STABILITY AMID GLOBAL VOLATILITY
DBS CEO Tan Su Shan, who joined Dr Beh in the interview, agreed that Singapore must continue to reinvent itself to remain relevant to evolving international business needs.
But she stressed that branding must be backed by substance, with Singapore’s reputation built on consistent delivery, transparency and integrity.
“Brand Singapore is underpinned by fundamentals of delivery and execution. That doesn’t happen overnight – it’s built from decades of hard work (and) consistency,” she said.
Ms Tan added that these qualities have become even more valuable to businesses amid growing geopolitical tensions and economic volatility.
Recalling a recent trip to New York, she said tariff-related market turmoil had left businesses there grappling with uncertainty over investment decisions and long-term planning.
Singapore’s predictable, stable environment hence offers an important advantage, especially as companies need to make substantial commitments in capital expenditure and manpower, Ms Tan said.
“Being open, rules-based, consistent and transparent – all those bode well for business,” she said.
“(In) a time of great volatility, multipolar fragmentation, when everything’s been weaponised – be it trade, currency, chips, technology, AI – when it’s so hard to predict things anymore, businesses want what the Singapore brand stands for.”
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