Singtel creates Global Cyber Security portfolio, appoints Arthur Wong as CEO

• Appointment took effect on Monday, Jan 22
• Brings over two decades of experience with him

SINGTEL on Jan 24 announced the appointment of Arthur “Art” Wong as the chief executive officer for Global Cyber Security, a newly-created position that underscores the growing importance of the group’s cyber-security business.

He will report to Bill Chang, chief executive officer, Group Enterprise at Singtel.

“We are very pleased to bring Art on board as we step up efforts to drive growth in our cyber-security business,” Chang said.

“This newly-created position reflects our commitment to scaling the group’s cyber business and accelerating our journey to becoming a global leader in the cyber-security space. Art’s wealth of industry experience will help us optimise our cyber-security assets and sharpen our business unit’s focus.”

Wong’s appointment took effect on Monday, 22 January. He joins Singtel from DXC Technology, an end-to-end IT services company formed from the merger of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services and Computer Sciences Corporation, where he was the senior vice president and general manager of its cyber-security business.

In his over two-decade career, Wong also worked with companies such as HP, Symantec and McAfee in various key executive roles.

“Today’s enterprises face enormous security challenges across their organisations as digital transformation has expanded the need for security, continuity and resilience. As part of the dynamic cyber-security team at Singtel, I look forward to building up its capabilities to be a leading global security player,” said Wong.

As an entrepreneur, Wong founded and led five start-ups. These include IT security companies such as Secure Networks and SecurityFocus, which have been successfully acquired by other investors.

He holds a Business Degree from University of Calgary with a major in Management Information Systems.

Singtel has in recent years identified cyber-security as a key emerging growth driver, particularly as it embarked on a group-wide digital transformation journey.

Cyber-security revenues grew 84% to S$473 million in the year ended March 2017 and expected to grow to around S$550 million this financial year.

The acquisition of Trustwave, a leading US-based managed security services provider, in 2015 helped strengthen Singtel as a key global player in cyber security.

The group employs more than 2,000 cyber-security professionals in Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas across its nine Advanced Security Operations Centres and Trustwave.

To enhance capabilities, Singtel has forged strategic alliances with cyber-security providers such as FireEye, Akamai, Palo Alto and Check Point.