A talk with Singaporean writer and brand consultant Buck Song Koh, moderated by DPhil in Public Policy student Aaron Maniam.

What role should the government and the civil service play in managing a country brand? What are the geopolitical, economic and social considerations at stake? Buck Song Koh, a Singaporean writer and brand consultant, examines these questions from both an insider and outsider perspective of the country brand of Singapore, regarded by many as a leading global city of Asia.

This event is free and open to all. 

The talk will be livestreamed and recorded on the Blavatnik School of Government YouTube channel.

Speaker bio

Koh is a Singaporean writer and brand consultant. He is the author and editor of more than 30 books, including “Brand Singapore: Nation Branding After Lee Kuan Yew, In A Divisive World” (2017), the second edition of his study of Singapore’s country brand, first published in 2011 and with a China edition translated into Chinese in 2012. He was the keynote speaker at the City Nation Place Global Forum on place branding in London in 2017. A master’s graduate in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School, he was previously Adjunct Associate Professor of leadership at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. In his earlier career, he was a journalist, editor and regular columnist at Singapore’s main English daily “The Straits Times”, and head of strategic planning and global media relations at the Singapore Economic Development Board. As head of public affairs (Southeast Asia) at the communications consultancy Hill & Knowlton, he led many government accounts, including the global launches of Gardens by the Bay, National Gallery Singapore, and the technology and business development district Fusionopolis. Currently, he is a member of the Singapore Tourism Board’s Marketing Advisory Panel and Adjunct Editor at the Ministry of National Development's Centre for Liveable Cities.

Photo: Portfolio magazine, Singapore