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Dreams of sailing the high seas inspired Chok Vui Shung to take up Marine Engineering at SP. While his role as Site Head at Croda Singapore keeps him on dry land today, he nevertheless keeps his eye on the horizon, always ready to set sail to new destinations of knowledge.

Visionary Inspiration

Looking back on his time as an SP student in the mid-1990s, Chok Vui Shung remembers one lecturer, who probably set the tone for Vui Shung’s own approach to life.

“Mr Kalyan Chatterjea was very much into digitalisation even back then and incorporated Object-Oriented Programming into our Marine Engineering Final Year Project,” he recalls.

The forward-looking attitude of this inspiring lecturer has no doubt left an indelible mark on Vui Shung, who is filled with passion about his work and always keeping his mind open to new possibilities.

Dynamism at Work

This openness is critical in his role as Site Head at Croda Singapore Pte Ltd, a global chemical manufacturing company that produces products that are sold in more than 30 markets.

Vui Shung notes that the environment is intensely dynamic. Within his scope of work in operations, he has to make day-to-day decisions frequently. It is a delicate balancing act, where production is driven by consumer market demand, whether to ramp up, or scale down, which makes the business cycle unpredictable. Thankfully, Vui Shung has his marine engineering skill sets to keep him afloat.

“Think of it this way: in the past, when you sailed at sea, you were subject to the external environment. If it’s good weather, the ship runs fine; not so good weather, you better standby the diesel generator. That level of alertness has stayed with me, even when I am no longer sailing as a marine engineer.”

Multi-Faceted Advantage

Vui Shung also credits his time at SP for establishing a firm foundation on which to build his knowledge base in the industry. This has enabled him to communicate well with engineers from different disciplines.

This multi-disciplinary grounding was also useful in dealing with challenges that crop up at work. Vui Shung’s ability to look at problems at different angles, on issues such as raw material shortages, or supply chain resilience, meant he was more open to novel solutions.

“My perspective comes from marine engineering, so I have different inputs compared to the traditional specialised engineer and I think that gave me the confidence to speak in a language both of us can understand.”

Practical Advice

Having experienced for himself the many opportunities that SP offers, Vui Shung is a fervent supporter of Work-Study Programmes. He believes that the SP approach gives students more options, and more importantly, the confidence to take on a university degree in the future.

“You can choose whether you want to work, work enough to save money and study full-time, or you can take up a WSP programme. So, you have that option.”

Working with SP

To this end, Vui Shung is currently working on several joint initiatives, such as SP staff attachments, customised training, and projects to tackle operational challenges.

Participants will be required to complete actual projects for Croda, which means whatever they learn, they can apply immediately. There are also plans to invite SP lecturers to consult at Croda, and to impart their knowledge to the staff.

“This is a win-win for Croda as well, because the company is able to gain traction.”

Open Learning

To future marine engineering students, Vui Shung offers two words of advice: Be Open. He feels that Marine Engineering actually offers a very broad education, which leaves their future open to many possibilities.

“And keep on learning. Success is not about achieving a certain status in society. It’s about improving day by day, becoming a better person today than you were yesterday.”

Wise inspiration indeed from this passionate alumnus, reminding all of us to keep sailing forward on the vast seas of knowledge.

Chok Vui Shung
Site Head, Croda Singapore Pte Ltd
Diploma in Marine Engineering, 1996