Claudia Tan, Senior Partner, Chief Operating Officer, Gov+, NCS Group, Singapore

1) What are the core responsibilities of your current role, and how do they influence public service delivery?

At Gov+, our purpose is to help Singapore government agencies digitalise the core of public services so that citizens can live, work, and play more seamlessly.

As Chief Operating Officer (COO), my role is to ensure that we bridge technology with policy outcomes and deliver systems that meet the needs of diverse user groups.

Gov+ builds and manages complex, mission-critical systems across government, defence, and homeland security, spanning applications, infrastructure, engineering, cyber, and emerging technologies.

This requires a good perspective of how technology can be tapped into to deliver the outcomes within timelines and budgets.

We work closely with government agencies to understand not only their transformation goals but also the users behind the systems, that is, how they interact with services, the constraints they face, and the environments in which they operate.

An added aspect of the role is in the area of people development, as people are key to the delivery of services and the application of technology. 

2) How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive?

From a technology angle, inclusivity starts with disciplined requirements gathering, rigorous user research, and accessibility reviews.

This ensures that what we build is secure, reliable, and usable by citizens from all walks of life, including seniors, frontline officers, lower-literacy groups, and the wider public.

On the policy front, we partner with agencies to ensure that the technology aligns with inclusive governance principles, delivering services that are transparent, consistent, and easy to navigate.

3) What is one recent project that had the greatest impact, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?

One of the most impactful projects has been our work with the Singapore Civil Defence Force to modernise and enhance the myResponder app, which supports Community First Responders (CRFs), everyday citizens, who volunteer to respond to fires and cardiac arrest cases, in attending to nearby cardiac arrest and fire incidents.

We migrated the platform to AWS under GCC 2.0, improved system performance, and redesigned the user experience to make critical features such as guided navigation, AED locations, and real-time communication with SCDF, which is more intuitive and reliable.

These enhancements ensure that the app remains highly accessible, stable, and ready for use in life-critical situations.

We measured success through clear operational and user-centric indicators: improved system uptime and responsiveness, increased engagement with training and non-emergency features, and positive feedback from both CFRs and SCDF operations teams. Also, the app has helped save at least 80 lives.

This project had real significance because it directly supports CRFs. By improving their tools, we strengthen Singapore’s first line of response in emergencies.

This project demonstrated how well-designed digital infrastructure can strengthen public trust and directly support community resilience.

We were also recently awarded Singapore Good Design 2025 for Digital Design for the myResponder App.

To find out more, see here.

4) How do you approach leadership in a fast-evolving technology landscape?

In a fast-evolving technology landscape, I focus on aligning NCS Gov+’s capabilities with government objectives while maintaining operational discipline.

This ensures our teams can deliver complex, mission-critical systems reliably, even as technology and user expectations evolve.

I prioritise disciplined execution, continuous capability building, and structured governance. A key part of my approach is combining strategic foresight with operational accountability and identifying high-performing talent and rewarding contributions that drive results.

This ensures our people are motivated and equipped to manage the full lifecycle: from opportunity pursuit and solution design to implementation and delivery for our government clients.

5) We hear a lot about AI. What's a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?

A practical example of how AI can make government services more inclusive and trustworthy is the generative AI (GenAI) solution that NCS built for the Ministry of Manpower’s Contact Centre.

We integrated real‑time speech transcription (using our hyperlocal ins8.ai engine), a retrieval‑augmented chatbot, and automated summarisation powered by Amazon Bedrock.

The system helps agents handle complex manpower queries more accurately and efficiently.

The impact speaks to both inclusivity and trust: after-call work was reduced by over 50 per cent, average handling time dropped by 12 per cent, resulting in increased agent productivity.  

With agents spending less time on administrative tasks, they can focus more on understanding each caller’s needs and delivering more thoughtful, high-quality responses.

The design maintains strong data privacy controls, which reinforce trust in how citizen information is handled.

To find out more, see here.

6) How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?

I place significant emphasis on capability building.

The next wave of public-sector digitalisation will centre on integrated ecosystems where data, infrastructure, and policy are tightly connected, rather than standalone systems.

To subscribe to the GovInsider bulletin, click here.

Beyond automating processes to deliver more seamless, citizen-centred services, another area to look at is technologies that enhance decision-making, such as explainable AI and integrated cross-agency platforms.

7) What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?

First, maintain a disciplined sense of curiosity.

Do not rely on assumptions. Consistently challenge yourself to identify who might be underserved and understand the realities they face.

Second, prioritise cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Effective public service innovation requires sustained partnership with policymakers, community stakeholders, domain experts, and technologists. Impact is achieved at the intersection of these perspectives.

Third, measure impact through outcomes rather than output.

Focus on improvements in trust, accessibility, and equity, supported by both data and user insights.

Finally, take a long-term view.

Building meaningful and sustainable change in the public sector requires consistency, patience, and a commitment to strengthening systems over time.

8) Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?

I am inspired by the people who keep our public systems running day in, day out, such as frontline officers, social workers, community leaders, and the public servants we work with.

They operate under significant pressure and responsibility yet remain deeply committed to improving citizens’ lives.

I am also motivated by my teams at NCS Gov+.

Their resilience and focus on delivering solutions that genuinely serve the public reinforce why this work matters.

Working in the government space is not easy as requirements are often tightly regulated, the stakes are high, and change must be carefully managed. Their work reinforces the importance of building public-sector technology that is both trustworthy and accessible to all.

9) What advice would you give to women aspiring to a career in government tech or digital transformation?

My advice is to focus on understanding both the technology and the context in which it operates. In government tech, solutions must balance innovation with policy, operational constraints, and citizen impact.

Build cross-functional relationships early, be disciplined, accountable, and results-focused, but also stay curious and open to learning.

Finally, seek opportunities to demonstrate impact, take ownership of complex projects, and let your work speak for itself. Credibility and experience are the strongest foundations for advancement in public-sector technology.

10) Outside tech, what excites you the most?

Spending time in communities hearing stories, understanding challenges, and seeing the world through different perspectives.

And I value time with my family most of the time outside work.