Xponents take home National Day Awards

Summary

• Eight Xponents received the Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award (Individual) for their contributions to strengthening Home Team capabilities.
• Award recipients shared how their work, from sustaining critical operational systems to ensuring marine fleet readiness, supports frontline officers behind the scenes.
• They also credited their colleagues, mentors and teams for their achievements, emphasising the importance of collaboration and continuous learning.
• HTX's XPLORE (Human Performance ModeLling and SimulatiOn REsearch Facility) received the Minister's National Day Team Award for advancing human performance, resilience and human-AI collaboration to enhance public safety.

In recognition of their outstanding contributions to enhancing Home Team operations, 23 Xponents received the Minister for Home Affairs National Day Awards (MNDA) during the Home Team National Day Observance Ceremony on 29 July 2026.

Eight of them received the individual award while 15 Xponents from the Human Factors and Simulation Centre of Expertise (HFS COE) received the team award for their efforts on HTX’s XPLORE.

Before the ceremony, Foong Kah Yam, Deputy Director, Corrections Ops Systems, pointed out that while she is honoured and grateful to receive the individual award, this recognition would not have been possible without her colleagues. 

“I have been fortunate to work alongside dedicated colleagues and supportive leaders whose professionalism, resilience and commitment have made our collective success possible,” she said.

Kah Yam, who also holds the position of Senior Deputy Director, Cluster Ops Systems, leads projects focused on enhancing the delivery and sustainment of critical ICT systems used by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS), Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG). These projects involve enhancing investigation platforms, modernising prison security systems and expanding video court capabilities that allow court hearings to be conducted remotely.

When quizzed about the “secret behind her success”, Kah Yam said that she believes in lifelong learning and never resting on her laurels.

“I believe it is important to keep learning and adapting rather than becoming comfortable with the way things have always been done,” she said. 

“I believe that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.”

Another individual award winner was Ahalid, who leads a Marine Systems team in conducting maintenance and quality assurance work for marine vessels, thus strengthening the Home Team’s ability to respond effectively to incidents and safeguard Singapore’s waters.

When asked about the most rewarding aspect of his career, he noted that he derives great satisfaction from building a strong engineering team that consistently delivers for the Home Team. 

“Seeing team members grow into capable professionals and taking up leadership roles has been the most rewarding aspect of my career. I am proud that our collective efforts have strengthened marine fleet readiness, enabling frontline officers to carry out their duties with confidence,” he said.

He also credited his team, mentors, colleagues and industry partners for the award. 

“This award motivates me to continue contributing to HTX and the Home Team, while mentoring the next generation of engineers who will eventually take our capabilities further.”

Here are all the Xponents who picked up the individual award:

1. Foong Kah Yam, Deputy Director, Corrections Ops Systems, concurrently Senior Deputy Director, Cluster Ops Systems
2. Mok Chiew Kai, Senior Principal Specialist, Building & Infrastructure
3. Tan Teck Huat, Deputy Director, Digital Experience Platform, xCloud EG
4. Abdul Ahalid Bin Hasmuni, Deputy Director, Marine Systems, Platform Systems
5. Tan Sock Koon Geraldine, Deputy Director, Sustainment Transformation and Risk Management Office
6. Ng Peck Yu Verlin, Deputy Director, Identity Management, Immigration and Checkpoints
7. Yak Shu Herng Maxmillian, Deputy Director, CoE Hub
8. Melene Chan Mei Lin, Deputy Director, Standards and Architecture Office, PMG Nexus

But HTX went home with more than just the individual awards. One of the agency’s newest labs, XPLORE, also won the Minister’s National Day Team Award for their work in advancing human performance, resilience and human-AI collaboration for public safety.

The world’s first human factors and simulation research facility for public safety, XPLORE was officially opened on 7 November 2025. The state-of-the-art facility by HTX’s HFS COE comprises seven specialised labs, each focusing on a different area of human modelling and simulation.

The following Xponents received the team award for their work in bringing XPLORE to life:

1. Saravana Kumarasamy
2. Ying Meng Fai
3. Terence Teng
4. Derek Chong
5. Leow Khim Han
6. Shawn Lee Yu Xian
7. Adrian Oh
8. Deng Rensheng
9. Lloyd Jacob Ng
10. Jennifer Ang
11. Ng Jinh Hao
12. Seng Kok Yong
13. Jian Yan Ng
14. Juliana Koh
15. Xueyi Yong