#18. Matt Oon and his Values, Passion and Purpose

With our mission to create a world where work drives passion, however linear or nonlinear your career pathway is, discovering and aligning your values, passion, and purpose will give you the best chance at having a fulfilling career, and more importantly, life. And when this alignment is in place it leads to something greater - organisations can achieve their mission, and society and beyond will benefit in the long run.

Values are your non-negotiable foundation, passion is about what excites and motivates you, and purpose is your deeper reason for existence. - Harvard Business Review

Wantedly's SG60 stories series is about people who have been shaped by Singapore, and had made a difference in Singapore. This series aims to be a platform for individual reflection on what our own values are, and how we discover our passion and strive towards our purpose.

As a nation, when we reflect on our shared values of multiculturalism, boldness, resilience and openness, we can build upon what drove our prosperity. SG60’s theme is a refreshed spirit, and by celebrating Singapore’s journey to date, Wantedly is proud to spotlight some of those who have contributed in their own unique ways.

Introducing Matt

Matt is happily married and a father of a 6-month-old baby, and lucky to be in good health. Professionally, he founded a mental health startup, licensing digital communication tools to universities to facilitate peer support conversations and risk escalation for those with severe presenting issues. Currently, he works in the non-profit space, leading projects that can improve the health and well-being of low-income families, starting from those whose dependents have disabilities or who might have critical illnesses.

In his own words

My baby is the first baby to be born during Christmas last year, timed to deliver at 00:00 hours, natural birth. Doctors told us typically to achieve this, most couples would have to “planned in advance”, by selecting a date and time to do the C-section. But with epidural, and labor pain kicking earlier than expected, it was possible to control the timing and outcome. The one good thing that happened was that we got free room upgrades (but had to agree to a media interview before that). The one bad thing is we missed our shot at collecting a SG60 baby gift, and later on, I realize even my clan association is giving out angpows for babies born in 2025. I guess in life, you win some and lose some.

1. What are your top 3 values? 

I am not sure how to describe this, but my instinct is to ask “why cannot” when others deem a task as too lofty and impractical and cannot be done. Challenging the assumption and asking why is my value. 

Some may call it “thinking from first principles”, attributing it to the desire to have an explanation for everything. Others may label it as being “contrarian” – for trying to be different – and in a standardized culture like Singapore, I do feel I get a lot of stick for “being extra” or trying to “step different”. 

I think I would identify this value as being “independent”. I suppose independence is a value that develops itself when you are left on your own, because your Mum is too overwhelmed with her health to have the mindshare to parent you, and your dad is too overwhelmed with finances and career goals to be there for you. So I grew up in 4 different neighborhoods in my first 10 years of existence, in an era where the minimum occupancy period for HDBs is 3 years, and spent most of my time exploring the neighborhood and trying to make new friends each time I was moved to a new place. 

I think my second values may be curiosity. I think there was a sense of reward, from investing time to develop my soccer skills after watching a very exciting football match on TV, and seeking to emulate them offline. I remember spending many hours to hone my dribbling and juggling skills, identifying new versions and way of producing the skill in my unique way, and curiously testing them out on my friends to see if the effect is good. I am thankful for my soccer skills as it helped me to assimilate quickly into a new environment. Good soccer skills is easily a social asset wherever I went. It was also a talking point, because unlike most parts of Singapore, soccer is one community where being Chinese is actually a form of “minority experience”. So when my non-Chinese friends see me on the court and recognize that “this Chinese can play”, it always help break the ice and allow me to blend into a new community quickly.

My third value is probably kindness and empathy. It was probably a coping mechanism because I lacked the social skill to story tell and relate to others, as my parents hadn’t told me much stories from their own lives, so I started out with few or no life stories to trade with others. It also doesn’t help that as a low-income family, with my Mum having schizophrenia at a time when not much is known of mental health, internet was not so advanced, that different experience was different in a very bad way. Like when friends invited me to talk about my growing up experience, I didn’t know what to share, and it was a struggle for friends with typical family set up to relate. Sometimes, life and people felt very unkind, but conversely, the lesson I am learning is the importance to be kind and empathetic to others. That became my value.

2. What keeps you up at night? 

This is probably not a very sexy answer, but I think maybe it is some form of a man-o-pause but the older I get, the poorer the sleep quality, and the more susceptible I become to factors like heat which can interfere with my sleep. Unfortunately, aircon is not a good solution as my wife is afraid of the cold, while I am a hot sleeper. Sleep also contributes to well-being, and these days I alternate between good and not-so-good sleep. I have also heard of seniors who give up all vices – smoking, drinking and unhealthy food – to try to get a good night’s sleep. So there is some health upsides surprisingly, but it is still a bigger problem than what I think it is as I experienced it personally. The entrepreneur in me would want to be an inventor someday to solve this problem, which feels very real and very meaningful to me, and to do so with a team.

3. What is your proudest career accomplishment to date? 

I would say the turning point in my career is probably receiving the Queen’s Young Leader’s Award in 2018. I applied for it in 2017, at the age of 25. As a startup founder, it is routine to apply for anything under the sun as we seek resource and visibility for our work. This is one of many things I applied for. 

I recall getting shortlisted and I was asked for my community impact.

Matt's email to the organiser as part of his application for the award referencing his community impact.

Of course, I didn’t really follow up because I had no results to show, and my prior engagement with the various charities to pilot my platform did not translate into a pilot. To my surprise, the committee still reached out and encouraged that I submit my application.

In Matt's application, he indicated that the available results were merely of “potential” rather than “actual”.

I was given the award, which I was very surprised and I asked for an explanation as part of me did not think I deserved it, especially when compared to the other shortlisted candidates. What really touched me was the committee felt I had a lot of potential and gave me the award on that basis. It had a very transformative impact on my own leadership practice. In addition, additional investments came my way and enabled me to build a proper company and try to make a social enterprise work out in Singapore. Surprisingly, I found an email that I wrote to the committee shortly after a journalist reached out to interview me for the award.

Matt sharing his gratitude for the kindness in the recognition in an interview correspondence with media

I wished there was a photo with David Beckham because I recall the committee lined up David Beckham to speak to us and he said that he was very proud of all of us and wished his children can grow up to be like us. This meant a lot to me as I grew up watching Manchester United at a time when they were dominating the sport.

Shaking hands with the Queen and receiving the award, 2018

4. What fills your cup? 

I feel very energized for the work I do as I know I have the space to contribute my talent towards under-served issues in society. In particular, through my work, I hired and worked with persons with mental health issues and disabilities such as Autism. Most recently, I caught up with my ex-colleague and sought to prepare the application for her to be recognized for her achievement, growing her career in IT at a time when AI is taking away most software jobs. Her niche and hardwork as a Quality Assurance Engineer and the way she learnt to manage her disabilities offers important lessons for her community. Despite these, it took a lot of convincing to let her know she has worked so hard and deserves to own her achievement by applying her to the “Achievement” category rather than “Promising” category. But I’m glad we did so, and we look forward to the results coming out this November.

Matt's ex-colleague with Autism, 2025

5. In your current season, how do you stay positive/focused? 

I read the news – Straits Times, Business Times – on a daily basis. On a weekly basis, I will listen to the audio version of the Economists, and from time to time, catch up on some key news and commentary from ZaoBao as well as Jom’s Singapore This Week. Though the news may be gloomy, I especially value the gift of understanding the news, accessing knowledge in English because these were skills that I had to struggle to attain. And I found that information are bridges that help us to connect with people wherever we go. We just don’t know what information will be most material in which setting. 

Apart from news, I draw a lot of positive vibes from fulfilling my parental duties, like taking my baby to morning walks (though it is somewhat a monologue at this phase) and also sharing my learnings on LinkedIn. Even if it is serving a sample size of one (n = 1, i.e. myself), I also think the process of writing my reflection helps elevate my own growth. Sometimes, it attracts kindred spirits and like-minded individuals, and the learning compounds from there. For example, I have been thinking how to translate my ability to put my thinking and ideas into writing, and transfer those capabilities to write better slide decks. I am glad to be advised by friends who worked with McKinsey Management Consultants, and am also encouraged to explore various AI tools that can complement my ability to write better slide decks.

Ultimately, I think leading an intentional live, knowing your strengths and why you do what you do, it all plays a big part in maintaining and choosing experiences that adds to one’s positivity.

6. Please leave us your well wishes for SG60. 

I hope for a kinder and friendlier Singapore where families—and the wider "family" of society—support one another through life’s ups and downs. My own family was my anchor when I faced setbacks, but not everyone has that privilege. This is where collective kindness matters most. A collective SG60 gift to Singapore and Singaporeans that we can each uniquely shape and offer as citizens. 

On my family’s most recent trip to Taiwan, we took the wrong train with non-reserved seats (due to a last-minute switch of tickets and location), but a local quickly gave up her “universal love” priority seat so that my wife can rest, carrying an infant in arm. We then spent the remaining train journey exchanging travel tips, discussing the cultural difference between various cities in Taiwan, including whether it has a better value-for-money to go for Mandapop concerts in Taipei vs Kaoshiung.

I wish for a Singapore where such warmth, kindness and hospitality become second nature to us. So that all guests and children of our own can feel embraced by the love of society. It would be a global city that I would be proud to call home, and one where more married couples feel confident to start a family.

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and do comment your thoughts on my posts and reflections too!

Once again, in celebration of SG60, let us strive to be bolder and kinder to one another, for Singapore and ourselves.

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