NANYANG FELLOWS MBA

Drive Digitalisation In The Public Sector

Empowering Public Servants for a Digital Future: A Close-Up on the Nanyang Fellows MBA Programme

The post-War era has seen remarkable global development, integration, and relative peace. However, the transition to high-income, high-growth economies has been challenging, with many economies unable to escape the middle-income trap, while some may end up getting old before they get rich. Achieving sustainable growth is a complex process that involves the inheritance of a nation’s history, including its economic and public policy, as well as centuries of institution building.

In this context, public sector officials face a dual challenge. Firstly, they must have a deep understanding of their country’s history, the broader region, and the global economy. Secondly, they must develop effective governance that can nurture the improved welfare of their citizens.

Elleney Merynda Wasli, a current participant of the NTU’s Nanyang Fellows MBA programme, recognises the importance of gaining knowledge and skills that can her work in the public sector. She explains,

“By actively engaging in discussions with top professors and fellow classmates, I feel enlightened and have gained valuable insights into the wisdom behind various policies, both past and present, from around the world.”

Elleney’s career journey

Elleney embarked on her career as a civil servant in Malaysia during a time when the public service was undergoing a significant policy shift. In 2006, the Malaysian government was looking for candidates from a various fields to join the Administrative and Diplomatic Service scheme, and Elleney was hired as a junior officer in the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU).

MAMPU was adopting Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to modernise public service institutions, and Elleney’s background in Computer Science and experience as a programmer in the private sector proved invaluable in this role. “Starting from MAMPU, I was groomed to learn and work on policy formulation and development,” she shared. Elleney acted as a mediator between the organisation’s IT experts and officers and management from more traditional backgrounds, helping to create a common understanding between the different groups.

What’s needed in public policy now: “Broad” specialists

While working at MAMPU, Elleney discovered her passion for developing policies and creating a shared understanding between various stakeholders. She joined the Digital Economy Division in January 2019, where she was responsible for digital economy policy development and monitoring in trade, investment, and industry development. Elleney was also the secretariat to the Economy Cluster of the National Council on the Digital Economy, and played a key role in implementing the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, known as MyDIGITAL.“It was a huge undertaking,” she said. It took tremendous effort to attain buy-ins, rally cooperation, and promote shared understanding among different ministries and agencies of government.

“Beyond policy formulation and development, policy coordination and implementation between stakeholders was most critical to ensure positive outcomes for the Malaysian economy and people.”

One example of the coordination needed in policy-making is QRIS technology, which is used not only in Malaysia but in neighbouring ASEAN countries like Singapore and Indonesia. Public sector workers must understand how the technology works, regulate it accordingly and document changes over time to improve policies as needed.

The Nanyang Fellows MBA is a public sector programme for a digital future

Despite her extensive work experience, Elleney wanted to gain more knowledge and exposure to regional policy-making as early as in 2018. While searching for prospective higher education institutions, she found that many programmes were focused on predetermined areas such as entrepreneurship, international trade, and law. She shared,

“Others were interesting, but more suitable for executives looking for better positions in private tech companies. They were not a match in terms of what I was looking for in my career aspirations.”

In 2022, Elleney discovered the Nanyang Fellows MBA programme at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, which was geared towards her career aspirations in the public sector. “Finally, there is a Master’s programme that is unique, tailored, and of direct significance to the line of work that I am doing in the Government.”

The programme offers unique perspectives from the East and West through exchanges with Tsinghua and UC Berkeley, and a SPAN project that allows students to gain insights from the private sector in the context of public policy-making.

Convergence of people, technology, and culture

There is plenty that Elleney loves about the Nanyang Fellows MBA. But what she values most are the intellectual exchanges and lifelong connections she has made with her classmates, professors, and staff at Nanyang Business School. “Learning from the experiences of our professors and guest speakers who come from various professional backgrounds, from international organisations to multinational companies, gives us a fresh perspective that is very often awe-inspiring.”

Through what she has learnt from the Nanyang Fellows MBA, she hopes to facilitate cooperation between the public sector, industry players, and academia, and promote sustainable growth and interconnectivity in the region. Ultimately, her goal is to better the lives of the people.

Visit our website and find out how you can make an impact with the Nanyang Fellows MBA.