Mr Vincent Wong Wah Kit was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IDA International, the execution arm for collaborations on public service infocomm between Singapore and countries around the world. A 24-year veteran of the management consulting and ICT industries, Mr Wong joined IDA International from Accenture, where he led the firm’s Health and Public Service technology business in Southeast Asia. He talks to iN.SG about his new role and the challenges involved in replicating the Singapore ICT success story in other countries and contexts.

When did you come on board IDA International and what made you decide to take on this role?
I started work in IDA International on 10 December. I have been a consultant for most of my 24 years of working life; mainly in the area of applying ICT towards improving public services. The nature of work at IDA International is about the same: delivering socio-economic outcomes with public service ICT. I am still a consultant at IDA International. But the unique aspect of this job is doing it beyond the Singapore shores, for governments overseas with the same desire to leverage ICT for a better public service and country.

The role of IDA International is also very unique: master planning and delivering eGovernment solutions for countries around the world. Working for IDA International is already a rare opportunity, and I get to lead IDA International – a double treat.

Since its formation, IDA International has been actively engaging with government leaders from around the world to share Singapore’s experiences with ICT. Will your focus going forward be different?
My predecessor CEO Seah Chin Siong and the IDA International staff before me have done a great job starting up in this unique function. The early years have been largely planning and consulting type of work, which we will continue to do. I see my focus as helping our foreign government clients take the next step of implementing solutions to benefit them, their people and businesses. We also have very good Singapore companies with proven solutions to share. So it is a win-win-win scenario.

What have you been involved in so far at IDA International?
I joined at the crossroads of closing the last quarter of the year and planning for the new fiscal year. That is what I’ve been busy with.

I also had the immediate opportunity to meet with our client governments both in Singapore and visiting them. I made trips to Myanmar, South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago. There’s nothing like meeting with client executives – government leaders – to exchange ideas about public service using ICT and learning about their country environments first hand.

Next to clients, our people are most important. I also spent much of my first days at IDA International speaking with and knowing all my staff. I have also started to meet with others in our eco-system: colleagues in IDA, other Singapore government agencies, our Singapore ICT companies providing the solutions and global alliance partners.

What are some of the key developments in the global IT landscape that could have an impact on the work of IDA International?
In today’s context, whether a country is a developed one or developing nation, ICT is part of the growth agenda. Particularly in the developing world, ICT is seen – like Singapore did 30 years ago – as an engine for development. Many developing countries have found natural resources and yet planning to diversify their economies. ICT is seen as a key enabler. Then it is about planning and execution. This is where IDA International and our solution providers can help.

How can a country seek IDA International’s help?
The starting point is usually visiting with us, not just to listen to our presentations but to experience some of the transformations enabled by ICT at work. We then conduct discussion workshops to identify areas of need and propose studies to plan the change journey, and then help our client countries to execute the plan.

What are the main challenges facing IDA International and how can these be managed or overcome?
Singapore is arguably the best case study for ICT-enabled economy for the country, if not just the public service. But Singapore has the perfect eco-system for ICT to thrive as the whole Singapore machinery is always moving forward in unison. Not all countries are in the whole state of readiness to embrace the ICT change which we take for granted in Singapore. In our IDA International work, we try to find and encourage the right change driver at the top. Not all of our whole-of or integrated government approaches may work in other countries. So we have to adapt with phased programmes and develop quick and interim wins.

The other perennial challenges are the appreciation for investments needed and execution excellence. Virtually all our visiting governments love our Singapore ICT story. But they need to understand that we invested heavily in ICT and worked hard to deliver the outcomes. They need to have similar commitments. There are interesting business models such as PPP which they can explore and leverage too.

On the personal front, what makes you tick?
You could ask, what makes me “click”? I am a very keen photographer; a traditional one if I may add, with rangefinder cameras and even shooting on film despite my high-tech day job. I enjoy capturing life as it is – old buildings and ordinary people doing their chores. I get a thrill out of framing my subjects and delivering the images which you would consider uniquely interesting. Often it means getting up early while most are still sleeping to capture the street market or people arriving at a train station.

In the same way at work, I enjoy framing client issues, conjuring solutions and presenting delightful outcomes. That is what makes me tick: hard work but pleasurable.

What have been the memorable moments in your career?
I want to say, “Selling and delivering a 150,000 man-day job”, but memorable moments tend to be less tangible or those that money can’t buy. For me, I enjoyed those years serving in the executive councils of first, Singapore Computer Society and later, IT Management Association (Singapore’s CIO society). It was not only very enjoyable but a chance to give back to the profession which has provided me an enriching career.

However, I believe more good memories are still ahead. I envision scenarios where a Latin American citizen says transacting with the government is even more efficient and pleasant than with an MNC bank; a Caribbean businessman says it took him 10 minutes to open a new business and “complains” that filing tax is too easy and transparent; and visitors breeze through an African airport immigration because of eVisas and ePassports. I hope to tell my grandson that Singapore, IDA International and I had something to do with all of these.