Howie Lau bids farewell to NCS Group after five years

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Howie Lau has stepped down from his role as NCS Group's chief corporate development and synergy officer and greater China business, effective 21 May 2026, marking the end of a five-year stint that helped reshape the homegrown technology firm into a regional player with growing ambitions in AI, digital and cloud services.

The decision comes as NCS enters a new phase of growth following years of regional expansion, capability building and business diversification. Lau first joined NCS in 2021 with a mandate to help transform and scale the company into what he described as a “regional tech services powerhouse”.

His departure also comes as NCS sharpens its focus on becoming an AI-led technology services company. Over a seven-year period through FY2026, the company grew from SG$1.8 billion to SG$3.2 billion in revenue, while expanding from 7,000 to 15,000 employees across more than 20 cities in Asia.

“It has been an absolute privilege to be deeply involved in so many facets of this transformation journey, and we have achieved wonderful success together,” Lau told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

“With good foundations in place, it is the right time to step aside and chase new rainbows, leaving the stage for a new leadership team to steer NCS through its next exciting phase of growth and transformation," he added.

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During his tenure, NCS underwent a sweeping transformation that stretched beyond business growth. The company broadened its footprint across the region, expanded into new sectors while deepening its government business, and built out capabilities across digital, AI, data and cloud.

Lau said these moves were underpinned by a three-pronged growth strategy focused on regional expansion, service diversification and capability building.

Among the milestones he looks back on most fondly is the company’s July 2021 brand refresh and the launch of platforms such as “IMPACT”, which aimed to reposition NCS’ presence in the market and elevate its standing within the broader B2B technology ecosystem. “Our marketing and comms teams pioneered and drove many innovations in the B2B marketing space which brought us closer and more credible with our clients,” he said.

Under Lau’s watch, NCS also launched NCS NEXT in 2022, expanded into markets such as Australia and Greater China, and completed six acquisitions as part of its regional growth strategy. At the same time, the company deepened partnerships with global technology giants including Google, Microsoft, Dell Technologies, Amazon Web Services and NVIDIA, helping position NCS more firmly within the enterprise technology and AI ecosystem.

“While having absolute strategic clarity was key to this journey, execution agility proved to be even more critical,” Lau said. “Every marketing and brand play, M&A deal, regional expansion, or partnership is based on a roadmap which we executed was grounded in a unified culture. That shared purpose is what binds a rapidly growing, diverse team together across borders.”

Prior to joining NCS, Lau held leadership roles across Singapore’s technology landscape, including at Infocomm Media Development Authority, StarHub, Lenovo and IBM. Reflecting on the industry more broadly, Lau said Singapore has evolved into a globally recognised technology and AI hub, fuelled by strong digital infrastructure, talent and trust.

“We have truly solidified our position as a premier global technology hub, with undeniable credentials in driving AI adoption across every major industry and sector,” he said, pointing to the presence of companies such as OpenAI and Google DeepMind. “Crucially, in a fractured and chaotic global landscape, Singapore’s ‘trust credentials’ have become an incredibly valuable and highly sought-after commodity.”

The next generation of leadership

Having spent decades across Singapore’s technology ecosystem, Lau said leadership today looks vastly different from when he first entered the industry, particularly as technology, marketing and business transformation become increasingly intertwined.

For Lau, one constant throughout his career has been the importance of people and teamwork. “First, if you take care of your people, they will naturally take care of the client and the business. Second, leadership is a team sport. In today’s hyper-complex world, a single leader is never smart enough or all-knowing enough to navigate the landscape alone. You have to build a strong, trusted core team - and when you have that alignment, magic happens."

At the same time, Lau believes the next generation of leaders will need a far broader and deeper skillset than before, particularly as AI reshapes industries, business models and consumer engagement.

“Go deep and be hands-on. In the past, we talked a lot about ‘T-shaped’ skills — having a broad horizontal understanding with one area of deep specialisation. today, that is no longer enough,” he said.

According to Lau, future leaders will need a strong, horizontal platform of foundation skills including first-principles thinking, complex problem solving, empathy and people management, alongside deeper expertise in both technology and industry domains.

For businesses and leaders alike, the reality is simple: either you become part of creating that new play, or the new play will win.

Looking ahead, Lau believes the marketing and advertising industry is also approaching a major inflection point, driven by AI, first-party data and the rise of direct-to-consumer ecosystems. “The long-held dream of true, 1-to-1 personalised marketing is finally on the immediate horizon as AI, first party data as well as democratised D2C have already passed tipping points,” he said.

As for what comes next, Lau said he is currently exploring opportunities with “high transformational potential, opportunity to grow, a great team, great culture and a healthy dose of good fun.”

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