Honorary Fellowship Conferred on Two SCS Members

Industry veterans – Lai Kim Fatt and Howie Lau – have been conferred SCS Honorary Fellowship. Both of them have shown steadfast support for SCS over the years and made innumerable contributions to the Society and Singapore tech industry.

Our heartiest congratulations to Kim Fatt and Howie on their achievement. We are grateful for their continued support and trust in SCS!

Kim Fatt joined the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) as Systems Engineer in 1980 and rose through the ranks during his 25 years of service in the public sector. Among his key achievements were the creation of one of the first online information systems for air logistics supply and engineering, a second-generation client-server integrated manpower information system, and DSTA’s enterprise architecture to meet the progressive needs of defense logistics and human capital management.

Notably, when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) hit Singapore in early March 2003 and the number of probable cases increased perilously by the day, Lai Kim Fatt and his team of tech professionals and engineers broke down silos across functions and organisations and worked collaboratively with the private sector to modify existing programs to develop a comprehensive SARS contact tracking system and other critical response systems that coordinated the government’s response to the pandemic. For his contribution towards SARS containment, Kim Fatt – a two-time Public Administrative Service Medal recipient in 1996 and 2002 – was awarded for the third time in 2003 with the Public Administrative Service Medal (Silver)(Bar). Kim Fatt then went on to amass 15 years of private-sector experience, working as NCS’ Chief Business Solutions, Singtel’s Vice-President for Business Integration, IBM’s Consulting Government Programs Leader, HP Enterprise Services’ Director of Business Development for Public Sector APJ, and DXC’s Regional Senior Advisor. He is now Regional Senior Advisor to Sensetime International, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup from Hong Kong.

A believer of giving back to society, Kim Fatt served as Adjunct Professor at National University of Singapore (NUS) School of Computing between 1999 and 2007. Starting from 2005, he has been extending care to needy primary school children in his capacity of Founding President for Neighbourhood Care Services. His affinity with youths saw him sitting on the management committees of NUS School of Computing, Institute of Systems Science (ISS) and the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC). He was President of the Japanese University Graduate Association of Singapore (JUGAS) from 2000 to 2004, and active in grassroot activities between 2009 and 2016.

Kim Fatt was awarded IT Leader of the Year by SCS in 2004 and conferred as a Fellow in 2013 for his outstanding performance and contributions. In recognition of his longstanding service to SCS, Kim Fatt is now honoured as the 20th Honorary Fellow.

SCS President, Mr Sam Liew, presenting the plaque to Lai Kim Fatt (right), SCS 20th Honorary Fellow.

The conferment of SCS 21st Honorary Fellowship on Howie Lau (right).

A visionary leader, natural communicator and affable person, Howie Lau is known for his knack for balancing the rigour of business and the altruism of volunteerism. As a tech veteran with close to 30 years of experience in various domains, Howie wears multiple hats at any one time with one common goal – create a more vibrant tech industry.

Graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Howie started his career in 1993, which saw him traversing through various paths in IBM, Ariba, Lenovo and StarHub. More recently in 2020, Howie was Assistant Chief Executive for Media & Innovation with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). He is now with the NCS Group as Managing Partner for Corporate Development & Partnerships.

His marketing proficiency saw him receiving the Philip Kotler Award Marketing Excellence in 2018, while his outstanding contributions to the tech community won him the IT Leader of the Year 2020 Award by SCS. He has also been recognised as NUS Outstanding Young Alumni in 2009 and NUS Business School Eminent Young Alumni in 2008.

Howie has been an active member of SCS for more than 20 years. Most notably, Howie was President of SCS between April 2015 and March 2019. His tenure was characterised by significant milestones such as the launch of SCS TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) which helped grow the tech ecosystem across different sectors. His strong advocacy also fostered a macro environment conducive for working professionals and mid-career switchers to embrace change and boost resilience.

A strong advocate for talent development, Howie sits on the board of Singapore Science Centre and chairs both the industry advisory committees for Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) School of Digital Comms & Integrated Media and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) School of IT. He also helps committees for NUS Business School marketing industry consultative council, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) School of Computer Science & Engineering and the University of the Arts strategic development sub-committee. Additionally, he serves on the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) Governing Council.

Besides inspiring the next generation of tech leaders, Howie supports social causes such as Hair for Hope’s head-shaving fundraiser. For his inspiring leadership and dedication, Howie who was conferred SCS Fellow in 2015 will now join the ranks of 20 other Honorary Fellows with SCS’ highest award of Honorary Fellowship.