Grace Chia

Grace Chia is the co-founder and CEO of BeeX, a Singapore-based deep-tech company developing autonomous underwater drones for the inspection and monitoring of critical marine infrastructure, including energy pipelines, subsea cables and coastal defence systems. Founded in 2019 as a spin-off from the National University of Singapore, BeeX is working to change how underwater operations are carried out, replacing traditionally manual and remotely operated processes with autonomous robotics.

Chia's interest in underwater robotics began with a simple question: if robots were already transforming work on land and in the air, why was so much underwater work still being done manually? She saw an opportunity to build intelligent machines designed specifically for the underwater environment, with the potential to make marine operations safer, more efficient and easier to scale.

BeeX's technology can reduce the carbon emissions associated with traditional underwater inspection while significantly lowering operational costs. The company's technology has been adopted for critical infrastructure applications, while its partnerships and expansion plans reflect Chia's ambition to take autonomous underwater robotics beyond Singapore.

Chia has built BeeX in a sector where women remain underrepresented, from robotics and engineering to offshore marine operations. She believes one of the barriers women continue to face is the expectation that they should occupy domestic, administrative or support roles rather than build, engineer or work in physically demanding environments. Her own career reflects a different possibility, taking her into a field where she is helping develop technology for some of the world's most challenging environments.

In 2026, Chia was recognised with the Tatler Front & Female Innovation Award for her work advancing autonomous robotics and redefining what is possible in underwater operations. Her ambition extends beyond the technology itself: she hopes to see wider adoption of autonomous robotics while inspiring more young people to consider careers in engineering and robotics.