Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has named 18 Singaporeans from 14 companies in its second cohort of SG Digital Leaders. They are emerging local tech professionals who show high potential to be groomed to take on senior leadership roles. As SG Digital Leaders, they will benefit from a programme of networking opportunities and mentorship from global tech leaders for fast-track leadership development. They will also mentor Singapore youths as role models to nurture future tech talents. The programme was launched in August 2022 under IMDA’s SG Digital Leadership Accelerator, to build a strong community of Singaporean digital leaders in different stages of their careers for the tech ecosystem. The line-up this year was announced at the Asia Tech X Singapore 2023. “Through the SG Digital Leaders programme, we are grooming the next generation of leaders for our digital economy,” says Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Communications & Information. “We are bringing them together as a community so that they can learn from one another, build up the synergies and build up the relationships [while we are] supporting the growth of their careers.” This year’s SG Digital Leaders continue to represent a diversity of tech roles, from tech innovators and founders of high-growth tech start-ups to leaders in large companies. They include Manik Saha, Managing Director of SAP Labs Singapore; Keith Oh, Head of Product Design of Carousell; Ronnie Liew, Director of Engineering APAC of foodpanda; and Joshua Phua, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Kinobi. Four female professionals join the line-up this year, including Annabel Lee, the first female Asian policy lead in Amazon Web Services. Lee, whose designation in her company is Director of Digital Policy (APJ) and ASEAN Public Policy, says: “SG Digital Leaders is a great opportunity to meet other Singaporeans who are leading in their own different ways in the sector [and] understanding their own challenges on the ground.” She is excited to deepen her own knowledge of the sector and collaborating on areas she is passionate about, like how to tackle skills and manpower issues, how to use technology to enable sustainability, and how to secure Singapore’s digital future as part of a broader of region. Justin Lee, who was in the inaugural SG Digital Leaders line-up in 2022, can attest to how the networking opportunities have benefitted him and his company, ShopBack, over the past year. “The mentorship network has unlocked fresh insights from different industries and vantage points, and most importantly, deep and relatable advice on tough real-world operational and talent issues faced by a scaling company,” he says. As one of two SG Digital Leaders in ShopBack, he observes: “Having SG Digital Leaders on the team has helped to bring in valuable guidance from industry veterans, especially as we prepare to expand into new markets and verticals and deepen our technology capabilities.”  “It also feels nice to be recognised for the hard work we have put in and the contributions we have made to the space,” he adds. Check out the full SG Digital Leaders list here   Lynette Hooi is a freelance writer