Using tech for good

NVPC’s digital innovation head uses technology to create a caring, inclusive society

By Gel Cabotaje

August 6, 2019

Five years ago, the World Economic Forum reported that income inequality might be the biggest risk the world faces in the next decade. When Mr Andy Sim read the report in the newspapers, it dawned on him that he could put his skills to good use.

That realisation was a catalyst: He left his job as head of the regional centre of excellence at tech giant Microsoft and joined non-profit organisation National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), which promotes volunteerism and donation by connecting companies and individuals with different causes to build Singapore’s giving culture. Now 60, Mr Sim heads the organisation’s digital innovation group.

He builds and oversees intelligent platforms for the centre's partners to use in reaching out to people who are in need. Among the projects his team powers are an online donation platform (www.giving.sg) and national movement app SG Cares.

Getting into the IT industry

Although Mr Sim worked in big tech companies like Microsoft and IBM prior to joining the NVPC, he did not major in this field. Instead, he majored in financial studies and economics at The University of Western Ontario before entering the field of information technology (IT).

A sponsorship from his former company, shipping group Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), prompted him to enrol at the National University of Singapore’s Institute of Systems Science (NUS-ISS) to pursue a graduate diploma in systems analysis. The programme is a one-year course designed for non-IT graduates who want to join the industry.

“The programme provided me with the foundational knowledge to kick-start my career in IT. Its broad-based approach was helpful in equipping graduates like me with the relevant technical and soft skills to progress along the industry’s different paths,” he says.

Taking the graduate diploma programme prepared him for the work he continues to lay out at NVPC. His team is currently streamlining the volunteering and donation process, as he plans on welcoming contributions such as food, transportation services and household goods – through other applications integrated with their online donation platform.

He says: “Today, my work is my hobby as I enjoy pursuing my dream of creating a giving ecosystem to bring people together in giving and building a more caring, inclusive and sustainable society.”