20 Jan 2025
OFFICER’S EXCELLENCE EARNS TOP HOME TEAM HONOUR

“I believe in supporting my team, particularly during challenging times—it's not just about the job, but about achieving more as a team.”
Alcan Ng
Senior Manager (Compliance),
Compliance Division
While many might perceive a compliance officer’s role as merely ticking boxes to ensure regulated entities’ adherence to requirements, Alcan Ng demonstrates that he can also deliver exceptional service through compliance work. As a model of service excellence and dedication, he was honoured with the MHA Commendation Star Service Award 2024 – the Home Team's highest recognition for service excellence.
Alcan adopts both a proactive and forward-thinking approach in his interactions with both internal and external stakeholders. He regularly engages regulated entities, supervisors and team members on regulated entities’ submissions to better clarify the Gambling Regulatory Authority’s (GRA) regulatory intent. This has helped Alcan develop recommendations that not only ensure compliance by the regulated entities but also align closely with GRA's intent.
As a key member of the team developing GRA’s integrated regulatory approval system – a system used to process applications submitted by regulated entities – Alcan reached out to his colleagues to understand their concerns so that the integrated system can address pain points, boost productivity and improve team morale. “The system development team also collaborated with various stakeholders to design a system based on predefined criteria, significantly automating the processing of lower-risk applications managed by GRA and resulting in substantial man-hour savings,” said Alcan.
What truly distinguishes Alcan is his willingness to go beyond his duties. Once, when a colleague was hospitalised, Alcan readily stepped up to cover his duties at the casino. “I believe in supporting my team, particularly during challenging times—it's not just about the job, but about achieving more as a team.”
Alcan's dedication extends to fostering a positive organisational culture. In 2023, Alcan played a vital role as a member of GRA's Cohesion Committee. Despite his heavy workload, he readily stepped up to organise team-building activities and staff appreciation events, boosting morale and strengthening team bonds.
“There was once when I was GRA’s Duty Officer and had to respond to multiple concurrent incidents. My colleagues from various divisions stepped up to help respond to the incidents when they heard about it. Their gestures deeply reinforced the true meaning of teamwork for me and continues to serve as a reminder of the importance of fostering a cohesive organisation,” said Alcan, explaining his willingness to be involved in GRA’s Cohesion Committee.
Committed to promoting collective growth at work, Alcan actively shares relevant training courses and articles with colleagues, particularly in areas like anti-money laundering and responsible gambling. He also takes the initiative to compile and share key reference materials and past policy papers, enhancing knowledge management among his teammates.
Alcan’s proactive engagement strategy, unwavering commitment and positive mindset have not only earned him this accolade, but have inspired other colleagues across GRA to adopt the same.