Name: Asia Dialogues Forum Singapore 2026: Talent by Design
Start: 2026-10-22
End: 2026-10-22
Location: Shangri-La Singapore

THE EVENING IN BRIEF

On 22 October, SpeakIn convened an invitation-only, closed-door roundtable under the Asia Dialogues Forum. Leaders from industry, policy and higher education came together to ask one question: how does a country build a workforce for an AI-first economy, and keep it relevant across a lifetime?

The conversation covered education-industry partnerships, lifelong learning and workforce governance. The roundtable also marked the regional launch of SPIRE, the SpeakIn Asia Institute for Industry Readiness and Employability.

WHO WAS IN THE ROOM

Low Peck Kem

CHRO & AdvisorPublic Service Division

Chan Meng Khoong

Chief Executive OfficerNUS-ISS

Alfee Lee

Head, IB for Singapore & ThailandFujitsu Asia Pte Ltd

Angelina Chua

Human Resources Director, APACCOFCO International

Bernard Nee

Deputy PresidentSingapore Institute of Technology

Brenton Smith

Vice President, APJCornerstone OnDemand

Carole-Anne Upton

Deputy Vice Chancellor, SingaporeJames Cook University

Dr. Charissa Tan

Head, HR Management ProgrammeS R Nathan School of Human Development

Corinna Choong

Co Director, SFCSUTD

David Ingram

Head of CollegeDulwich College (Singapore)

Diane Poo

Director, People PartnerCushman & Wakefield

Dr. Michael Yap

Regional Managing DirectorCoventry University

Dr. Navin Rajagobal

Senior DirectorSingapore Management University

Puay Guan Goh

Associate Professor, ADNational University of Singapore

Raslan Rashid

Director, Strategic HC ManagementKhazanah Nasional Berhad

RathaKrishnan Govind

Chief Executive OfficerLSBF

Sabine Benoit

Professor & Associate DeanSingapore Management University

Dr. Vivek Kumar

President & CEO, Asia PacificJA Worldwide

Wahseem Soobratty

Head of SchoolCurtin Singapore

Yeo Lay

Dean of StudentsSingapore University of Social Sciences

WHAT WE HEARD

Readiness does not end at graduation.

A recurring theme was that preparing people for work is no longer a one-time job. Speakers discussed how institutions can prepare students for the future workforce, while also supporting longer careers, and how hiring decisions shape who enters organisations and how work is redesigned.

“The roundtable was a very timely opportunity for leaders of education and industry to engage in discussing challenges and strategies in developing talent for an AI-first economy. I enjoyed exchanging perspectives with roundtable participants on what it takes to prepare students for future careers and to bring the workforce back to school.” — Chan Meng Khoong, Chief Executive Officer, NUS-ISS

Staying relevant in the age of AI

Discussion also centred on how people stay relevant as AI continues to change work.

“It doesn’t matter how AI is going to change, because it is going to continue to disrupt. It’s really how we continue to train people to be able to think and to be more human and to really use AI as an enabler.” — Dr Peck Kem Low, CHRO & Advisor, Public Service Division

She added that, with a mindset of continuous learning, relearning and unlearning, “it doesn’t matter how old you are, you will continue to be relevant in this age of productive longevity.”

SPIRE: From Learning to Employment

SPIRE connects students and aspiring professionals with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches and subject-matter experts through structured learning, mentorship and workforce-readiness programmes.

The Conversation Continues

Thank you to every leader who joined us in Singapore.

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SpeakIn Asia Dialogues Forum is an invitation-only series of leadership roundtables across Asia. To be considered for a future edition, contact lets.speak@speakin.co

Event Report