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1. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to our economy, EDB Society confers its Distinguished Fellow Award 2007 to alumnus, Dr. Tan Chin Nam, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), and Chairman of the Media Development Authority (MDA).
2. The Award is conferred on outstanding individuals who have made a fundamental difference to the economic growth and prosperity of Singapore. Past recipients include Dr. Goh Keng Swee, Mr. S. Dhanabalan, Minister BG George Yeo, Mr. Chan Chin Bock, Mr. Ngiam Tong Dow and Mr. Philip Yeo.
3. In a ceremony held in the Art House at Old Parliament, Dr. Tan received the Award from Mr. Lim Swee Say, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office.
4. Mr. David Lim, an ex-EDBian and former Acting MICA Minister, in his citation extolled, “For more than thirty years, Chin Nam has lived the life of a civil servant extraordinaire, excelling in every task that he undertook, transforming the organisations that he led, and leaving behind a legacy in the lives of the people he worked with.”
5. Mr. Lee Suan Hiang, President of EDB Society, added, “Chin Nam has mentored and inspired a generation of EDBians, many of whom are now ‘high-flyers’ making significant contributions in the private and public sectors. Chin Nam joined EDB at a time when Singapore was experiencing a recession after thirty years of continuous growth. It was an inflexion point. During his tenure as Managing Director of the EDB between 1986 and 1994, Chin Nam played a leading role in transforming Singapore into a global business city with manufacturing and services as the twin engines of economic growth and development. This helped repositioned Singapore on its second ‘S-curve’ and fostered Singapore’s continued economic growth and prosperity, creating a better life for all Singaporeans.”
6. A Colombo Plan and Singapore’s President Scholar, Dr. Tan was best known as the strategist who developed the ‘Singapore Inc.” approach in the 1990. Beset with the challenges of technological advancement and globalisation, Dr. Tan developed this framework that aligns both the public and private sectors with EDB’s marketing strategies by engaging other government agencies and key companies in joint strategic planning meetings. These collaborations culminated into record investments from American, European and Japanese companies, as well as an integrated and consistent marketing position for Singapore.
7. The increasing need to engage the global economy soon transformed “Singapore Inc” into “Singapore Unlimited”. This strategy can be traced to a Japanese landscaping approach of “borrowed scenery” (Shakkei), where distant scenery is integrated into a garden landscape. Dr Tan applied the “Shakkei” concept to Singapore’s economic development by promulgating the need to leverage on our partners’ resources and competencies to achieve collective competitiveness. This framework formed the foundation for EDB’s concentric approach to attract investments from developed countries via “outer globalisation”, while driving “inner globalisation” that promotes Singapore companies’ investment in the region.
8. “Chin Nam is a communicator without compare … So many phrases we now use came from him, or were inspired by him – Singapore Incorporated, An Intelligent Island, A Learning Nation, Dare to Dream, Singapore Unlimited. But his words were only a frame for his remarkable imagination as he conjured up the future as it could be, and his infectious passion that made us also believe that we could make that future true,” commented Mr. Lim in his citation.
9. Beyond economic development, he has left his marks in a wide range of public services. Dr. Tan was instrumental in drawing up and implementing the “Intelligent Island” blueprint for Singapore’s connectivity in information and communications technology. He has also conceptualized the Tourism 21 Masterplan, transformed public libraries into lifestyle centres and actively promoted the growth and development of creative industries.
EDB Society
EDB Society is an alumni body consisting of ex-EDB staff or Board members. The members are highly active in their respective fields and continue to imbue the mission of nation-building even after their Economic Development Board (EDB) careers. The Society organises regular conferences, talks, breakfast sessions and cultural and networking events.
Economic Development Board
The Economic Development Board (EDB) is the lead government agency responsible for planning and executing economic strategies to enhance Singapore's position as a global hub for business and investment. We are the one-stop agency that facilitates and supports local and foreign investors in both the manufacturing and services sectors as they seek more value-creating operations, higher sustainable returns and new business opportunities.
Singapore commands global leadership positions in many areas. EDB is expanding and extending existing industry clusters, as well as exploring new growth areas to create good jobs and secure Singapore’s future competitiveness. Our emphasis is on capital-intensive, knowledge-intensive and innovation-intensive activities.
For more information on how EDB can help in your business and investment, please visit www.sedb.com.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Mr. Loh Zhi Wei
Communications
Tel: (65) 6832-6806
Mobile: (65) 9231-5017
Email: zhi_wei_loh@edb.gov.sg
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