1. Featured Alumni
Many of our alumni have gone on to rewarding careers. We feature some of
our alumni to share their career highlights which show how our Science
Transformative Education has opened unlimited opportunities.
This month, the focus is on Clean Technology (Cleantech).
With issues such as climate change, depleting natural resources and rapid
urbanisation, cities and companies are increasingly embracing sustainable
development and green growth. Today, Singapore is recognised as a
leading Cleantech hub in Asia. This high-growth sector, which includes
clean energy, water and the environment, generated 18,000 jobs in
2015. This exciting sector promises both challenges and rewards for our
Science graduates today. There are jobs in research and development
(R&D), sales and marketing, supply chain management, product
development and system integration in areas like smart grids, solar energy,
green buildings, energy efficiency, water treatment, waste management and
pollution control.
Our featured alumni this month reflect the versatility and adaptability of the
NUS Science alumnus. Many started their careers in traditional industry
sectors and jobs, but through foresight and an appetite for new challenges,
have recognised and embraced Cleantech as the brave new world of growth
and development for their careers.
Page 1 of 5Featured Alumni Careers
12/04/16http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/alumni/featured-alumni-careers

2. Dr. Richard Seow Swee How
BSc Chemistry, 1991
PhD Chemistry, 1999
Chief Technology Officer, Nipsea Group (a Nippon Paint company)
As Chief Technology Officer for Nipsea Group (a Nippon Paint company), Dr. Seow
oversees Research and Development, market innovations and technology
investments. Nippon Paint is one of the largest coatings companies in the world
and the largest in Asia Pacific. “Green Building” and clean technology is one of the
most priority key initiatives for the Nippon Paint company.
He offers visionary leadership on clean technology initiative, as well as innovations
on integrated coating system for “Green Buildings” which are more energy-efficient
and to have better indoor air quality. He also initiates and leads R&D collaboration
with prominent universities and research institutes in key markets including China
and Singapore, guiding technological implementations in various product
developments. He has been invited to speak at the recent “International Urban
Sustainability & Green Building Conference 2016” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Dr. Seow is also a Director for Elion House, a Singapore regulated Asian-centric
private investment manager committed to investing in clean technology innovators
and companies, where he brings extensive experience in Technology Due
Diligence. This organization identifies and support companies by making prudent
Page 2 of 5Featured Alumni Careers
12/04/16http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/alumni/featured-alumni-careers

3. investments in clean technology, providing growth capital, technology and
expertise. The “cleantech-enabled” sectors of interest include renewable energy,
energy generation-storage-efficiency, water and waste treatment, transportation
and agriculture.
After obtained his PhD from NUS (“conductive polymers”), he started his R&D
career with several multinational companies in the chemical industry including
Eastman Chemical, Milliken & Co. and Rhodia (Solvay). His industrial experience
spans across a variety of market segments including personal care & cosmetics,
engineering plastics, oil & gas, agriculture and packaging. Although his career is
primarily R&D focus, his experience stretches beyond technology and science to
regional appointments in Human Resources, Business Management and Supply
Chain. It is the broad spectrum of industrial exposure that prepares him for his
current roles which demand coexistence of convergent and divergent thinking. He
credits his career success to his undergraduate life in Sheares Hall, where student
life was multi-disciplinary and never monotonous, living and interacting with fellow
students from Medicine, Engineering, Architecture, Arts, Social Sciences, Business,
Law and Computer Science etc. Such intellectual and social interaction, day and
night, has nourished his capabilities in cross-fertilization of ideas, especially for
"Green Building" innovations and clean technology projects“.
You can connect to Dr. Seow on LinkedIn.com/in/richardshseow
“I pretty much stumbled into this profession. There was nothing sexy about it 20
years ago. It just seemed the right thing to do to apply my mathematical and
logical skills to improve business outcomes. With a rapidly evolving knowledge
economy, mastery of the underlying skills of logic and critical thinking will become
a basic requirement. But don’t be too concerned about the science of data, it will
evolve as machines evolve. Instead, be concerned with the science … and art ... of
problem-solving as that is what will differentiate your value."
Page 3 of 5Featured Alumni Careers
12/04/16http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/alumni/featured-alumni-careers

4. Sanjay C Kuttan
B.Sc. (Hons) Biochemistry, 1988
Director and Country Manager, Clean Technology Centre
GNV GL Technology Centre
Sanjay has held various in both private and public sectors of the Cleantech industry since
1994. In the private sector, he took on responsibilities in line management, business
development and consulting where he established his expertise in the oil and gas sector
covering refining operational improvements, fuels and lubes retail strategy and corporate
performance culture transformation. In the public sector, he was a past Director of Industry
Development at the Energy Market Authority (EMA), a Statutory Board under the Ministry of
Trade and Industry, where he took on key roles in clean technology projects embarked by the
Authority - Intelligent Energy System Pilot (aka Smart Grid), the Electric Vehicle Test bed and
the Pulau Ubin Renewable energy project. He represented EMA at the Energy Efficiency
Program Office and the Clean Energy Program Office both of which are the key inter-
governmental agency platforms for clean energy in Singapore. He was also supporting the
Ministry of National Development on a number of working groups e.g., Punggol Eco Town,
Sustainable Urban Living.
At DNVGL Clean Technology Centre, he is responsible to establish the centre as a highly
trusted and competent technical advisor for both the renewable and the power system sector in
Asia Pacific. Over the last 5 years he has built together with his leadership team, an
organisation that delivers value to their clients and is ready to ride the growth wave of
renewable energy in the region.
His expertise in the cleantech industry is renowned; apart from numerous speaking
engagements he is also currently council member of the Sustainable Energy Association of
Singapore and was on the council of the Singapore Chapter for the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development until 2015. He also continues to serve as an advisor to Ngee Ann
Polytechnic school of Electrical and Electronic Engineering since 2009. He is also currently on
the board of advisors for IPEx Cleantech Asia Pte. Ltd., a market place operator supported by
the Asian Development Bank to accelerate the deployment of low carbon technologies in
developing Asia.
“
Page 4 of 5Featured Alumni Careers
12/04/16http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/alumni/featured-alumni-careers

5. "The agreements made during COP21 in Paris last year, as created significant optimism in the
industry that the governments of countries in the Asia Pacific will establish more aggressive
policies that will promote the deployment of renewable energy and low carbon technologies in
the near future. Therefore, there is definitely an upward trend, the uncertainty lies in the pace
and size of the commitments governments will make with regards to the deployment of
renewable and low carbon technologies in their respective countries. The shortage of
experienced competencies in the region will be a key limiting factor to realising the vision and
goals within the set timeframe."
”
Page 5 of 5Featured Alumni Careers
12/04/16http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/alumni/featured-alumni-careers