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09 May 2022
This year, our annual DSTA Staff Conference was conducted in a hybrid mode, bringing together over 3,000 staff online and in person to share goals and celebrate achievements.
Kicking off the session on 6 May 2022, Chief Executive Mervyn Tan charted out the key thrusts for the organisation in the coming year, which can be broken down into three plans: Digitalisation, where we strengthen capabilities to help build a digital SAF and transform DSTA digitally; Capacity, for which we build staff capacity as project scopes and complexity continue to grow; and People, by taking care of all our staff who are at the heart of the transformation.
He explained that the digitalisation plan would have to be complemented with a plan to increase capacity. At the same time, this would be supported by DSTA’s ongoing efforts to imbue staff with the right skills and competencies. Most importantly, Mervyn emphasised that people are DSTA’s greatest assets, and each and every staff can play his or her part to contribute to the realisation of these plans.
Engineer (Info) Lim Bo Zhi, who joined the organisation earlier in the year, said: “This was my first conference and it was very heartening to hear Mervyn share how much he appreciates his staff, and that the heart of the organisation is its people and their contributions. It makes me proud to be part of the DSTA family!”
The conference also served as a great platform to recognise staff for their outstanding contributions and achievements. Two teams and five individuals received the DSTA Excellence Award, while five individuals were also awarded the DSTA Service Excellence Award. Another 15 teams received the DSTA Certificate of Commendation for their projects under MINDEF’s Economy Drive initiative.
Project Manager (Systems Management) Kurinchi D/O Pugazhendhi, who received the DSTA Certificate of Commendation on behalf of her team, felt honoured and happy that their efforts were recognised at the staff conference.
She shared: “To meet the RSN’s urgent requirements for ammunitions, we initiated checks to explore the technical feasibility of utilising the RSAF’s ammunitions – which had been planned for disposal – although they were of different linked configurations. After assessing that the ammunitions could be reworked to meet the RSN’s configurations, we performed the inter-service transfer. This not only reduced the lead time but also helped the service achieve significant cost savings. I’m glad we could leverage our expertise and networks to enable this initiative.”
Kurinchi received the Economy Drive Award on her team's behalf.
The event concluded with everyone’s favourite question and answer session, where Mervyn, Deputy Chief Executive (DCE) (Operations) Roy Chan, DCE (Strategic Development) Ngiam Le Na, DCE (National Engineering) Lee Eng Hua, DCE (Information) Gayle Chan, and Director Human Resource Chng Lay Theng got on stage to address staff queries. The questions ranged from work processes to staff welfare, and served to assuage staff concerns.
“My most memorable takeaway from the Staff Conference is Mervyn’s sharing about the story of the dog and its caretakers, where the dog was kept away once a week for reasons no one remembered anymore. It serves as a reminder that we should not follow norms blindly, and this motivates me to review work processes with my team,” shared Head (Cyber Security Incident Response Team) Chia Choon Siong, who received the DSTA Excellence Award (Leadership).
“It also feels great to know that my colleagues believe in my leadership, and I have great bosses who provide me with lots of guidance and support,” he added.
Choon Siong receiving the DSTA Excellence (Leadership) Award.