Digital cities in action: Meet Alyssa Voon
Our Digital cities in action series gives you an inside look at our technical experts in the digital sector around Asia. This week, we’re highlighting Alyssa Voon, our digital adoption lead in Singapore.
With a passion for identifying patterns and a drive to help colleagues by automating and simplifying processes, Alyssa has transformed day‑to‑day work into more streamlined and intuitive structures. Through digitalization, she has been able to design better systems that free up time and energy — allowing teams to focus on more meaningful, high‑value work.
What do you do as a digital adoption lead?
In my role, I help teams turn complex, fragmented workflows into workable, scalable efficient systems. I work closely with engineers, project teams and leadership to identify gaps in processes, coordination and decision-making. From there, I translate these into opportunities for improvement through digital tools, automation and better use of data.
Equally important, I focus on adoption — coaching teams on new ways of working and helping them be comfortable with change. We set clear objectives and timelines, ensuring digital solutions are practical, well-governed, and aligned with how people work. My goal is to deliver solutions that not only work technically, but also create meaningful, lasting value for both teams and clients.
What excites you most about working at the intersection of engineering and digital innovation?
There is a great opportunity to bring clarity to complex workflows and systems through digitalization. Construction is a dense web of disciplines, processes and communication channels, often working under tight timelines and high expectations. By stepping back to truly understand how work flows, we can break down fragmented processes and redesign them into simpler, more connected digital systems.
Over the course of my career, I realized how transferable system‑thinking skills are in the workplace. Many people rely heavily on motivation or memory to carry their tasks, but they can be inconsistent and easily depleted. When I began helping colleagues establish clear structures, workflows and routines, their work became smoother, and their effectiveness increased. This helps teams collaborate more seamlessly, while also enabling clearer communication, better alignment, and more transparent engagement with clients — supporting stronger relationships and better project outcomes.
What do you think of the digital landscape in Singapore?
Digital transformation in Singapore is no longer aspirational — it is actively being implemented through the Smart Nation initiative with strong government support and industry collaboration. This environment gives organizations the confidence to invest in digital and AI capabilities that move beyond experimentation and into practical, day-to-day use. AECOM, for example, has launched the Underground Infrastructure AI Innovation Centre with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
Through this collaboration, AI-powered solutions are being developed to improve data quality, enhance the mapping of underground utilities, and safeguard underground space for existing and future developments. These efforts allow emerging technologies to be tested and applied on real projects, translating national digital ambitions into practical and adaptable solutions that strengthen engineering outcomes and long-term urban resilience.
Similarly, the government is putting significant effort into nurturing young talent through AI research initiatives and development programs. We have the National AI Research and Development Plan (NAIRD), for example which focuses on helping the younger generation embed these skills early on, so future planners, engineers and designers are well prepared for the digital world they’ll be working in.
What is your message to professionals in Singapore’s digital space?
Singapore is an exceptional environment for digital innovation. With its commitment to Smart Nation 2.0 and its ambition to become the world’s most AI‑powered economy, the country offers fertile ground for building, testing and scaling new digital solutions. My message to digital professionals is this: embrace the opportunity, stay curious and don’t hesitate to experiment. The ecosystem here rewards bold thinking, practical problem‑solving and collaboration across disciplines. If you are willing to explore, iterate and co‑create with others, Singapore is one of the best places in the world to drive meaningful digital transformation.