128. The Committed Innovator: DBS Bank’s Han Kwee Juan

DBS Bank achieves its status as a global digital leader by embedding a clear mission to "make banking joyful" into every layer of the organization. The bank utilizes an "innovation pyramid" framework—comprising big themes, platforms, customer journeys, and entrepreneurship—to guide its strategic bets and resource allocation. To foster a culture of innovation, leadership prioritizes psychological safety through the "Mojo" program, where designated observers ensure meetings remain inclusive and constructive. By adopting a data-driven operating model and a balanced scorecard that weights financial metrics alongside customer experience and long-term strategic goals, the bank maintains agility. This approach enables the organization to work backwards from ambitious moonshots, such as instantaneous cross-border payments, while simultaneously empowering employees to experiment and scale solutions that address real-world customer needs, as demonstrated by the successful digital transformation of traditional practices like Lunar New Year gifting.