Welcome Remarks by Ms Gwenda Fong, Chief Executive of CSA at the Operational Technology Cybersecurity Expert Panel Forum on 22 July 2026

Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Minister-in-charge of Cybersecurity and Smart Nation Group,

Esteemed Panellists,

Distinguished Guests,

Introduction

1              Good afternoon, and welcome to the sixth Operational Technology Cybersecurity Expert Panel Forum.

2              It is wonderful to see a few familiar faces, alongside many who are joining us for the first time.

3              To everyone who has travelled to Singapore to be here today, thank you for being part of the OTCEP community.

4              It is a privilege for me to join CSA at a time when this community has already achieved so much.

5              The strong foundations that have been laid over the past few years give us an excellent platform to build on together. 

6              When CSA established the OTCEP Forum in 2021, it recognised that operational technology cybersecurity required a different conversation—one grounded in engineering realities, operational resilience, and trusted partnerships between government and industry.

7              Today, OTCEP Forum has become much more than an annual conference.

8              It has grown into one of Asia's leading communities of OT cybersecurity practitioners, bringing together operators, engineers, researchers, technology providers and policymakers who share a common purpose: and that is to safeguard the systems that keep our societies running.

9              More importantly, OTCEP has become a trusted community.

10             It is a place where practitioners exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, learn from one another, and build relationships long before a crisis occurs.

11             This community did not emerge because of a single organisation.

12             It exists because all of you have invested your time, expertise and trust over the years.

13             On behalf of CSA, thank you.

14             As we look ahead, one thing is clear: the environment in which we operate is evolving rapidly.

15             Greater connectivity, increasing digitalisation and advances in artificial intelligence are creating vast opportunities across our industries.

16             But at the same time, they are changing how cyber threats emerge and evolve.

17             Capabilities that once required significant expertise are becoming more accessible, and defenders must continue to adapt just as quickly.

18             The answer is not for any one organisation to work harder on its own.

19             It is for all of us to work together, learn faster, and strengthen our collective capability.

20             That is why partnership remains at the heart of CSA's approach.

21             As Chief Executive, one of my priorities is to ensure that CSA continues to be more than a regulator.

22             We must continue to be a trusted partner to this community—bringing together government, CII owners, technology providers, academia and international partners to strengthen Singapore's cyber resilience of OT systems.

23             But, partnership is not an end in itself.

24             It is how we build capability.

25             Attackers are continually improving their capabilities and therefore, we as defenders cannot afford to stand still.

26             CSA will therefore continue investing in capabilities across our critical sectors.

27             We will strengthen OT incident response, continue to invest in training and exercises, develop specialist expertise, and equip organisations to be better prepared before incidents occur.

28             When incidents happen, organisations should have access not only to technology, but also to OT expertise, coordination and trusted partnerships needed to respond to threats quickly and effectively.

29             In addition, we want to strengthen capabilities before a crisis occurs, because every exercise completed, every assessment conducted and every lesson learned makes our collective defences stronger.

30             One commitment I want to make today is this: CSA will continue to work closely with our community of OT practitioners.

31             The experience and insights of practitioners working on real operational systems are essential to shaping effective cybersecurity policies, programmes and capabilities.

32             We want to continue building those capabilities together with you.

33             That is why conferences like OTCEP Forum matter.

34             They create opportunities not only to exchange knowledge, but to build trust.

35             And in cybersecurity, trust is often our greatest force multiplier.

36             In a moment, Minister Josephine Teo will share how Singapore is strengthening our approach to protecting critical infrastructure in this evolving landscape, and the priorities that will guide our collective efforts in the years ahead.

37             Before I turn the floor over to Minister Josephine, I would like to thank our distinguished speakers, panellists and partners—especially those who have travelled from overseas to join us.

38             Your willingness to share expertise enriches this forum and strengthens our community.

39             I encourage all of you participants to make full use of today's discussions and tomorrow’s workshops.

40             Share openly.

41             Ask difficult questions.

42             Challenge one another's assumptions.

43             And foster new partnerships.

44             Every new conversation we have today strengthens the trust that enables us to respond together tomorrow.

45             On that note, I wish everyone a fruitful and engaging forum.

46             Thank you.