Singapore Maritime Foundation Launches “Own Your Future” Creative Campaign to Draw Talent and Update Industry Brand

May 9, 2022

Fronted by five real-life maritime professionals, the digital campaign features a fresh take on maritime jobs to educate and excite Singaporeans about careers in maritime

Singapore, 9 May 2022 — Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) today announced the launch of a brand-new talent attraction and industry branding campaign, “Own Your Future”. An immersive digital campaign, “Own Your Future” showcases an industry that is purposeful, exciting, and one that is on the cusp of transformation catalysed by technology and sustainability.

The campaign refreshes the industry’s talent attraction and branding efforts by raising awareness of the myriad of purposeful and exciting careers in the maritime sector. Inspired by real-life maritime professionals, the campaign seeks to attract fresh graduates and mid-careerists of all backgrounds to the sector, which is an integral pillar of the global logistics and supply chain, and an enabler of world trade.

“Singapore is a maritime nation. Our maritime heritage dates back 700 years, and today we compete at the top of the league. However, not many Singaporeans are aware of the purposeful and diverse careers in the sector. Much of the activities — automation at the port, harnessing data analytics on board ships, or embracing more sustainable business practices — are ‘invisible’ to the public. Yet, without talent, there can be no transformation,” said Ms. Tan Beng Tee, Executive Director, Singapore Maritime Foundation.

“Through this campaign and with the support of the maritime industry, SMF seeks to elevate the sector’s standing as a source of meaningful and diverse careers, where Singaporeans can make an impact in the world, through frontier domains such as technology, sustainability, and decarbonisation,” continued Ms. Tan.

“Own Your Future” is fronted by five real-life professionals in the maritime sector — data scientist, crew executive, ship financier, asset management executive and shipping lawyer. Using creative techniques such as cel-shading art commonly seen in popular culture, the campaign transforms these real-life professionals from different parts of the maritime ecosystem into action characters.

Central to the campaign is the “Own Your Future” Career Purpose Quiz — a fun, interactive quiz that users can take to learn more about the different jobs in the sector.  The quiz also matches users to roles they could potentially consider, based on responses to questions that delve into personality traits, talents, and career purpose. Apart from the quiz, Own Your Future also engages Singaporeans through storytelling across rich media platforms such as videos and comics.

For more information, visit ownyourfuture.sg or visit the social media platforms of SMF and Maritime Singapore Connect (MSC).

For more information on talents featured in the Own Your Future campaign, please refer to Annex A.

About the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF)

Established in 2004, the Singapore Maritime Foundation is a conduit between the public and private sectors to accomplish the twin mission of developing and promoting Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC); and to attract, engage and grow a talent pipeline to position Maritime Singapore for continued growth. For details, visit http://www.smf.com.sg

The Maritime Singapore Connect (MSC) Office operates Singapore’s only dedicated maritime career portal at www.maritimesgconnect.com

For more information, visit

SMF’s LinkedIn

MSC’s Facebook

MSC’s Instagram

MSC’s LinkedIn

Media Contacts

David Lee
davidlee@sgmf.com.sg
+65 9119 8044

Angelene Yong
angeleneyong@sgmf.com.sg
+65 8299 2330

Redzuan Samad/Jamie Tan

smf@archetype.co

+65 9183 9477 / +65 9488 0992

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Over 129 tertiary students across 35 teams took part in the inaugural MSC Maritime Digital Challenge that seeks to plug Singapore students with a passion for technology into the maritime industry.
Students from the Singapore Management University and Nanyang Polytechnic were announced as winners of the challenges posed by Eastport Maritime, Kanda and Torvald Klaveness at the Prize Presentation held on 13 November 2021.

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Three challenge statements, 35 teams, 129 students and 12 finalist teams from 4 universities & 3 polytechnics. Catch behind-the-scene highlights of the MSC Maritime Digital Challenge 2021.

Singapore Maritime Foundation | MSC Maritime Digital Challenge 2021

Catch highlights of the MSC Maritime Digital Challenge 2021. We thank Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport Mr. Chee Hong Tat for being our Guest-of-Honour at the event.

SMF New Year Conversations 2022: Year-in-Perspective Video

The past two years of learning to live with Covid-19 has been challenging, but Maritime Singapore has remained resilient. What are the fundamental tenets that attract companies to anchor their business in Singapore and grow their operations here? And what more can be done to leverage on Singapore’s strengths to enhance its attractiveness as a global business hub for maritime companies? How will the Singapore Maritime Foundation organize its work around Connectivity, Innovation and Talent to strengthen the maritime ecosystem? Find out in this Year-in-Perspective video.

SMF New Year Conversations 2022: Opportunities Amid Disruptions

The 2022 SMF New Year Conversations that took place on 13 January 2022 was graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr S Iswaran, Minister for Transport & Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations. Over 250 industry leaders across the breadth of maritime attended physically and virtually.
Singapore was announced to have secured the overall top spot as an international maritime centre for the fifth consecutive time in the DNV-Menon Leading Maritime Cities 2022 report.
Thank you to our industry partners for your strong support.

Mr. Lars Kastrup

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL LINES

Mr. Lars Kastrup is the Chief Executive Officer of Pacific International Lines (Pte) Ltd (PIL).

Prior to joining PIL, Mr. Kastrup was CEO of NOL/APL, and subsequently assumed the role of Executive Vice President, Strategy and M&A at CMA CGM Group. A veteran in the global shipping industry with over 30 years of experience, Mr Kastrup’s other roles include Executive Vice President of Assets at CMA CGM Group heading up CMA Terminals, CMA Ships, Container Logistics as well as regional carriers such as MacAndrews, OPDR and Mercosul; as well as Vice President at AP Moller-Maersk.
Mr. Kastrup complemented his tertiary education with leadership and management training at Penn State University and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ms. Angeline Teo

MANAGING DIRECTOR & HEAD, GLOBAL TRANSPORTATION & OFFSHORE, OCBC BANK

Ms. Angeline Teo is the Managing Director and Head of Global Transportation and Offshore, Global Corporate Banking at OCBC Bank which focuses on the maritime, aviation, land & port ecosystems.
Ms. Teo has spent over three decades in maritime finance. Prior to OCBC, Ms. Teo was working at ING Bank, ABN Amro and DnB in Singapore focusing on maritime and offshore.
Ms. Teo graduated from the National University of Singapore with a degree in Business Administration.

Mr. John Martin

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, GARD SINGAPORE

Mr. John Martin began his career in London in 1989 with Richards Hogg Lindley Average Adjusters, and qualified as a Fellow of the UK Association of Average Adjusters in 2000.
At RHL he worked in their offices in Australia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 2003 he joined Gard Hong Kong, as a claims handler. Mr. Martin also worked in Gard Japan, and in 2014 he moved to Singapore to set up the Gard Singapore office.
Besides running Gard Singapore, Mr. Martin also heads the P&I and H&M claims units and is the Senior Claims Representative for Gard in Asia.

Mr. Cyril Ducau

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, EASTERN PACIFIC SHIPPING

Mr. Cyril Ducau is the Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte Ltd, a leading shipping company headquartered in Singapore for the past 30 years.

He is also currently the Chairman of Kenon Holdings Ltd and a member of the board of directors of Gard P&I (Bermuda) Ltd. and of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation Limited, which was established by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. He was previously Head of Business Development of Quantum Pacific Advisory Limited in London from 2008 to 2012 and acted as Director and Chairman of Pacific Drilling SA between 2011 and 2018.
Prior to joining Quantum Pacific Advisory Limited, Mr. Ducau was Vice President in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co. International Ltd. in London between 2000 and 2008.
Mr. Ducau graduated from ESCP Europe Business School (Paris, Oxford, Berlin) and holds a Master of Science in business administration and a Diplom Kaufmann.