Page 43 - Scholarship Guide Aug 2019

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DEFENCE MERIT

SCHOLARSHIP

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

Kimberley is hyped by a personal set of 5 Cs in diplomacy is the cornerstone of MINDEF’s Ng Hui Ying Kimberley
her work environs, namely: Challenges, defence policies. “In my current and future roles, 2012 Defence Merit Scholar
Creativity, Critical thinking, Curiosity and I hope to be able to contribute fresh
Change. Plus, her current role adds another C to perspectives while accumulating experience to Senior Manager (Comms Strategy)
MINDEF Communications Organisation
the mix – Communications. provide better insights in developing defence
policies,” she adds.
Bachelor of Arts in International Politics, King’s
As Senior Manager (Comms Strategy) in the
College London, UK
MINDEF Communications Organisation, Her message to aspiring scholars who may
Kimberley develops strategies that drive someday walk in her footsteps resonates with her
MINDEF’s communications approaches. “This own enduring enthusiasm to constantly
involves understanding public concerns and challenge herself. “To tackle future defence
public sentiment as well as how best MINDEF’s challenges, the next generation of MINDEF
messages can resonate with the public. Every scholars will have to bring a sense of curiosity and
day brings new challenges and opportunities as openness to new ideas to keep up with the
the media cycle moves rapidly, especially in the constantly evolving spectrum of threats and
age of social media,” she elaborates. issues that defence will face.
On the professional level, Kimberley’s “Be true to yourself and reflect deeply on what
advancement as a Defence Merit Scholar is you want out of your career,” Kimberley advises.
equally fast-paced. She has the opportunity to “There are many ways in which you can
rotate across different MINDEF departments to contribute to Singapore: evaluate where your
better understand the scope of MINDEF’s aptitude and interests will be best placed for you
policies, which equips her with a broader to do so. Once decided, go for it!”
perspective. Prior to her current appointment, she
served a stint in the Defence Cyber
Organisation, where she developed policies that
drive MINDEF’s engagement of cyber defence
partners.

She was also assigned a mentor who provided
career advice and, as an additional means of
exposure, given opportunities to embark on
projects beyond her regular job scope. “In
MINDEF, even junior officers are empowered to
work on key defence policies,” she says, alluding
to the opportunities that young scholars are
presented with during their careers.
Kimberley hopes to contribute in the area of
Defence Policy in the future as she feels that