CEO Insights Magazine

When we work together to improve education, employment, income, and family and social support—the social and economic factors that influence our communities—we can create healthier communities where everyone can thrive and have a voice in the process of economic and social development. With a similar mindset, Thambyrajah T spent three decades in the field of education and has contributed to the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) since 2001, leading initiatives for the betterment of the Indian community in Singapore. Currently, he is the COO of the organization and is helping raise the academic performance of Indian students and youth through academic support, mentorship as well as holistic support of students and their families.

Thambyrajah began his career at the German Singapore Institute, before becoming a lecturer at NYP’s School of Engineering in 1993. Since then, he has held various management appointments at NYP’s Schools of Information Technology and Engineering, and as Registrar of the Polytechnic. Throughout his career, he has contributed exceptionally to various projects in the manufacturing and healthcare sectors, including the development of technology capabilities and business process software.

Alongside his role at SINDA, he is an active part of the boards and panels of the ministries and is also a District Councillor. Social upliftment through education has always been a top priority for Thambyrajah and through his associations, he empowers the country’s youth with modern and innovative solutions. Let’s hear it from him.

How has SINDA been maintaining its mark as a self-help group uplifting the socio-economic status of the Indian community in Singapore since its inception?

The Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) was established in 1991 to uplift the socio-economic status of the Indian community in Singapore whose primary focus has been on education. But with time we realized that just providing academic support is not enough. We need to address the holistic needs of the students and issues related to their families and financial assistance. SINDA today aims to raise the academic performance of Indian students and youth through tuition support, enrichment, and motivation. SINDA also offers a wide range of services to support parents and help families in need. Ever since my association with SINDA, I have worked with my team to successfully introduce multiple mentoring, aspirational, and leadership programs for our students. We at SINDA also strongly believe in equal opportunities for women, hence, we invite successful women leaders to motivate young professionals who aim for leadership positions in their professional careers through our Let Her Shine Women’s Leadership Mentoring Programme.

As the COO, what are the factors you take into account when shaping SINDA’s policies?

My focus has been to pay specific attention to the journey of SINDA’s beneficiaries. I want every colleague to take a very beneficiary-centric approach and deliver customised and curated support to the student and their families. As a leader, my constant focus is to build my team by holding regular conversations with them where we discuss their operational needs and at the same time, empower them through coaching so that they are able to meet the end result successfully.

How do you keep track of the company’s progress? Are there any methods you use for the same?

An organization, to be able to run smoothly, must have the right strategies and the leaders of the organization must know how to translate those strategies into short-term and mid-term growth plans. I believe the key is unpacking what one needs to do to executable work plans with measurable outcomes and smart goals, and constantly keeping track of the evolving scenarios to be agile in responding when something changes in the landscape and making sure the plans adapt to these changes. We learned that as much as it is important to adapt to the changes and measure our outcomes, it is also important to be innovative in our approach even in the social sector. This was surfaced when SINDA embarked on an organizational development exercise that was sponsored by the National Council of Services. So, we got our staff trained in design thinking and today we are using an innovative approach to look at issues, roll out new approaches, and scale them.

How do you foster growth opportunities for improvement on the same?

I do believe that growth is very important for our staff both for the benefit of the organisation as well as the individual. We need to accept the fact that when our staff grow out of their roles, it is all right for them to seek other opportunities in the sector if the organisation does not have a suitable position as they will still be a part of the bigger mission of uplifting the community. I encourage myself to stay connected with those staff who do not work with me anymore and explore possibilities of collaborating with them for greater community purpose. At SINDA, we look at working together with the entire community to deliver the promise of empowering, inspiring, and nourishing every child in need.

Thambyrajah T, COO, SINDA

Having a Master of Technology in Software Engineering and an Apex Master of Business Administration, both from the National University of Singapore and a degree from Nanyang Technological University in Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Thambyrajah is leveraging three decades of professional experience in the field of education to build an equitable future for all.