Reimagining Social Services

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Reimagining Social Services

10 May 2021

Beatrice Teo Shu Mei
Director/Principal Speech Therapist
Amazing Speech Therapist Pte Ltd (Social Enterprise)

If you want to go quickly, then go alone. But if you want to go far, then go together. As a Speech Therapist, participating in the NCSS 40-Under-40 was truly a pleasure and a privilege, as I worked with like-minded young leaders who are shaping the future of Singapore’s social service sector.

While I learned a lot about the current trends and topics regarding social services in Singapore, my greatest take away from the NCSS 40-Under-40 came about as I got to engage with prominent figures like President Halimah Yacob, Minister Desmond Lee, Minister Tan Chuan-Jin and the CEO of DBS Bank, Mr Piyush Gupta, to name a few. Many of Mr Gupta's innovative ideas and truly insightful personal anecdotes resonated with me.

NCSS also collaborated with DBS to provide Capability Mentorship for the young leaders. I had the chance for a 1-1 mentoring session with Mr Bidyut Dumra (Head of Innovation, DBS). I was inspired by our conversation. As I spoke with Bidyut, I told him about my company, “Amazing Speech Therapy” and how we help people by providing them with effective speech therapy services that greatly enhance their quality of life.

Straight to the point he asked me, “How many people do you want to help?” To which I replied, “Around 5,000 people” and, to be honest, what came after that were words of wisdom that I would never forget. He said, “You either go big, or you go home, and if you want to help 5,000 people, then you might as well go home. You should be aiming to help 500,000 people.” He was right. If I wanted to make an impact and provide quality care to more people around the world, I had to apply different strategies and new ways of thinking.

Prior to participating in NCSS 40-Under-40, my company offered face-to-face therapy sessions and online therapy sessions via our digital platform “TeleHope” that allows clients to connect to speech therapists anywhere in the world. However, through NCSS 40-Under-40, it has taught me to think beyond conventional limitations. Hence, with inspiration from Bidyut, Amazing Speech Therapy has started using artificial intelligence to screen clients, estimate diagnosis, provide treatment plans, and offer our local and global clients a platform that makes speech therapy more accessible and affordable.

NCSS 40-Under-40 has truly given me an experience and I now seek to reimagine how social services like speech therapy can be implemented, and have the confidence to innovate and push boundaries. The learning has enlightened me with a new perspective regarding my profession and how I can add value to the world. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this one-of-a-kind programme that inspires young leaders to go far as we grow together.