Reshma Vasu, Senior Product Manager, Open Government Products (OGP), Singapore

1. How do you use technology/policy to improve citizens’ lives? Tell us about your role or organisation. 

At Open Government Products (OGP), everything that we do is for the public good. Public good can sound like a big concept, but in practice, it’s about making sure we are impacting citizens’ lives positively.

As a Product Manager, I’ve worked on products like RedeemSG, where we needed to digitise vouchers while being inclusive of those who aren’t digitally savvy.

For DistributeSG, we made sure people could easily collect items that were being distributed by the government.

These are just a few examples of how we ensure that as Singapore becomes more digitally reliant, no one is left behind. Technology should enable people, not leave them out.

That’s how we think at OGP—we’re always looking for ways to make sure technology works for everyone.

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2. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year? 

The enhancement of the ScamShield app stands out for me this year. When it first launched in 2020, it was designed to tackle scams that mainly came through SMS and calls.

But over the years, scams have shifted to newer platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and social media.

We needed to make it more useful for the public, and that meant adding features like the ability to check whether something is a scam. Early versions allowed users to report scams, but there was no immediate feedback.

With this update, users can upload a message or screenshot and get instant feedback if it’s potentially a scam. It’s all about giving the public tools to protect themselves and getting more of them involved in reporting scams, so that we can stop them before they spread further.

3. What was one unexpected learning from 2024? 

The biggest learning for me was realising that even after doing extensive testing and feeling
confident about the product we shipped, scams move so fast.

You can do everything right, but scams change so quickly that it’s hard to stay ahead of them. We saw this with ScamShield—we thought we were ready, but new scams kept emerging, and we had to adapt fast.

It was a reminder that “good enough” isn’t actually enough. There’s always room to iterate and improve.

The emotional impact of scams is also much greater than in any other product I’ve worked on as people’s frustrations are higher. Scams involve financial losses, and that brings a different level of urgency.

It’s been a steep learning curve, but it’s also been incredibly rewarding to see how quickly we can
iterate and make meaningful improvements.

4. What’s a tool or technique you’re excited to explore in 2025? 

I’m really excited to explore how AI can help us tackle scams faster and more effectively.

ScamShield already uses an AI classifier, but I’m looking forward to seeing how AI can complement other tools to improve our work even further.

I’m especially interested in how AI can reduce the manual effort from authorities and our team, so we can focus on more value-added work.

I believe that as technology evolves, the AI models will become even more precise.

The ultimate goal is to automate most of the decision-making and leave only a small percentage for human oversight, which will help us make an even bigger impact.

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5. Everybody’s talking about AI today – give us your hot take on AI and what it means for the public sector.

AI has huge potential for the public sector, and we’re already seeing it in action with some of OGP’s products.

It helps public officers work more productively, and it’s something we should all embrace. But it’s not just about using AI—it’s about using it safely and in a way that makes sense for the product.

With ScamShield, AI helps us scan through submitted messages to detect malicious content and classify potential scams. I see AI continuing to inform my product decisions, and as it gets more advanced, it’ll make processes even more efficient.

Over time, I see AI becoming even more precise, allowing us to reduce manual tasks and focus on solving bigger problems.

6. What are your priorities for 2025? 

In 2025, my priority is simple: reduce the amount of money lost to scams in Singapore. The ScamShield app is just the starting point.

I want to focus on tackling scams earlier in the process, before they even reach the end user. That means collaborating with banks, telcos, and other stakeholders to share data and tackle scams upstream.

By the time a scam reaches the user, they’ve often already lost money. So, it’s about preventing scams earlier and making sure the user experience is better.

It’ll take a lot of effort and collaboration, but I’m really focused on making that a reality in 2025, and protecting Singaporeans from scams as much as possible.

7. What advice do you have for public sector innovators? 

Don’t assume change is impossible in the public sector—there are champions in every agency who are ready to support innovation.

My advice is to start small: focus on a specific problem and solve it well to build trust and demonstrate that change is achievable.

Avoid trying to tackle everything at once, as this can lead to burnout and reinforce doubts about innovation.

Find your champions, stay clear on your vision, and keep knocking down doors until they open. Progress may be slow, but with dedication and focus, the results will come.

8. Who inspires you today? 

My mum is my biggest inspiration. She’s been through so much—raising four kids on her own after my dad passed away when I was just five.

She was a housewife when it happened, but she didn’t hesitate to go out and find a job to take care of us. It wasn’t easy, but her resilience is something I deeply admire.

She taught me that resilience is something you can build, even if you’re not born with it, and it’s crucial no matter where you work—especially in the public sector when there’s a lot of red tape.

I aspire to have that same strength—to keep pushing forward, even when things get tough.

This feature was made possible in partnership with Open Government Products (OGP).