Singapore Semiconductor Leadership Excellence (SSLE)

Mr. Russell Tham is Head of Emerging Technologies at Temasek, focused on investing globally in deep tech ventures grounded in STEM innovation. Prior to joining Temasek in 2020, Russell was President of New Enterprises and Ventures at ST Engineering.

Russell has over two decades of experience building and scaling new markets for Applied Materials, a Silicon Valley headquartered technology MNC, where he was President, Applied Materials Southeast Asia and concurrently held global corporate-level business development responsibilities for new markets. Russell oversaw the company’s Singapore infrastructure expansion into manufacturing, supply chain, R&D and product development for global markets.

In addition, Russell sits on multiple public and private boards, including as Chairman of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) Board.

Russell holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore.

Cher Whee Sim is the Vice President of People Strategy, Technology, and Asia Talent Acquisition at Micron Technology. In this enterprise-wide leadership role, she steers global transformation at the intersection of workforce strategy, AI-enabled productivity, and next-generation talent innovation. Reporting to Chief People Officer April Arnzen, Ms. Sim serves as a senior strategic advisor on how the company builds, deploys, and develops critical capabilities in an era defined by accelerated technological and organizational change.

With a portfolio spanning Global People Strategy and Talent Acquisition organization, Ms. Sim leads Micron’s most forward-looking workforce imperatives. She drives the Shape AI transformation, advances world-class talent systems, and designs future-fit workforce models that enhance organizational performance while elevating human potential. Her leadership influences enterprise decision-making on AI investment, capability building, and strategic talent architecture across Micron’s global footprint.

Ms. Sim is also a recognized champion of leadership development, culture, and diversity. She serves as Chair and Executive Sponsor of the Asia chapter of the Micron Women’s Leadership Network. Beyond Micron, she has contributed to national and industry-wide capability building as a board member at Singapore Polytechnics and as an advisor to multiple councils, including Eightfold.ai, Singapore’s Workforce Skills Qualifications, and the Singapore Semiconductor Leadership Accelerator Program. She is also a member of the Nanyang Technological University Career & Attachment Office Industry Advisory Panel. In 2021, she was honored with the DEI Champion Award at the National Diversity & Leadership Conference.

Ms. Sim holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the National University of Singapore and is an alumna of several premier global leadership programs, including the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program, Singapore Management University Executive Development Program, PwC Trust Leadership Institute Executive Leadership Program, the University of Oxford AI program, and the National University of Singapore Chief Strategy Officer program. She is currently completing the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.