Former DBS CEO Piyush Gupta appointed as 17th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore by IPS

SINGAPORE: Former DBS CEO Piyush Gupta has been appointed by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) as the 17th S R Nathan Fellow for the Study of Singapore.

From August to December 2025, the former DBS CEO will pursue research into the development of the city-state’s financial sector, looking at Singapore’s rise as a leading financial centre, examining tradeoffs between trust and innovation, as well as exploring the future of finance in the age of tokenisation and artificial intelligence (AI), IPS said on Friday (Aug 22).

Mr Gupta will deliver his three-series IPS-Nathan lectures on Oct 13, Nov 3, and Dec 8 at the National University of Singapore, which will be free and open to all. The lectures will later be compiled and published as a book.

Details of Mr Gupta’s lectures will be published on the IPS website in due course, IPS added.

Mr Gupta was chief executive and director of DBS from November 2009 until March this year. Currently, he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at Singapore Management University, chairman of the board of Mandai Park Holdings, and deputy chairman of the board of Keppel Limited.

The S R Nathan Fellowship was launched in 2013 at IPS’ 25th anniversary to honour Singapore’s sixth and longest-serving president, Mr Sellapan Ramanathan, for his contributions to public service. Backed by about S$5.9 million in donations and a government grant, the fellowship supports IPS’ mission to research and analyse policy issues and challenges, connect thought leaders, and share the institute’s work with the public.

Mr Gupta follows former Economic Development Board (EDB) chairman Philip Yeo, the 16th S R Nathan Fellow. Mr Yeo previously delivered three lectures between March and June this year, sharing his experience of overseeing Singapore’s economic growth. He was also an independent director of City Developments Limited and stepped down at the end of July, as reported by The Edge Singapore.

Other past S R Nathan Fellows include Banyan Tree Holdings founder and executive chairman Ho Kwon Ping, former Ambassador-at-Large Bilahari Kausikan, and former managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Ravi Menon. /TISG

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