I first met Keith in the School canteen and started chatting with him. This was definitely not typical of me, as I hardly speak to strangers, and least of all in the canteen. Maybe it was his friendly smile and demeanour that made me start speaking with him. I found out that he was working in the Business School for several years and he wrote a book on Big Data.
Several encounters with him later, I found out that his contract with the Business School was ending and I saw an opportunity to get him over to the School of Computing. I was running the Executive Education in the School of Computing and I badly needed someone from the industry to assist me to curate programmes on emerging technology. The School of Computing offered him an associate professorship, and my wish was granted. Beside teaching undergrads and postgrads, he spent his spare hours helping out at Executive Education.
What I most admire about Keith is his boundless energy and his ability to translate ideas into action. The old programmes that we used to run in the Executive Education centre were getting jaded and unpopular, and Keith came up with plenty of suggestions on how to rejuvenate the centre. And rejuvenate we did. We gave a new name to the centre, rolled out new programmes on analytics, financial technology and got us into the consulting business. And he got funding from a cryptocurrency company to sponsor a Fintech Laboratory.
I think the word ”Impossible” is not in Keith’s dictionary. In his enthusiasm to try new things, I sometimes, very reluctantly, have to hold him back and give him some “fatherly” lessons on power and politics. He was a quick learner and I saw him blossom, achieving success after success. I think, eventually, he will be more Singaporean than I am.
Professor Alex Siow, National University of Singapore, School of Computing (LinkedIn)
Several encounters with him later, I found out that his contract with the Business School was ending and I saw an opportunity to get him over to the School of Computing. I was running the Executive Education in the School of Computing and I badly needed someone from the industry to assist me to curate programmes on emerging technology. The School of Computing offered him an associate professorship, and my wish was granted. Beside teaching undergrads and postgrads, he spent his spare hours helping out at Executive Education.
What I most admire about Keith is his boundless energy and his ability to translate ideas into action. The old programmes that we used to run in the Executive Education centre were getting jaded and unpopular, and Keith came up with plenty of suggestions on how to rejuvenate the centre. And rejuvenate we did. We gave a new name to the centre, rolled out new programmes on analytics, financial technology and got us into the consulting business. And he got funding from a cryptocurrency company to sponsor a Fintech Laboratory.
I think the word ”Impossible” is not in Keith’s dictionary. In his enthusiasm to try new things, I sometimes, very reluctantly, have to hold him back and give him some “fatherly” lessons on power and politics. He was a quick learner and I saw him blossom, achieving success after success. I think, eventually, he will be more Singaporean than I am.
Professor Alex Siow, National University of Singapore, School of Computing (LinkedIn)
Keith was instrumental in the creation of the design concept of the digital Talent Pavilion from inception to present. His passion for people has sparked the important idea of bringing the Fintech literacy to the Singapore heartland through the Talent Pavilion Platform. He is an impactful and resourceful leader. He not only actively contributes to the Talent Pavilion, but also inspires his students from the NUS FinTech Society and rally the Talent Pavilion community to take active role in the spread of FinTech awareness through use of social media to unlock jobs and skills opportunities for the nation. To continue the good work started, he will be leading the digital marketing efforts of the 2021 Talent Pavilion.
Su Hui Tay,
Deputy Director, FinTech Infrastructure Office, FinTech & Innovation Group | Monetary Authority of Singapore (LinkedIn)
Su Hui Tay,
Deputy Director, FinTech Infrastructure Office, FinTech & Innovation Group | Monetary Authority of Singapore (LinkedIn)
Our organization was fortunate to engage Professor Keith for about one year in teaching Data and Analytics concepts and practices to professional staff. He was always well prepared, knowledgeable and patient. His talks were stimulating and included valuable information that could be utilized subsequently in our work. He was also accessible to participants before, during and after class.
Feedback from participants highlighted one of his strengths. They remarked that Prof Keith created a classroom environment that was safe for them to ask questions and potentially express a dissenting voice. That environment fostered a diverse exchange of viewpoints and incredible learning. Prof Keith demonstrated strong listening skills by first listening, then asking clarifying questions to understand the speaker’s point of view. He encouraged and never rebuked participants for their questions or responses.
Curtis Ching,
Deputy Head of Strategy, Techcombank Vietnam (LinkedIn)
Feedback from participants highlighted one of his strengths. They remarked that Prof Keith created a classroom environment that was safe for them to ask questions and potentially express a dissenting voice. That environment fostered a diverse exchange of viewpoints and incredible learning. Prof Keith demonstrated strong listening skills by first listening, then asking clarifying questions to understand the speaker’s point of view. He encouraged and never rebuked participants for their questions or responses.
Curtis Ching,
Deputy Head of Strategy, Techcombank Vietnam (LinkedIn)
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Keith is an amazing presenter, an inspiration, a motivator, a mentor, a business partner, and most of all, a great friend.
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of October 2021.