Youth for energy transition

For young people, the energy transition presents an opportunity to be a transformative force with the potential to reshape the energy landscape of tomorrow through advocacy and innovation. 

Enter Chemistry student Lim Wan Hui, whose passion is in energy sustainability. She aspires to combine her knowledge of chemistry with entrepreneurship experience as part of her long-term aspiration to encourage the transition from fossil fuels towards net-zero goals.

This is why she decided to read a Minor in Entrepreneurship and to participate in not one, but two NUS Colleges (NOC) programmes - the first in NOC Southeast Asia (Ho Chi Minh City) and the second at NOC Norway.

She says, “I was keen to learn from seasoned entrepreneurs and immerse myself in the vibrant and diverse startup ecosystems of different countries. NOC presented a wonderful learning opportunity to experience firsthand the startup culture in other cities.”

Her experiences in Norway were especially relevant to her interests in energy sustainability. She had the opportunity to go on an overseas business trip and attend a green hydrogen conference in Germany; this introduced her to cutting-edge technologies and networking with industry professionals, which convinced her about the potential of green hydrogen solutions.

She says, “This reinforced my interest in pursuing a career in renewable energy.”

Just as important, Wan Hui came away with a better understanding of Vietnamese and Norwegian cultures from a local perspective. For instance, she learned that saunas and ice water plunges are an integral part of Nordic culture after joining an office bonding trip to the sauna and dipping in the ice-cold fjord waters with them. In Ho Chi Minh, her visits to Vietnamese regions that are popular among locals, like Vung Tau and Dalat, likewise deepened her cultural understanding.

“Working overseas has widened my worldview,” Wan Hui says. Among other valuable discoveries, her experiences opened her eyes to the impact of globalisation and the importance of cultural sensitivity in navigating diverse environments, communicating effectively, finding common interests and building rapport with colleagues from overseas.

She says, “I learned that long-term business partnerships require much more than monetary or transactional benefits. It requires investing time and efforts to build a sincere relationship with business partners to establish a foothold in the local business landscape.”  

It was the realisation that even small startups can have far-reaching impact that encouraged her to set up her own venture: Qumo.ai, which uses conversational Artificial Intelligence to convert static surveys into engaging conversations.