The media reported that the chief executive of NTUC LearningHub, BG (NS) Kwek Kok Kwong, died on Saturday (14 Nov) at the age of 53. He collapsed after a cycling session with a group of friends and could not be resuscitated.
The media said that BG Kwek was with the Singapore Armed Forces from 1990 to 2012. He rose to the rank of brigadier-general in 2009 and oversaw operations in RSAF.
After retiring from SAF, BG Kwek then joined NTUC. He was the deputy chief executive of NTUC First Campus between 2012 and 2015, before becoming the CEO of NTUC LearningHub.
“During his nearly eight years with NTUC LearningHub, Kok Kwong was an inspirational CEO who was unwavering in his dedication to serving the training needs of our workers and helping them in their lifelong learning journeys,” a spokesman for NTUC LearningHub said.
Since 2016, he also held the role of chairman at the Singapore National Co-operative Federation.
BG Kwek went to Cambridge University and later obtained his Master in Public Administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. However, for unknown reasons, he didn’t join politics or the civil service after his stint at the SAF. He went to NTUC instead.
In an interview last year, he said that it was a defining moment when he did a career switch from the SAF to NTUC LearningHub. “I had to adapt to the corporate workplace and adjust my thought process and leadership style,” he said.
Upskilling workers
On NTUC LearningHub website, it said that NTUC LearningHub was established to “provide engaging, meaningful, and convenient training opportunities for Singapore’s workforce”.
In this regard, BG Kwek said in a press release last year, “In a world of rapid change, workers need to learn regularly – even daily – in order to keep up. This means that knowledge creation must be equally rapid.”
“We will continue to grow our web of knowledge partners to democratize new technologies and knowledge for our workers so that they can become Worker 4.0 in support of Industry 4.0,” he added.
It’s a pity that BG Kwek passed away before he could help transform Singaporean workers to become “Worker 4.0”.