ARTC Steering Board

Prof Lam Khin Yong is currently one of the Co-Chairmen of ARTC. He guides NTU’s university-wide research and its implementation as the Senior Vice President (Research). He was previously NTU’s Acting Provost (March – December 2017), Chief of Staff (2011 – 2017), Acting CEO of NTU Innovation (2012 – 2013), Associate Provost for Graduate Education & Special Projects (2008 – 2011), and Dean/Chair of the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (2006 – 2008).

He is a strong proponent of the Triple Helix Framework as well as research and innovation partnerships involving university, industry and public agencies. Together with his colleagues, he drove many of NTU’s collaborations with major industry and academic partners, including the setting up of corporate labs and joint labs on campus with Continental, HP Inc, Singtel, Surbana Jurong as well as the NTU-Alibaba Joint Research Institute and the Sino-Singapore International Joint Research Institute (SSIJRI). In his previous role as Chief of Staff, he oversaw the operations of the President’s Office. As Associate Provost, he played a strategic role in growing NTU’s graduate and research programmes and spearheaded joint research programmes with top universities globally, including the Technical University of Munich, the University of Cambridge and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has also contributed to NTU’s world-class positioning within the National Research Foundation’s Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) initiative since 2007.

Before joining NTU, he was the Founding Director of the NUS Centre for Computational Mechanics and the NUS-MINDEF Underwater Shock Laboratory, Programme Director of the IHPC-MINDEF High Performance Computing Centre, Founding Executive Director of the Institute of High Performance Computing and Founding Executive Director of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Graduate Academy.

In addition, he held directorship positions in the then NSTB and A*STAR Holding companies as Director of ETPL Investment and KRDL Holdings. Professor Lam was also the Technical Advisor to the Executive Chairman of ETPL, Programme Advisor for the High Performance Computation Programme of the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) and Deputy Director of SMA. He worked with the MD of A*STAR and Executive Chairman of ETPL to set up the Managing Director Office and ETPL at A*STAR.

In 2017, Professor Lam was awarded the French National Order of the Legion of Honour (Chevalier) for advancing research between Singapore and France. Other accolades include the Honorary Doctorate from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Honorary Professorship Diploma award, the highest honour and recognition from Lomonosov Moscow State University, and the Shandong University Honorary Professorship in recognition of his research achievements and the links that he had established with the industry. In 2018, he received the prestigious President’s Science and Technology Medal, which is awarded to outstanding individuals who have made a distinguished contribution to the development of Singapore through the promotion and management of R&D. He had also received the Singapore Distinguished Service Award from the National Supercomputing Centre Singapore (NSCC Singapore) for his long-term service and contributions to HPC. He was also the first academic to lead a research team to win the national Defence Technology Prize.

He chairs various steering and governance committees, which include the HP-NTU Corporate Lab Governing Board, among others. He obtained his BSc with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College London and his Master’s and PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mr Peter Tan is currently one of the Co-Chairmen of ARTC. He is the founder and Managing Partner of JP Asia Capital Partners, and former President and Managing Director of Flextronics Asia. He has more than 35 years of operating experience in Asia and Silicon Valley, and has built up expertise and business relations in world-class manufacturing and technology companies. He is a member of the International Evaluation Panel for the Singapore National Research Foundation’s Competitive Research Program.

Mr Tan was the Executive Director of JIT Electronics, a Singapore-based contract manufacturer when it was acquired by Flextronics in 2000. He successfully led the integration of the two companies, and subsequently presided over the management of Flextronics Asia as President and Managing Director. Under his leadership, Flextronics Asia has grown to become the largest and most profitable region for Flextronics. At the end June 2007, Mr Tan retired from Flextronics to focus on other activities involving emerging technologies and supply chain management.

Besides his investment activities at JP Asia Capital, Mr Tan sits on the board of Dialog Semiconductor PLC in the UK, and Innotek Limited, SMRT Corporation and Exploit Technologies in Singapore. He was also a non-executive director of Vacuumschmelze Luxembourg SA and VariOptic in Lyon, France. Both companies were divested in 2011. Mr Tan is also an advisor for MIR Investment (Australia), SolarEdge Technologies (Israel), and the BTech Program at the National University of Singapore; and he is a council member of the Singapore Manufacturers Federation. A veteran in the electronics industry, Mr. Tan has accumulated more than three decades of manufacturing and operations experience. Prior to joining JIT Electronics in 1997, Mr Tan served as Managing Director, Asia Pacific Operations for Apple, and previously as General Manager and Managing Director at Molex Singapore, a manufacturer of electronic, electrical and fiber-optic interconnection products. Preceding his five-year term at Molex, Mr. Tan spent eighteen years with National Semiconductor Asia Pacific, where he held various regional positions in manufacturing, materials management, operations and product lines planning.

Mr Tan received his Graduate Diploma in Management Studies from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his MBA from Golden Gate University, San Francisco.

Sam Garcia leads P&G’s Product Supply operations for the Asia, Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. This is a large, diverse and geographically dispersed team spanning 100+ countries, 10 different product categories and 34 manufacturing sites. He has also managed large operations in the US, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Throughout his career, Sam has become known for having a strong business vision, and for creating and deploying sustainable product supply strategies that add value. He has successfully built supply chain operations in new markets and pioneered digital transformation to enhance P&G’s supply operations. Above all, Sam is passionate about coaching and mentoring others, and driving action to progress equality and inclusion for a better world inside and outside of P&G.

Professor Lim Keng Hui is the Assistant Chief Executive Officer of the Science & Engineering Research Council (SERC) at A*STAR. He drives the implementation of A*STAR’s strategies and initiatives in the Science and Engineering domains to create industry and societal impact, and to build long term R&D capabilities for Singapore. With more than 2,500 scientists, engineers, project and admin managers under SERC, the R&D portfolio he oversees includes advanced manufacturing, urban and sustainability solutions, transport, digital and medical technologies.

Professor Lim was the former Executive Director of the Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) in A*STAR, where he led the research institute to create science and technology impact in artificial intelligence (AI), computational modelling and simulation. He was also concurrently the Executive Director of the Artificial Intelligence, and Social Sciences and Technology Horizontal Technology Programme Offices in A*STAR, where he drove and coordinated research in these two fields across all A*STAR research institutes. He was also the founding co-lead of the National Quantum Computing Hub in Singapore.

Prior to A*STAR, Professor Lim was the Director of the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)’s Digital Manufacturing & Design Centre (DManD), where he co-led the research centre to develop leading edge capabilities in digital manufacturing and computational design. Concurrently, he was the Director of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) at SUTD, where he established and led the translational research centre which focused on additive manufacturing R&D with companies, standards development, and outreach.

Professor Lim has also previously held several key appointments in A*STAR, including as Director of the SERC Engineering Cluster where he established and managed strategic programmes in Future of Manufacturing, Marine & Offshore, Urban Solutions and MedTech. Professor Lim’s industry experience includes positions as Head of Product Development at a Singapore manufacturing company; Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of two medical imaging and robotics start-ups in Singapore and Boston.

Professor Lim holds adjunct positions in the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Management University (SMU), and his R&D interests are in AI, digital manufacturing, and the management of technology. He sits on numerous boards and national-level R&D committees in domains such as advanced manufacturing and digital technologies.

Professor Lim holds several patents, and is a recipient of numerous technology awards including the Innovator’s Award from the Prime Minister’s Office. He was educated at Imperial College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the National University of Singapore, and INSEAD.

Dr Hamid Mughal is currently the SERC Advisor of ARTC. He has over 28 years of experience in the Automotive and Aerospace Industries. During this period he has held senior positions in a variety of disciplines ranging from Product Engineering to Supply Chain Management. He joined Rolls-Royce in 2001 from BMW Group where he was Director of New Product Programmes.

In his current role as Director of Global Manufacturing, Rolls-Royce plc, Hamid is responsible for leading the Manufacturing activities & strategies across all sectors of the company. These include the development and deployment of Lean practices and behaviours, methods, standards, technologies and systems to create Best in Class Manufacturing performance. He is also responsible for the professional development of the Manufacturing professionals in the company.

Dr Hamid has an Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering, BA in Mathematics and Technology, MSc. in Production Engineering & Management and a Doctorate in Manufacturing Systems. He has a keen interest in the latest developments in Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management and contributes regularly to professional bodies in his capacity as Pro Chancellor University of Nottingham and External Professor at Cranfield and Sheffield Universities. He is a Chartered Engineer, winner of the IET’s International Manufacturing Gold Medal, Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering, IMechE and IET and a Board member of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult & the Advanced Manufacturing Institute.

Dr Hamid passionately believes in the social and economic value of Manufacturing. He plays a leading role in the advancement of competitive Manufacturing by promoting collaborative programmes such as the Global network of Advanced Manufacturing Research Centres, the development & application of Lean Production Systems and crosssector education and training for industrial leaders.

Dr Hamid is married and has three sons who keep him fairly busy during weekends and holidays. He does however, find time to pursue his fairly wide interest in music, swimming, cricket, travelling and Manchester United.

As the Assistant Chief Executive (Manufacturing & Engineering) of Enterprise Singapore, Leng Wan leads various teams to champion enterprise growth in Singapore’s manufacturing and engineering industries. 

Prior to this, Leng Wan spent seven years in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. As the Senior Director (Industry Division) between 2017 and 2021, he led his team to formulate policies and initiatives to ensure the competitiveness of the Singapore economy as well as the vibrancy of Singapore as a global city and tourism destination. His teams worked closely with the Economic Development Board to anchor significant foreign investments in Singapore’s manufacturing sector, as well as with the Singapore Tourism Board and Sentosa Development Corporation to develop iconic tourism projects in Singapore. Between 2006 and 2009, he was Deputy Director (Resource Division) where he led his team to develop manpower initiatives to support enterprises to meet their labour and talent needs. 

Land use and economics have a strong nexus in land-scarce Singapore. Between 2012 and 2017, Leng Wan was Senior Director (Strategic Planning) in the Ministry of National Development in charge of reviewing Singapore’s land use plans and development strategies. Some of the notable publicly accessible projects include the Singapore Land Use Plan (2013), Master Plan 2014, the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint (2015), and the Future City Sub-Committee Report (2016) under the auspices of the Committee on the Future Economy. 

Leng Wan had also served in various portfolios dealing with public policy formulation in the Ministry of Defence and the then-Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. 

Leng Wan has a Masters of Science (Civil Engineering) from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Civil Engineering from the National University of Singapore.

Mr Tan Kong Hwee is the Executive Vice President of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). He oversees EDB’s Accounts Group that works closely with top local and international companies from a wide range of industries and corporate segments to facilitate their investments into Singapore and transform their operations here. Kong Hwee also oversees Strategy divisions including Mobility and Health & Wellness.

Prior to his current appointment, Kong Hwee was responsible for developing various industry sectors, such as aerospace, marine & offshore, and space technology as an Executive Director. He was also posted overseas as Regional Director, Europe and Centre Director, Japan. Prior to joining EDB in 2006, he was with the Ministry of Home Affairs for 3 years. Mr Tan graduated with a Masters in Electrical Engineering from Kyoto University.

David is the CEO of ARTC since 2012 and rejoined SIMTech as Executive Director in 2019.

The ARTC adopts a public-private partnership model to bring together industry end users, technology providers and SMEs, with over 95 industry members. SIMTech, most notably, helps several hundred SMEs annually to stay competitive and climb up the value chain through advanced manufacturing capabilities, as well as professional training. 

Prior to his current roles, David was the Chief of Manufacturing Technology at Rolls-Royce Singapore and Group Manager of Machining Technology at SIMTech.

He is a member of the board of governors at Singapore Polytechnic, and an Adjunct Professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He is also a Fellow and Chartered Engineer of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Until 2007, David published 50 journals, patents and book publications for his research in laser materials processing.

David has received the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) Borderless Team Awards in 2007 and 2016 for driving various partnership outcomes. He also received the prestigious Sir Henry Royce Team Award for Engineering Excellence in 2012. In 2022, David received MTI Exemplary Firefly Award (Gold) in 2021 and the Public Administration Medal (Silver).

David is an alumnus of INSEAD, Tsinghua University, The University of Manchester and Singapore Polytechnic.