Chang Sau Sheong of SP Digital wins Executive of the Year for Utilities at SBR Management Excellence Awards 2019

He is the CEO of SP Digital (SPD), the digital arm of SP Group, a leading energy utilities group in Asia Pacific.

A leader in the utilities sector, Sau Sheong built up the SPD team, focusing on collaboration, excellence, and provision of high-quality products and services. Today, SPD’s workforce consists of over 150 people working on mobile platforms, software, and Internet of Things (IoT).

Sau Sheong believes that the energy sector can be transformed with innovative and practical EnergyTech solutions. He is certain that the key to fighting climate change and mitigating its effects, lies in powering sustainability with EnergyTech.Sau Sheong has made it SPD’s mission to address climate change and help customers achieve a better and more sustainable future as envisioned in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Like all industries and companies, SP Group is also grappling with industry changes and disruption brought about by decentralisation, decarbonisation, deregulation and digitalisation. To transform for the future, SPD has developed multiple offerings to help consumers, businesses and utilities be more sustainable.

To better serve households and residents who are responsible for about 14% of Singapore’s energy consumption, SPD has built the SP Utilities App, a mobile application that enables customers to monitor their utilities consumption, receive regular billing notifications, and perform transactions online. Customers can get instant answers to their queries by using the app’s “live” chat function. Giving consumers the ability to manage their lifestyle and needs is a crucial part of SPD’s strategy.

As climate change is another issue that concerns utilities companies, SPD has introduced GreenUp, an initiative that promotes sustainability by encouraging users to participate in energy-saving activities, practise eco-friendly actions in daily life, and build environmentally conscious communities. The gamification-based feature on the SP Utilities App enables users to earn rewards.

Come December 2019, a new feature will be added on SP Utilities App. The Carbon Footprint Tracker will enable users to track their power consumption and use simulation tools to calculate their emissions based on daily activities such as mode of transport. It is designed to create awareness and take actions to improve their habits towards a higher quality and sustainable lifestyle.

The commercial and industrial (C&I) sector is responsible for about 80% of Singapore’s energy consumption. Thus, under Sau Sheong’s leadership, SPD has built the Commercial Energy Platform (CEP), for the C&I sector. Leveraging the latest advancements in Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence, the CEP enables customers to better manage their energy usage by addressing the energy used by tenants and building systems and services like cooling. The solutions also automate business operations and processes for facility and tenant management. This ensures buildings are smarter, healthier and more sustainable.

In addition, SPD has also created a blockchain-based renewable energy certificate (REC) marketplace, which is one of the first in the world. SP Group is the first authorised local issuer of International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-REC) in Asia Pacific. The digital REC trading platform automates the entire process of trading the certificates among buyers and sellers around the world, regardless of size, business or location.

SPD’s parent company, SP Group, has electricity and gas transmission and distribution operations in Singapore and Australia, and district cooling businesses in Singapore and China. SP Group has a base of 1.6 million customer accounts in Singapore. The company processes utility payments for all customers and also reads all the electricity, gas, and water meters bi-monthly.

SPD has a portfolio of high-value customers, which include Singapore’s Housing Development Board, the Changi Airport Group, Sembcorp Marine, Lucas Real Estate Singapore, and Belgian logistics firm Katoen Natie Singapore. The company’s projects, such as Punggol Digital District, Tengah Smart Town, and the new campus of Singapore Institute of Technology, benefit from SP’s energy-efficient and sustainable and solutions to ensure long-term reliability and cost efficiency.

The Singapore Business Review Management Excellence Awards was held on 26 November 2019 at the Conrad Centennial Singapore. Some of the previous winners include OCBC Bank, BreadTalk Group, AIA and Great Eastern Life Assurance.

The 2019 nominees were judged by a panel consisting of Henry Tan, Group CEO & Chief Innovation Officer at NEXIA TS; David Chew, Executive Director, Risk Advisory at Deloitte Southeast Asia; Lim Wei Wei, Partner and Practice Leader, Governance and Risk at Baker Tilly TFW; Yang Eu Jin, Partner and Co Head of Capital Markets Practice at RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP; and Pardeep Singh Khosa, Director of Dispute Resolution at Davinder Singh Chambers LLC.

If you would like to join the 2020 awards and be awarded as one of the most outstanding management executives of Singapore, please email [email protected]