Recently at the Oracle CloudWorld Tour held at the Shangri-La in Singapore, Oracle’s CEO Safra Catz, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs, Mrs Josephine Teo, highlighted the critical role of digital transformation in Singapore’s development and shared insights on empowering women in leadership roles. The discussion provided perspectives on Government initiatives, technology adoption, and leadership strategies across Singapore.

Catz commended Singapore’s commitment to technology transformation and inquired about the Government’s role in supporting businesses and citizens. Minister Teo responded on the importance of building foundational digital capabilities, like those proved vital in navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister stressed the significance of addressing skepticism of execution and competence concerns among businesses, reinforcing the need to develop confidence and knowledge in utilising digital tools effectively by forging ahead.

The minister highlighted Singapore’s ‘Cloud First’ strategy and the Government’s efforts to invest in building capacity in reliable cloud infrastructure. Addressing the significance of cybersecurity and resilience, Mrs Teo articulated the Government’s focus on updating regulations and building green data centres to ensure the security and stability of digital systems.

“The Singapore Government itself decided to make a Cloud First strategy. I think that speaks volumes to how we think about the cloud.” commented Minister Teo.

Moving into the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Minister Teo discussed the need to democratise the value of AI and enable smaller enterprises to benefit from AI tools. Mrs Teo outlined Singapore’s approach to talent development in AI creators, practitioners, engineers, and competent users, honing in on the critical role of education and fostering talent in driving AI adoption and innovation across all industries.

Despite the focus on technological advancements, the conversation touched upon leadership and change management. Minister Teo underscored the importance of understanding fundamental purposes and maintaining a committed vision amidst changes. She encouraged leaders to focus on developing quality relationships, reflecting on the core theory of success, where the quality of relationships drives collective thinking and results.

Both leaders discussed women’s advancement in careers, with Minister Teo drawing attention on the need for allies and support from family and colleagues. Diversity, inclusivity & collaboration, and articulating the value of nurturing productive relationships were focal points for Minister Teo.

Catz made a light but relevant observation, “It’s not that common that 2 ladies are on stage. So sorry, guys…”

With Singapore’s continued focus on digital transformation and the empowerment of women in leadership. It was made apparent that Singapore continues to be a global nexus of technology and innovation, to set the stage for further advancements and collaborations.