Cover From left: Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation; Nancy Ip, president, the
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Boon Heong Ng, executive director and CEO, Temasek Foundation (Photo: courtesy of the Melo Foundation)
From left: Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation; Nancy Ip, president, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Boon Heong Ng, executive director and CEO, Temasek Foundation (Photo: courtesy of the Melo Foundation)
1 / 1
The Temasek Foundation-Melo fellowship will provide 70 participants under the age of 30 with AI training, leadership development and networking opportunities
The Temasek Foundation—a non-profit organisation established by Singaporean investment giant Temasek—and Hong Kong-based charity Melo Foundation have jointly launched a fellowship programme for students and early-career professionals to collaborate with regional leaders on AI-enabled solutions to social problems.
Applications opened today for the inaugural Temasek Foundation–Melo Fellowship, which will support two cohorts of 35 participants aged between 21 to 30 from both Hong Kong and Singapore. Fellows will move between the two cities to take part in applied AI training and engage in conversations with high-profile founders, CEOs and senior executives. Through the programme, fellows will co-create impact projects that take aim at real-world social challenges, all while honing their leadership skills and expanding their networks.
Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation (Photo: courtesy of the Melo Foundation)
1 / 2
“We are so honoured to be partnering with Temasek Foundation to launch this first ever and one-of-a-kind fellowship for the next generation,” said Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman of Melo Foundation, in a statement about the launch. “This fellowship will be the most distinctive yet in creating an at-scale cohort of resilient leaders.”
With support from programme partners AI Singapore and technology enablement company Preface—led by founder and CEO Tommie Lo, a Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow honouree and Tatler Most Influential honouree—the fellowship aims to provide dedicated opportunities for young people from underserved backgrounds. Lo also serves as a co-chairman of the Melo Foundation.
Read more: Preface and Project Melo launch Hong Kong’s largest AI training programme for secondary students
Tommie Lo, founder and CEO, Preface; co-chairman, Melo Foundation (Photo: courtesy of the Melo Foundation)
1 / 2
Building for social impact
According to its organisers, the Temasek Foundation-Melo fellowship programme looks beyond AI skills, focusing instead on how young leaders can responsibly apply the technology to social challenges while navigating its wider impact on organisations and communities. Its dual Hong Kong-Singapore format also allows participants to build regional, cross-cultural connections.
One half of the fellowship, dubbed “co-creation”, involves a team project with fellows led by a CEO. Each cohort of 35 fellows will be split into seven teams of five—including a mix of Hong Kong and Singapore participants—to tackle a challenge along a theme involving AI, such as AI for financial inclusion. The other half, “joint discovery”, brings fellows and CEOs together as equals for open dialogues so they may learn from each other. Past sessions have covered topics ranging from geopolitics and wealth inequality to mental health, wellness and creativity.
Supporters of the Melo Foundation have included prominent Hong Kong business leaders, including: Bernard Chan, M+ museum chairman; Alan Lau, former chief business officer at Animoca Brands; Christina Gaw, managing principal and head of capital markets at Gaw Capital; Gregory Van, co-founder and CEO at Endowus; Dee Poon, president, brands and retailing, at Tessellation Group; Amy Lo, chairman, GWM Asia, Head and chief executive, at UBS Hong Kong; former Link REIT CEO George Hongchoy; and Olympic swimmer-turned-CEO, Yvette Kong of Arelyx.
From AI skills to leadership
Above From left: Ellen Lau, co-chair, Melo Foundation and director, Preface; Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong; Anita Chen, 2022 Melo fellow; Fred Ngan, co-founder, Bowtie; Fiona Ho, 2021 Melo fellow (Photo: courtesy of the Melo Foundation)
From left: Ellen Lau, co-chair, Melo Foundation and director, Preface; Randy Lai, CEO, McDonald’s Hong Kong; Anita Chen, 2022 Melo fellow; Fred Ngan, co-founder, Bowtie; Fiona Ho, 2021 Melo fellow (Photo: courtesy of the Melo Foundation)
1 / 1
The fellowship was unveiled at an event on September 7, where academic and business leaders discussed how leadership and education may evolve as AI adoption increases. A panel talk brought together Randy Lai, CEO of McDonald’s Hong Kong, Fred Ngan, co-founder of Hong Kong virtual insurer Bowtie—a Gen.T Leader of Tomorrow honouree and a Tatler Most Influential honouree—and Ellen Lau, co-chair of the Melo Foundation and director at Preface, alongside former Melo fellows Anita Chen and Fiona Ho.
Read more: Randy Lai, CEO of McDonald's Hong Kong, on Five Decades of Innovation
Subsequently, a fireside chat featured Nancy Ip, president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, alongside Temasek Foundation executive director and CEO Boon Heong Ng and Melo Foundation’s Lam. The discussion focused on the importance of investing in the next generation and the qualities needed in future leaders, particularly as AI takes on increasingly complex tasks—highlighting the value of multidisciplinary thinking and human judgement.
The conversations reflected a broader question behind the fellowship: if AI can increasingly handle technical and analytical work, what distinguishes the people leading organisations and communities? In turn, how can leaders of the future prepare? Speakers pointed to qualities including curiosity, resilience and adaptability.
Read more: Tatler Gen.T Summit 2026: Meet the leaders who went first, in Bangkok this October
From left: Boon Heong Ng, executive director and CEO, Temasek Foundation; Nancy Ip, president, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Kenny Lam, co-founder and co-chairman, Melo Foundation (Photo: courtesy of the Melo Foundation)
1 / 2
The Temasek Foundation–Melo Fellowship is now open to final-year undergraduate students, fresh graduates and young professionals aged 21 to 30. Applications close on October 31, 2026.
NOW READ
Preface Teams Up with Project Melo to Educate Teens in AI
Tatler Community News: Teach for Hong Kong Merges with Melo Foundation Ecosystem
Meet the Tatler Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow
Cat Wang is an editor at Tatler Asia based in Hong Kong, where she covers business, wealth, innovation, and impact. Previously, she was a Forbes Asia reporter and assistant editor of the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list, spotlighting startups and small companies on the rise across the Asia-Pacific. She began her career as a trainee reporter at the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s newspaper of record. Born in New York City, she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.A. in political science.
