After an illustrious career as Singapore’s top shuttler, Mr Derek Wong, has now set his sights on carving out a unique niche in the corporate world. As Engagement Manager with the NUS Office of Human Resources (OHR) team, the two-time Olympian is leveraging his interests and experiences in sports and community engagement to foster greater cohesion among staff at NUS.
A passion transcending generations
Growing up in a badminton-loving family, Mr Wong spent most of his childhood at the former Singapore Badminton Hall on Guillemard Road where his parents owned a badminton shop. It is also where he first picked up a racquet at age five and found his rhythm and passion for the sport.
Mr Wong is the second-born in a family of four boys. His youngest brother also played badminton, representing Singapore in doubles tournaments.
“When I was growing up, not many parents could accept their children playing sports professionally. But my parents recognised early on that my younger brother, and I had an interest and talent for badminton,” said Mr Wong of his parents who are both former national badminton champions, and whose encouragement propelled him to success.
Starting in his teens, Mr Wong's eight-year professional badminton career was studded with moments of triumph both locally and on the world stage. A standout moment was when he defeated Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat, a former Olympic champion, in the second round of the 2011 World Championships to earn a place in the third round against Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark. "Representing Singapore was always my dream. It was the driving force behind every smash, every dive," he said.
(Photo on the left) A career-defining moment for Mr Wong was when he won the game against Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat, a former Olympic champion, during the 2011 World Championships; (photo on the right) Mr Wong clinched the silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games for the men's singles event.
The intertwining of badminton with Mr Wong’s life was further reinforced when he married fellow former national shuttler Vanessa Neo. The pair have a daughter, aged five, and a son, aged three. Though officially retired as professional players, badminton remains a fond family pastime for their young family.
Mr Wong passing on the game to his five-year-old daughter - reminiscent of when he first started playing at her age.
“We have already started sharing our love for the game with our daughter. But we will leave it up to our kids to choose their own path in life. Our son has also picked up the racquet and has quite a strong swing,” said Mr Wong with a glimmer of pride.
A new arena to showcase his talents
The transition into the corporate world in 2016 was one that Mr Wong took in his stride. Starting out as an auditor at one of the Big Four, he pivoted to a business development role in the same company when his daughter was born – a choice that allowed him more time to devote to his role as a new father.
In 2023, he embarked on a new chapter joining the Administration, Planning and Policy Department at NUS OHR. Here, a key focus of his role is on staff engagement, a function that has become increasingly critical in a climate where Singapore ranks the lowest in workplace engagement amongst Southeast Asian countries, with only 13 per cent saying they are engaged, according to the State of the Global Workplace report published by Gallup.
“At NUS, we are taking a multi-pronged approach to foster an environment where people come to work with purpose. On my part, I’m working to create opportunities for staff to break down work silos and come together in meaningful ways, engage with colleagues across the University and shine in areas beyond their daily work,” said Mr Wong.
Part of Mr Wong’s role is also to improve on diversity and inclusion practices for staff at the University. “We are currently taking stock of what has been done and identifying areas where we can make an impact,” said Mr Wong. “In the coming years, we will work on initiatives to better integrate and support persons with disabilities and new mothers within our workforce. These were priority areas identified during a staff engagement survey,” he said.
For Mr Wong, who has a knack for connecting with people, this role seems to fit like a glove. “My work has me connecting with a wide variety of people from across the University, as well as externally, to pull together expertise, talents and interests to develop initiatives to engage staff as well as the wider community,” he said.
One of the more recent projects he is proud of was the Build-a-Bike community project where he and his teammates rallied together 125 OHR staff to build 25 bicycles for children at Muhammadiyah Welfare Home and Yayasan MENDAKI. “It was an incredibly meaningful event that took place in conjunction with the NUS People’s Fest 2024. We were also glad to have Eurokars join us and support us in transporting the bikes to the beneficiaries.”
A quest for the STARS
Since joining NUS, Mr Wong has also assumed the role of Chairperson for the NUS STARS (Staff Talent in Athletics and Recreational Sports) committee, which aims to promote a competitive sporting spirit among staff through a series of annual sporting events.
“I took on similar roles in my last workplace as well as when I played badminton professionally, so a lot of the experiences and learning from then can be applied here,” said Mr Wong, who works with the committee members on the organisation, marketing and logistics of the events.
The STARS events have proven to be a great way for staff across NUS to intermingle in a fun setting. “Our goal for this year is to establish eight sports as part of an annual calendar, which includes darts, bowling, 9-ball pool, running, basketball, futsal, dash arena and badminton of course!” he said. The team also hopes to encourage more departments to send teams to participate in these events.
More than 130 runners braved the rain to participate in the 2024 NUS STARS Run that was held on 29 June 2024.
Mr Wong (left) getting ready to flag off the runners.
The organising team including Mr Wong (in the orange vest) pause for a quick photo during the 2024 running event.
Reflecting on his work here, Mr Wong says that a lot of what he does is to understand the ground and create platforms for interactions to occur. His background in business development, coupled with skills and networks acquired through the various roles he held at the Singapore Badminton Association and Singapore National Olympic Council have proven to be highly useful in driving results.
Starting new initiatives from the ground up can sometimes be challenging, but Mr Wong tackles them head-on with the same determination that fuelled his badminton conquests. “I grew up watching my seniors in the national badminton team train hard to achieve the results they did. When things didn’t go the way they hoped, I watched how they picked themselves up, persevered and pushed through. These lessons inspired me throughout my badminton career and continue to help me stay driven to achieve my goals today,” he said.
It is clear that badminton has had a profound impact on every aspect of Mr Wong’s life and shaped the person he is today. If it wasn’t for his aptitude for the game, he jokes that he would have had a successful career as a pop star, alongside his childhood friend, Singaporean singer, songwriter, television host and businessman, Kenny Khoo. But are his vocal cords as strong as his racquet swing? You can be the judge of that!
For more information on the NUS STARS upcoming events, please visit their microsite at: https://nus-ohr.my.canva.site/nus-stars