NCSS 40-Under-40 I National Council of Social Service

NCSS 40-Under-40 [2022]

From 19 – 21 September 2022, the signature youth leadership programme reinstated its 3D2N residential element at Changi Cove. 40 youth leaders from the social service, healthcare, public and private sector gathered at a serene sanctuary to learn, network, reflect on the sharing by guest speakers, and discuss issues at a macro level.

Themed ‘Forging A Better Future for All’, the programme was curated to take participants on a journey of (i) discovering self & community, (ii) seeking new insights and innovation and (iii) envisioning and building a better future.

Participants cherished the opportunities to hear personal and authentic sharing by prominent speakers such as President Halimah Yacob, Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Social and Family Development, Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, Mr Philip Yeo and Mr Lien Choon Luen.

View the 40 participants for 2022

Highlights of NCSS 40-Under-40 2022

NCSS 40-Under-40 Day 1 - Key Event Highlights

Welcome Remarks by Dr Fermin Diez, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Social Service

Spotlight Session with Mr Eugene Seow, Vice-President, National Council of Social Service

Starry Starry Night: Dinner Engagement with NCSS Board and 40-Under-40 Alumni

NCSS 40-Under-40 Day 2 - Key Event Highlight

Spotlight Session with Mr Luen Choong Luen, General Manager, Gojek Singapore

Spotlight Session with Mr Philip Yeo Chairman, Economic Development Innovations Singapore

Engagement Session with Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for MSF & MCCY

Dinner Engagement with Speaker Tan Chua-Jin

NCSS 40-Under-40 Day 3 - Key Event Highlight

Engagement with Ms Tan Li San, Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Social Service

Engagement with President Halimah Yacob

NCSS 40-Under-40 [2021]

From 15 to 17 September, 40 participants from various agencies gathered over 3 day to hear from distinguished speakers. This year’s theme was ‘Reimagining the Social Service Sector’ and it drew the likes of renowned speakers such as President Halimah Yacob, Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, Mr David Chua and Mr Tan Chong Meng.

The speakers shared with the participants their key takeaways from their leadership journeys in an intimate setting. The opportunity to hear prominent leaders’ sharing about their lives so candidly is unlike any other.

Despite the COVID-19 situation, the organising committee persevered and continued to hold the event physically while adhering to the SMM guidelines. This allowed participants to interact and build strong interpersonal relationships with one another as well as with the invited speakers.

View the 40 participants for 2021

Highlights of NCSS 40-Under-40 2020

NCSS 40-Under-40 Welcome Day
(2 September 2021) Highlights

Dr Fermin Diez, Deputy CEO of National Council of Social Service, spoke about what leaders can do towards SSA 3.0.

Ms Seah Yang Hee, Deputy CEO of National Council of Social Service, shared with participants about the 3 priority areas for NCSS for FY21-23 i.e., support for families, caregivers and persons with mental health conditions.

Participants engaged deeply in the speakers’ sharing.

Day One
(15 September 2021) Highlights

Ms Anita Fam (left), President, NCSS and Ms Tan Li San (right), CEO, NCSS, conversed about the importance of speaking the language of stakeholders.

Mr David Chua, CEO, NYC, expounded on the importance of self-care to preserve headspace and the ABC (Agile, Blended, Collaborative) framework.

Day Two
(16 September 2021) Highlights

Mr Tan Chong Meng, CEO, PSA International, shared with participants the significance of communicating strategy effectively to people.

President Halimah Yacob appeared over Zoom and provided participants with thoughtful personal insights and described how to not generalise from one’s experiences.

Day Three
(17 September 2021) Highlights

The engagement with Minister Masagos Zulkifli enlightened participants with his 3 pronged approach for the social sector.

Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin gave an inspiring and personal speech at the Parliament House on the realities of leadership and how to persevere through the challenges.

All 40 participants had the opportunity to snag a picture with Speaker Tan, Ms Anita Fam, Ms Tan Li San and Board Members, Mr Eugene Seow and Mr Martin Tan on the grand steps of Parliament House

NCSS 40-Under-40 [2020]

The second run of the 40-Under-40 programme was held from 11 to 13 August 2020. The programme was almost three times over-subscribed, and received 158 applications from 102 organisations, up from 93 applications last year. The event was a hybrid of virtual and physical formats, and was held in line with safe distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Themed “Leadership for Future of Social Service Sector”, 40 youth leaders from the social enterprise, healthcare, public and private sectors interacted and learnt from prominent speakers including President Halimah Yacob, Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister Desmond Lee, Dr Tan Lai Yong and Mr Piyush Gupta. The youth leaders were challenged to examine current sector challenges and issues and plan for the future, in anticipation of the post COVID-19 new normal.

View the 40 participants for 2020

40-Under-40 Welcome Day (24 July 2020) Highlights

Ms Ang Bee Lian, Director-General of Social Welfare, spoke about the Singapore’s Social Compact.

Day One Highlights

Ms Tan Li San (right), CEO, NCSS, gave an opening address on the new challenges faced by Singapore and the social service sector. She later discussed with Ms Anita Fam (left), President, NCSS, on how the management and board can work together to drive the strategic objectives of an organisation.

Dr Tan Lai Yong, Associate Professor & Director for Outreach and Community Engagement, College of Alice and Peter Tan, NUS, invited the participants to contemplate whether inequality could be addressed through shifts in individual mindsets.

In the group discussion led by Mr Eugene Seow and Mr Martin Tan, Board Members of NCSS, they urged the youth leaders to embrace different perspectives and consider a world of possibilities, when thinking about the future of the sector.

Day Two Highlights

Engagement with President Halimah, where she underscored the importance for leaders in the public and private sectors to work together to find sustainable ways to strengthen social service eco-systems.

Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, Mr Desmond Lee, encouraged the youth leaders to “gather and examine problems of today, to draw out learnings and think about a plan for the future beyond the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Mr Piyush Gupta, CEO, DBS Group, shared about the five I’s of his leadership mantra: Individual Accountability, Initiative, Innovation, Inspiration, Intent.

Day Three Highlights

40 youth leaders broke into groups and shared their ideas on the dark and bright futures of the social service sector, trends and challenges, and what needed to be done to drive the sector forward.

Dr Fermin Diez, Deputy CEO, NCSS, related how important it is for leaders to continually learn to adapt to changing circumstances. He encouraged the youth leaders to discover their own leadership paths; find a cause that they are passionate about and create a positive impact on the community.

Visit to Parliament House (photo taken in line with safe distancing guidelines) and engagement with Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, where he emphasised the importance of “Values” and “People” as his elements of success in his personal leadership journey. He also shared that the social service sector is not just about helping the disadvantaged and improving their lives in tangible ways, but also how the public is involved in the entire ecosystem.

“Just like how the constellation of stars provide direction, the collaborative efforts of the 40-Under-40 group could become Constellation 40-Under-40 to provide purpose in the Social Service Sector”

- Mr Eugene Seow
NCSS Board Member

“The sharing by President Halimah serves as a good reminder for us to integrate basic values such as integrity and sincerity into our actions as we strive to be good leaders in the social service sector.”

- Ms Andrea Chan
Head, Intervention,
TOUCH Integrated Family Group,
TOUCH Community Services Ltd

NCSS 40-Under-40 [2019]

On 7 – 9 October 2019, the 3D2N residential programme was held at Orchard Rendezvous Hotel for the 40 participants. They had the opportunity to hear from distinguished speakers and their straight-from-the-heart sharings on their personal leadership journeys. Some of the key highlights included dialogue with President Halimah Yacob at the Istana where the young leaders had the privilege to be up close and hear the President’s candid sharing on her views and passion. They were also presented with perspectives from the Ministry as well as corporate and sector leaders Mr Lucas Chow, Ms Eugene Goh and Mr Koh Seng Choon. The programme ended on a high note with Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin hosting the closing session at the Parliament House.

- Building the next generation of leaders who are joined in hands and hearts to drive sector collaboration in serving the evolving needs of our community -