Boosting the Bench Strength: Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) Board Members

Media Release

Boosting the Bench Strength:

Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) Board Members

27 October 2021 – The Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) 新加坡创业行动社群 announces today that six industry leaders have been appointed as ACE Board Members.

The six new Board Members bring diverse experiences and deep industry knowledge and expertise to ACE. They will provide strategic guidance and direction to the ACE Secretariat, as ACE continues to engage and build the Singapore startup ecosystem, as the key trade association representing startups.

ACE continues to work closely with relevant stakeholders to uplift the ecosystem and build an innovation-led economy in Singapore. This will bring about good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans in the long run. ACE, in collaboration with PwC Singapore’s Venture Hub, will also be publishing a Position Paper in January 2022. This Paper seeks to articulate viewpoints of ecosystem players and provide recommendations to the Government on what could be done to address current gaps and help our ecosystem flourish for years to come.

The new Board Members are:

• Mr Lim Kok Kiang, Principal and CEO of Ngee Ann Polytechnic;
• Dr Goh Mong Song, Deputy CEO at the Institute of Technical Education;
• Mr Marcus Tan, Co-founder of Carousell;
• Mr Jeffrey Tiong, Founder and CEO of PatSnap;
• Er Edwin Khew, Chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) and President of the Plastics Recycling Association, Singapore; and
• Mr Mohamed Nasser, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Equity Capital Markets at SGX.

ACE’s Patron Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, said, “Singapore is home to a thriving startup ecosystem, and ACE continues to be a strong partner for the Government in fostering the community of startups and entrepreneurs here. Over the past year, under the leadership of Mr James Tan as Chairman of ACE, ACE has stepped up its support for startups in managing immediate-term challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic while looking ahead for new growth opportunities. This would not have been possible without the contributions of existing and past ACE Board members. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new ACE Board members, and I look forward to leveraging their wealth of experience from a broad range of sectors to advance ACE’s work. I believe that ACE will continue to build on the good work done – deepening its linkages with key stakeholders, and helping our startups to scale up and internationalise.”

ACE Chairman Mr James Tan noted that the six new Board Members are industry leaders in their respective fields, spanning Government, startup unicorns, sustainability, and capital markets, and they will bring valuable insights and perspectives to ACE. He added, “ACE will continue to support our startups across various stages and build a strong pipeline of unicorns in Singapore. The new Board members bring perspectives that are important to a vibrant startup and innovation ecosystem. Singapore was recently ranked 17th globally, 5th in Asia, and 1st in ASEAN for startups. I look forward to tapping on the experience of the Board members to bring Singapore to the next level.”

Newly appointed ACE Board Member Mr Lim Kok Kiang:

            “I am delighted and honoured to join the ACE Board. At Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), we share ACE’s vision in developing a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Singapore. From seed funding, incubator space, to the launch of a dedicated entrepreneurship pathway, our initiatives lay the foundation for our students to explore and realise their entrepreneurship potential. I look forward to supporting ACE’s efforts to foster an entrepreneurial spirit amongst our youths.”

Newly appointed ACE Board Member Dr Goh Mong Song:

            “Entrepreneurship energises societies and reflects our aspiration for growth. It thrives in a well-connected and supportive ecosystem. Our entrepreneurship ecosystem in Singapore has evolved and strengthened much over the years. ACE plays an important role in this ecosystem by inspiring, nurturing and supporting entrepreneurship. I am honoured by this opportunity to support ACE in fulfilling its mission.”  

Newly appointed ACE Board Member Mr Marcus Tan:

            “I’m excited to serve as a board member at ACE. As a product of Singapore’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, my co-founders Lucas, Siu Rui and I have benefitted a lot from the community, and I am looking forward to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs and take Singapore’s startup scene to the next level.”

Newly appointed ACE Board Member Mr Jeffrey Tiong: 

            “I am honoured to join the board of The Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) and very much look forward to serving the ACE community. The organisation’s passion for uplifting the Singapore startup ecosystem and building an innovation-led economy strongly aligns with my own vision for PatSnap.”

Newly appointed ACE Board Member Er Edwin Khew:

            “It is indeed an honour to be invited to join the ACE Board and to be able to contribute by bringing the sustainability sector into the ACE support and growth ecosystem. Both the sustainable energy and plastic recycling sectors represent tremendous growth opportunities for innovators and startups as both the associations and their Council/Boards that I am honoured to lead, are determined to develop Singapore into a Center of Excellence for Asia and Asean. With the R&D partnerships developed with many research centers and IHLs locally and globally, both SEAS and PRAS with the support of ACE can look forward to producing many startups and technopreneurs who will create successful high-tech companies and many new high-end jobs in systems design, recycling, manufacturing, operations and maintenance in Singapore as a hub for markets and customers throughout Asia and Asean. Most or all of these countries are already being impacted by climate change and will need urgent technologies and solutions to adapt and build resilience to tackle climate change across a wide range of areas.”

Newly appointed ACE Board Member Mr Mohamed Nasser:

            “As one of the leading hubs for startups globally and in Asia, Singapore offers a vibrant ecosystem for fast-growing companies and is home to some of the most promising unicorns in the region. I am honoured to be a part of the ACE, helping to nurture the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, and guiding companies at every step of their growth journey.”

The initial appointment will be for a term of up to 2.5 years. As of 1 October 2021, there are nine ACE Board Members. 

Access the full press release here.