Sengmeng is a seasoned public sector professional in national strategy and programs development. As the Director of AI Talent & Ecosystem in AI Singapore, he leads a team dedicated to cultivating local talent through AI literacy and proficiency programmes, building integrated and sustainable AI talent ecosystems.
His work empowers working professionals to #PLUSskill, supports organisations in their digital transformation journey, and prepares students to thrive in an AI-driven future.
Bringing over 25 years of experience across the private and public sector, Sengmeng has a track record of building high-impact products and services. His contributions were instrumental in influencing the growth of the Asia Pacific technology sector, notably catalysing NVIDIA to establish its global network of AI Technology Centres (headquartered in Singapore in 2015) and fostering the growth of homegrown unicorns like Garena (now SEA Limited).
Beyond AI Singapore, Sengmeng actively contributes to national taskforces and advisory councils. He serves as the national co-chair overseeing Singapore's participation and voting in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on AI. In this capacity, he is integral to landmark AI standards development, including ISO/IEC 22989, ISO/IEC TR24030, and ISO/IEC 42001.
Sengmeng holds two Master's degrees in Technology Management and Business Administration and is currently pursuing a Doctorate with Aston University—a globally recognised leader in business and social science research. He holds key professional qualifications including PMP®, CSM®, and Advanced CSPO®, and is a recognised Fellow of the Singapore Computer Society.
A recognised thought leader and speaker on AI program and talent development, Sengmeng has authored research published in prestigious outlets, including a paper titled "Effective Innovation Intermediary for AI Adoption"[1] and contributions to the International Journal of STEM Education[2].
With his in-depth knowledge and unwavering commitment to driving AI talent development excellence, Sengmeng continues to shape the future of AI in Singapore and globally, solidifying his status as a sought-after expert in the field.
Singapore has long been a key innovation and regional decision-making hub for leading global food and beverage companies such as Nestlé, Mondelēz, and PepsiCo. As AI becomes a core enterprise capability, Singapore has also emerged as an important global AI hub, with NVIDIA establishing its global AI technology center network headquarters there, and Heineken locating its first AI lab in Singapore.
This development is supported by Singapore’s long-term approach to AI talent capability building since 2017, led by AI Singapore, the national AI strategy and industry transformation initiative.
In marketing, the challenge has shifted from whether to use AI to how AI capabilities are acquired, embedded, and sustained within organizations. Many teams still rely on tools, external agencies, or a few individuals, making AI difficult to institutionalize.
In this session, Sengmeng, Director of AI Talent Development at AI Singapore and a member of the Office of the Senior Deputy President (Research & Technology) at the National University of Singapore, will share Singapore’s journey. He has worked extensively on national AI capability and capacity building, involved in global AI standards development (ISO, IEEE), and professionalising industry AI roles with sectoral champions such as Chartered AI Engineer and Certified AI Practitioners.
The session will focus on key questions for marketing leaders:
- Which AI capabilities should be built in-house for the long term?
- How can AI capabilities move from individual expertise to organizational capability?
- How can clear capability standards and talent structures turn AI investment into business value?