Major Hazards Symposium 2023

Mr. Bernard Nee is Deputy President (Industry & Community), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). He assumed the role on 1 April 2023 after being appointed Vice President (Industry & Community) on 1 Jan 2022. The group is responsible for industry and future sensing, corporate communications, as well as collaborations with companies and agencies for applied learning and research. Bernard actively engages companies, trade associations, government agencies and various interest groups to advance SIT’s mission and vision.

He brings along deep experience garnered from previous leadership roles at the Economic Development Board (EDB), National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Energy Market Authority (EMA). As the Deputy Chief Executive of EMA (2012-2021), he managed over $200 million in energy R&D funding, and forged partnerships with PSA Singapore, Sembcorp Industries, Keppel Offshore & Marine, SP Group and Shell to nurture the energy ecosystem. His team launched the Energy Story (a national blueprint enabling Singapore’s energy transformation), introduced regulatory sandboxes, nurtured a competitive industry workforce and pushed Singapore’s solar and energy storage ambitions. His portfolio also included oversight of EMA’s corporate functions.

Prior to 2012, he was with EDB for 18 years, where he assumed senior management roles as Executive Director in charge of Natural Resources, Strategic and Corporate Planning, as well as the Chief Information Officer. He seeded a team to incubate high-growth clusters that could contribute $1 billion to Singapore’s GDP within 10 years. In 2005, he was seconded to the NRF as the pioneering Director to establish policies, processes, and systems to manage the $5 billion RIE2010 budget.

A recipient of the EDB scholarship, Bernard possesses a Masters in Management of Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and graduated with an MSc and BSc (with University Honours) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Lim Kok Hwa is an Associate Professor and Director, Professional Officers Division (POD) at Singapore Institute of Technology. Over the past decade, he has taught a variety of courses, including Industrial Chemical Processes, and Industrial Chemical and Biological Plant Safety. He is also experienced in emergency/contingency planning, and is involved in many committees dealing with safety matters and safety reviews. He received a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Computational Science and Chemistry, and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Singapore. He later obtained his doctoral degree from the Technische Universität München (TUM) in Germany.

As a certified and experienced emergency operation commander, crisis-emergency planner, fire-explosion investigator, and business continuity practitioner, Dr. Ivan comes with more than 28 years of experience with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Actively involved with professional organisations such as the Society of Loss Prevention for Process Industries (SLP), Institution of Fire Engineers, Singapore (IFES), Fire Safety Manager’s Association, Singapore (FSMAS), Association of Company Emergency Response Teams, Singapore (A-CERTS), and Enterprise Singapore Standard and Technical Committees.

His area of interest is enterprise resilience and preparedness, focusing on infrastructural and operational risks, workplace safety, and fire safety. Additionally, he specialises in crisis management, emergency preparedness, response capability development, and security measures for premises and disaster scenes. His expertise extends to areas such as fire rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, incident investigations, business continuity, and disaster recovery.

He is currently an Associate Professor in the department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and programme chair for the Master of Science Degree in Safety, Health, and Environmental Technology at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Mr. Arunachalam is a specialist with the Major Hazards Department (MHD), within the Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHD), Ministry of Manpower. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He has more than 5 years of experience in the MHI industry and has worked closely with safety case practitioners, safety professionals, and other regulators such as NEA and SCDF. He also develops and implements MHD’s programmes and activities in safety case assessments, investigates process-related incidents, and promotes best practises, with the aim of preventing major accidents in the MHI industry and protecting the safety and health of the workforce and the community.

Mr. ChongSeng (CS) is the President of Society of Loss Prevention, Singapore. Presently, CS is working with Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and his experience spans both the industry and applied learning. Prior to joining SIT, CS worked for Pfizer Asia Manufacturing, Motorola Inc., Chartered Semiconductor, Hewlett-Packard Electronics, Phillips Petroleum Chemicals, GATX Terminals, and Mobil Oil Refinery. CS received the Master of Science in Environmental Management from National University of Singapore, the BTech from University of Deakin University, Australia, and the BBA from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. CS is a registered Lead EMS Auditor (IEMA UK), WSHO (MOM), FSM (SCDF), and a certified WSQ trainer.

Mr. Juan Badathuruge Sadun Lakruwan is a dedicated safety professional with over nine years of experience in the field. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Nanyang Technological University and obtained his Master of Science in Safety, Health, and Environmental Technology from National University of Singapore.

He started his professional journey in occupational health and safety and transitioned into specialising in process safety. Presently, he is practising as a process safety professional in the pharmaceutical industry.

Mr. Rithaudin is a Workplace Safety and Health Practitioner with over 20 years of experience in managing safety and health risks at petrochemical facilities, pharmaceutical production sites, and research facilities. He has experience in the safe commissioning, start-up, and operation of a Mono-Ethylene Glycol plant and a pharmaceutical pilot plant.

He was a member of the working group in the development of Singapore Standards SS 506; Part 3 (2006) and SS 603 (2021). He currently leads a team of safety and health professionals, supporting over 100 teaching and research laboratories at the Singapore Institute of Technology.