Aaron Maniam

Aaron Shahril Yusoff Maniam (born 1979) is an academic, poet, and former civil servant who currently researches and teaches on technology and policy issues at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University. He completed his PhD in 2022 and serves as Fellow of Practice and Director of the Digital Transformation Education Programme at the School. His work focuses on issues connecting technology, public policy and public administration.

In his 20-year career in the Singapore Public Service, Dr Maniam was most recently Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information from January 2020 to June 2023. Previously, he served as founding Head of the Centre for Strategic Futures, Director of the Institute of Public Sector Leadership at the Civil Service College, and held various roles in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade & Industry. He was awarded the TOYP Singapore Honoree in 2013 for Political, Legal, and/or Governmental Affairs.

Beyond his policy work, Maniam is an accomplished poet who won the National Arts Council's Golden Point Award in 2003 and has published two poetry collections. He co-chairs the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on the Future of Technology Policy and is a member of the OECD's Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence Futures. He was recognized as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2013 and received the Singapore Youth Award in 2012.