyday processes of aging in urban Delhi” and “Examining the Changing Processes of Aging in Urban Kolkata” in international journals such as Ageing International and Sage, amongst others, and recently presented her research on “Being Smart at 60: Aging, Smart Phones and Leisure Activities in Urban India” at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.  

Han Yah Yee
Professional Services, Montfort Care, Singapore

Han Yah Yee is the Group Director, Professional Services at Montfort Care. She oversees 3 Family Service Centres (FSC), namely Marine Parade FSC, @27FSC and Kreta Ayer Family Services, GoodLife! Elder Care programmes and Specialised Programmes namely, Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre, YAH! and Grief Matters. As a social work practitioner for more than 20 years, she believes in ensuring that services are made relevant to meet needs of the vulnerable. She received the Outstanding Social Worker Award in 2010 and was appointed as Master Social Worker in year 2014.

Lu Anqi
YAH!, Montfort Care, Singapore

Lu Anqi is a Programme Executive at YAH!, Montfort Care. As a programme and events coordinator at an organisation that advocates for lifelong learning and active ageing, she believes in creating programmes and movements to encourage seniors to lead a more fulfilling retirement life, as well as changing the public’s mindset towards seniors through intergenerational solidarity.

Sheng Yee Zher
Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore

Sheng Yee Zher is a Principal Researcher at the Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences. He conducts nationwide large-scale quantitative research that includes the Skills and Learning Study series and PIAAC. He is involved in the development of the Singapore Lifelong Learning Index for the monitoring and tracking of lifelong learning culture in Singapore. His other research interests include understanding job quality and skills trends from the job perspective.

Chia Ying
Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore

Chia Ying is Senior Researcher at the Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences. She researches on jobs, skills, and lifelong learning in the changing contexts of work, with particular focus on skills research in relation to workplace performance and productivity, and on the impact of learning provision on the workforce. Her research interests also include the exploration and application of data-driven methodologies to understand the future of work.

Associate Professor Kenny Tan (Dr)
Chief Executive Officer, St Luke’s ElderCare

Associate Professor Kenny Tan, the Chief Executive Officer of St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) since August 2016 holds a track record in the healthcare, community care and social care sectors. Prior to his appointment, he was the Chief Operating Officer for both St Luke’s Hospital and St Luke’s ElderCare.

Leading in the areas of organisational development, healthcare management and education, he has steered SLEC to remarkable growth in corporate strategy and development, operational excellence, service delivery and partnerships alliance.

Under his leadership, SLEC’s foundation as a day care and rehabilitation provider has expanded to enrich more lives in the community. SLEC presently provides a full suite of community care services which includes day care, day rehabilitation, home care , nursing care, a wellness community, and its first residential care facility, the St Luke’s Residence @ Ang Mo Kio, as well as an upcoming Active Ageing Hub.

A/Prof Kenny Tan serves on various committees and boards, where his expertise is recognised by leadership and peers alike, in shaping policies and strategy in the healthcare sector.

Among the awards and honours he has been conferred, they include the prestigious Healthcare Humanity Awards in 2016, the Ageing Asia Global Ageing Trailblazer award and Leading CEO Award, both in 2019.

More recently, in the midst of uncertainty and the COVID-19 pandemic, A/Prof Kenny Tan steered the organisation on a decisive technology transformation to focus on future-proofing business operations. He also spearheaded the use of technology to digitally provide meaningful engagement and continued care for SLEC’s community of elders and caregivers, as well as building the internal capabilities of the organisation’s more than 700 staff to meet the needs of the elderly population.

Soh Swee Ping
CEO, Council for Third Age

Soh Swee Ping is the Chief Executive Officer of Council for Third Age (C3A), an agency under the ambit of Ministry of Health. It promotes active ageing in Singapore, with particular focus on lifelong learning and promoting senior volunteerism through public education and partnerships with organisations in the ageing landscape. The Council aims to create a vibrant pro-age Singapore where seniors can participate as integral members of the society.

C3A’s key strategic thrusts include driving senior learning through the National Silver Academy (NSA), supporting senior volunteerism, building thought leadership and promoting ageing well. NSA, being a key initiative under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing provides affordable, accessible and quality learning opportunities for seniors. For senior volunteerism, seniors could share knowledge and skills, enhance their social interactions and contribute back to society through the Silver Volunteer Fund.

Sam Sim
Manager, Diploma and Specialist Diploma Programmes in Gerontology, Temasek Polytechnic

Sam Sim is a Manager from the Diploma and Specialist Diploma Programmes in Gerontology, Temasek Polytechnic, School of Humanities & Social Sciences. Sam specialises in age-related health issues and has a keen interest in cognitive ageing research. Sam is a proponent of learner-centred approach, and he regularly delivers continuing education and training to adult learners (full qualification and short courses).

Michael Chan
Student, Specialist Diploma in Social Sciences in Gerontology - Optimal Ageing Practice, Temasek Polytechnic

Michael Chan is a mid-career switcher who joined the Community Care Sector 2 years ago. Prior to the career transition, he worked for more than 20 years in the precision engineering and high-performance steel manufacturing industry. He graduated in 1997 with an MBA and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering. Michael is married with a 19-year old daughter.

Viji Vijaykumarr
Manager, Centre for Life Skills, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Temasek Polytechnic

Viji Vijaykumarr has 20 years of experience teaching English Language and Communication Skills at Temasek Polytechnic. She is currently a Manager at the Centre for Life Skills, School of Humanities & Social Sciences. Her professional qualifications include obtaining a B.A. (Hons) in English Language from NUS, PGDE from NIE/NTU, M.Ed. in Educational Studies from the University of Sheffield, Cambridge (CELTA) certification and Course Leader for Achieving Superior Service certifications.   

Besides co-authoring a Scientific Communication Textbook and undertaking copyediting work at the Global Yellow Pages Pte. Ltd, to date, Viji has also conducted workshops for course participants from the Petrochemical and Pharmaceutical Industries and the Singapore Civil Defence and Police Forces and the SGUnited Skills Programme (SGUS), in the areas of Critical Thinking, Presentation Skills, Resume Writing and Technical Writing, Business Correspondence and Service Excellence.  

Her overseas training stints include teaching basic English to Senior Government Officials in Vietnam and technical writing to Japanese high school students from the Kumamoto National Institute of Technology, Japan. In addition, Viji has supervised student leaders to deliver an English Language Training Programme to high school students in Cambodia.   

Emily Wong
Course Chair, Diploma in Social Sciences in Gerontology, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Temasek Polytechnic

Emily Wong is the Course Chair of the Diploma in Social Sciences in Gerontology at Temasek Polytechnic, School of Humanities & Social Sciences. Trained as a social worker and counsellor, she is a passionate advocate for equitable access to healthy ageing and lifelong learning opportunities. Emily has been extensively involved in shaping the diploma’s adult continuing education and training programmes and the design and delivery of person-centred curriculum for diverse learners of different ages.