David Koh’s 11-Year Legacy at Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency—and What Gwenda Fong Inherits

Koh’s final years at CSA also coincided with a faster-changing threat environment. Singapore developed approaches to AI security and began preparing for the migration to quantum-safe cryptography, reflecting concerns about AI-enabled attacks and the long-term risks posed by quantum computing.

Expanding talent, research and industry capacity

Koh’s work extended beyond government protection. He advanced cybersecurity workforce and innovation efforts through the CyberSG Talent, Innovation and Growth Collaboration Centre and the CyberSG R&D Programme Office. These initiatives were intended to strengthen Singapore’s talent pipeline, research base and cybersecurity industry.

That ecosystem-building role matters because national cyber resilience depends not only on government agencies, but also on skilled professionals, research institutions and companies capable of developing and deploying security solutions.

Giving Singapore a stronger international cyber voice

Koh also shaped Singapore’s international cyber-engagement strategy. During his tenure, Singapore participated in the UN Group of Governmental Experts on ICT security and chaired the UN Open-Ended Working Group on cybersecurity. These roles gave the country a platform in international discussions about responsible state behaviour, cyber norms and cooperation.

He initiated Singapore International Cyber Week in 2016. The event grew into a major gathering for government, industry and cybersecurity leaders, helping make Singapore a prominent venue for international cyber-policy and industry discussions.

Honours and recognition

Koh received the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2017 and the Public Administration Medal (Gold) (Bar) in 2025 for his public-service leadership and contributions to Singapore’s cybersecurity capabilities.

In 2018, he received the inaugural Billington CyberSecurity International Leadership Award. The award recognised his role in launching Singapore’s Cybersecurity Strategy and advancing international cyber cooperation.

Gwenda Fong takes over CSA

Gwenda Fong became CSA chief executive and Commissioner of Cybersecurity on 1 July 2026, following a transition period as chief executive-designate from 1 April. She brings direct experience of CSA policy work as well as broader technology, security and digital-society leadership.

Fong worked at CSA from 2017 to 2022 and was last Assistant Chief Executive for Policy and Corporate Development. In that period, she was involved in drafting and implementing the 2018 Cybersecurity Act, refreshing the 2021 Cybersecurity Strategy, and representing Singapore’s cybersecurity work domestically and internationally.

She later served as the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Assistant Chief Executive for Strategy, Plans and Digital Readiness, leading strategy and research work related to digital access and adoption. In January 2023, she became MDDI Deputy Secretary for Digital Society and Development, a role she held until March 2026. Her portfolio included the Digital Society Strategy supporting Smart Nation 2.0, digital inclusion and safety, online-harm measures, and the broader information environment.

Her earlier public-service experience spans technology, defence and social policy, including roles at the Defence Science and Technology Agency, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Health. Public profiles list electrical-engineering degrees from Stanford University and a master’s degree in international planning from University College London. She also received the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2025.

Fong therefore takes over with prior knowledge of CSA’s legislation and strategy, combined with experience in digital policy, online safety and cross-government security work. Her immediate inheritance is not a newly created institution, but a national agency and international profile built during Koh’s foundational tenure.