Rooted in Trust, Growing With Singaporeans for Tomorrow: Melissa Khoo on CPF Board’s Past, Present, and Future

6-min read

When Melissa Khoo became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Provident Fund Board (CPF Board) in 2023, she found herself at the helm of an institution that holds deep personal significance for every Singaporean, one that quietly supports us throughout our lives. 

“CPF Board is a lifelong partner to every Singaporean,” Melissa explains. “From the time a MediSave Account is opened for a newborn, to buying one’s first home, to being protected from healthcare shocks and life’s uncertainties through insurance; even after a member passes on, we fulfil our trustee role by ensuring their CPF savings are distributed to their nominated beneficiaries.”

Having spent much of her career in public service — including stints in the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Health’s Ageing Planning Office, Prime Minister Office’s Strategy Group, and Civil Service College — Melissa brings to CPF Board experience in purposeful change. 

As CPF Board turns 70 this year, she reflects on the organisation’s evolution and its far-reaching impact on Singaporeans’ lives.

Nurturing the “Heritage Tree” for future generations

Ask Melissa to describe CPF Board and she likens it to a “sturdy heritage tree”, one with deep roots in Singapore’s social fabric, supporting families through the decades. From its modest beginnings as a simple retirement savings scheme in 1955, CPF Board has evolved into something unprecedented. Today, it stands as the cornerstone of the nation’s social security, supporting Singaporeans’ housing, healthcare, and retirement needs. 

But even the strongest tree must adapt to changing conditions to keep thriving. Singapore’s social landscape is shifting, with challenges such as an ageing population, rising citizen expectations, growing diversity, and a digital divide. CPF Board also needs to evolve to remain relevant. 

As she mentioned in her message for CPF Board’s 70th anniversary commemorative book, “CPF is a journey of evolution, not revolution.” 

To that end, Melissa is focused on investing in people. Drawing on her former MOE experience in higher education and lifelong learning, she is shaping a workplace where every CPF Board officer can do their life’s best work. 

“CPF Board is a complex organisation with many functions under one roof – it's a pension fund, service delivery organisation, IT organisation, national insurance administrator, and an agent of government in grant disbursement, all rolled into one. No other pension administrator has a combination of these features,” she shares.

To be future-ready, CPF Board officers must grow capabilities such as ops-tech competencies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and system perspective. Most importantly, officers should have the ability to translate these capabilities into meaningful policies and service experiences for CPF members.

This ethos underpins CPF Board’s pursuit of excellence and innovation. A recent example is the launch of ‘PLAN with CPF’, a one-stop financial guidance platform that helps members plan more effectively for the future, making financial planning more accessible and actionable.

At a large organisation like CPF Board where she has to lead at scale and deliver through others, Melissa believes that bringing out the best in every member of the team matters. To her, leadership is a team sport. Leaders also need to create safe spaces for innovation.

Culture and public trust: The driving force behind CPF Board

Since taking on the role of CEO, a key lesson for Melissa has been the power of culture.

“The tendency is to think that once some optimum combination of processes, platforms and the right people are in place, things will work out well,” Melissa muses. “What is harder to replicate is the surrounding culture and ethos that binds people with purpose and action.”

“Culture is at the heart of how we do things around here. It’s what motivates officers to want to improve and innovate, and make the ‘business as usual’ better each day. It’s a combination of leadership tone, traditions, norms and values, passed on to each generation of officers.”    

Equally important is the public’s trust in the agency, something Melissa describes as a cornerstone of CPF Board’s identity. “Trust isn’t just institutional – it’s deeply personal, built through countless interactions with members over seven decades. And it must never be taken for granted,” she adds. 

Today, Singaporeans recognise CPF Board officers as professional, dependable, and competent. But Melissa hopes the public will feel something more. “CPF members know that we are professional, dependable and competent, but I would want more of them to know and feel that CPF Board cares for them.” 

Walking the ground, hearing every voice

To stay grounded in CPF’s mission, Melissa makes it a point to walk the ground and engage with feedback regularly, often through her own public inbox. 

“For anyone leading a large service delivery organisation, it’s important to walk the ground and do your own sense-making,” she emphasises. “Hearing from our customer service front-liners and reading citizen feedback in my public inbox weekly gives me a pulse of where the pain points are.” 

The CPF Cares initiative exemplifies this commitment, where staff volunteers conduct outreach across diverse communities. Through this initiative, CPF Board partners NTUC Health to adopt Active Ageing Centres (AACs), where they combine befriending activities with educational talks on CPF-related topics such as retirement and legacy planning. 

“Interacting with seniors helps you realise that not everyone may know how to make an appointment at our Service Centres, even if it may seem simple to us,” Melissa highlights.

“To address this, we are piloting booths at the AACs manned by our experienced volunteers, where seniors can ask questions and get assistance in a more familiar setting. It’s important for us to actively reach out to the underserved and do what we can to empower them to make the best use of their CPF savings.” 

One encounter that left a lasting impression on Melissa was with a CPF volunteer manning an anti-scam booth. He did not recognise her as the CEO of CPF Board and candidly shared his thoughts about common misperceptions of CPF. 

“He told me sometimes it’s better for members to hear advice from their peers, rather than from ‘zhenghu’ (the Government), because they would be more receptive. That’s why he felt it was meaningful to serve as a CPF volunteer.”

Melissa welcomes the honest feedback from volunteers. “When we closed the Special Account and there was an outcry from netizens on some online forums, some of our volunteers took it upon themselves to step forward and clarify misperceptions. They are truly the best ambassadors for the CPF Board.”

70 years bolder

As CPF Board turns 70, Melissa states, “We see ourselves as 70 years bolder, not older.” 

“What has shaped our journey in the past 70 years is also what will take us forward – unwavering commitment to our members, our drive for excellence and innovation, and above all, a deep sense of purpose in being a cornerstone of Singapore’s social security.

Inspiring younger officers is crucial to that future. Melissa shares her own experience: “When I was a young officer, I was blessed with many former bosses who took a chance on me and gave me space to learn and grow.”

“So to younger officers, I would say – hone your craft, keep an open mind, and be prepared to go outside your comfort zone when stepping up to new challenges. Enjoy the journey! "