Mark Lim may be Temasek's Chief Digital Officer, but catch him in a free moment and he’s more likely to be engrossed in a video about behavioural science than fancy algorithms.  

“Digital transformation is as much about people as it is about technology,” he says. “However sophisticated or innovative a tech tool might be, it’s of no use if people don’t use it or if it doesn’t solve their problems.” 

Championing user needs has been a driving force for Mark since he co-founded the Government Digital Services (GDS) department of the then-Infocomm Development Authority in 2010. There, he drew on software development strategies more typical of tech giants like Apple and Meta to fundamentally change how people interacted with the government. 

His team’s progressive approach resulted in the quick and successful deployment of many citizen-facing web and mobile apps, such as the national digital identity app SingPass Mobile, the community first responders app MyResponder, and the first National Library Board app, among others. It attracted Temasek’s attention. 

By 2017, Temasek had grown into a global investment powerhouse and was seeking to unlock more possibilities through digital transformation. GDS’ gregarious Director, who passionately advocated for empathetic and data-driven design, and automation for software testing, seemed the right person to to lead it. 

Transformation, scaled  

Mark moved to Temasek at the start of 2018, with a mandate to empower its teams through the use of the “triple A” – automation, analytics and AI.  

The 2010s had witnessed a massive digital tidal wave sweep the globe, fuelled by the convergence of 4G networks and cloud computing, empowering organisations with the infrastructure they needed to innovate and scale. Meanwhile, the mobile revolution had put user-centric design in the spotlight, paving the way for disruptive AI and Big Data to revolutionise business operations and human interactions. For Temasek, the challenge lay in effectively integrating these advancements into its existing workflow. 

Mark and his team of three started by conversing with their colleagues across various job functions, to get a comprehensive understanding of the firm’s investment, talent management, and communication needs before considering what needed to be kept, bought, or built.  

They then turned their attention to scaling Temasek’s secure cloud platform to enable innovation, and harnessing the potential of data lakes for analytics, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making. They also began rapidly scaling up digital applications and automation tools that would help free up their colleagues from manual “legwork”, allowing them to focus on “brain work” instead, explains Mark. 

Complex as the task was, his approachability and knack for translating complex ideas into relatable concepts helped get various teams on the same page.  

For instance, he is a strong proponent of what he calls the kueh lapis (layer cake) approach, breaking complex technology builds into smaller layers, testing and making adjustments along the way to ensure the final product is secure and serves its purpose “deliciously”.  

That was how Winnow, an internal investment platform key to Temasek’s digital infrastructure, was developed — and continues to evolve. 

The “super app”, which borrows its name from the agricultural process where chaff is blown away to yield valuable grain, similarly gleans high-quality internal and external data, insights and intelligence on the investments Temasek is considering, including ESG – or Environmental, Social and Governance – factors. Winnow enables Temasek’s global teams to make faster, better-informed and more meaningful decisions.  

“From the start, we had daily “screen reviews” – a stand-up meeting with investment teams, identifying the right workflows and solutions, and then building them in. Issues were addressed and features were added along the way.  

“That’s why the adoption rate is so high. We’ve built it together, ground up, and we all own it. It solves problems, adds value, and most importantly, it’s a platform they love to use,” he says. As importantly, the iterative process helped foster trust and break down human-technology silos.  

And when Temasek’s workforce came to include AI-driven digital “employees”, they all got names. “I wanted people to feel like they were a part of the team. I remind them if they bump into Heidi or Bobby in the pantry, to please be nice and not discriminate against automation,” he laughs. 

Fostering a culture of transformation  

Underpinning Temasek’s digital evolution has been a strengthened focus on raising digital fluency and arming all employees with new digital skill sets through brown bag sessions, hackathons, and micro-learning videos.

The Digital Technology team has also created secure sandboxes in which “citizen developers” can self-serve from a selection of digital tools to build applications on low- or no-code platforms. Their colleagues can, for instance, create automation tools or data visualisations that they can then incorporate into their work processes.

“We’re like condo owners. There are guardrails so our systems remain safe and secure, but beyond that, our colleagues can customise their individual units to suit their requirements. That’s how you scale digital transformation – it’s not just one team pushing it through. Everyone can do it.”

“Today, when introducing something new, no one says no. They say ‘show me how’,” says Mark. 

It is a real indication of how far Temasek has come, he adds. Ultimately, it means building a workforce that is comfortable with change, engaged with technology, and more likely to embrace new ideas and drive further innovation. 

“It really is all about inspiring and empowerment and ensuring that ​​no one gets left behind. The world is always changing, the jobs of today will change, new roles will emerge, and we’re ensuring that our people – across our ecosystem –  keep moving forward. 

“That’s how we will keep riding the digital wave, and not be disrupted by it.”