“Dreams are tax free”: Victor Ng on learning, leadership and giving back
“Dreams are tax free; feel free to dream.” For Victor Ng, that philosophy has guided a career spanning more than three decades across public service, global finance and digital innovation. The foundations of that journey can be traced back to his time at Birkbeck, a period he describes as “intense and energising”.
Victor arrived at Birkbeck in the 1970s with a clear interest in econometrics, drawn to its ability to connect economic theory with the real world. “Economics can sometimes feel abstract — beautiful castles built on clouds,” he reflects. “But econometrics gives you the tools to test ideas rigorously using data.” He graduated in 1978 having studied for both a BSc and MSc at Birkbeck.
Birkbeck was, in his words, “a genuine hub of intellectual ferment”. He adds: “It was an environment where rigorous analysis and large ideas coexisted, occasionally argued, and sometimes bought each other a pint. Loads of youthful, adventurous exuberance and the kind of unbounded idealism that believes the world is simply waiting to be corrected.”
He remembers clearly his dissertation: “We had to crunch out statistical and complex equations and models with a clunky ICL Mainframe computer in a computer lab! Such econometric modelling could today be done in one’s mobile phone.”
His university experience was enriched by the diversity of the student body. Studying alongside peers from Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia, Victor was exposed to a breadth of perspectives that would shape his global outlook. It was also a time of intellectual freedom and experimentation. “Inexperience was part of what made that period so powerful,” he says. “You attempt things that a wiser person might politely decline.”
After graduating, Victor began a career that would take him across industries and continents. From consulting at KPMG in Singapore where he gained exposure to private equity and fund management to roles in investment banking, private equity asset management and venture building, he moved from advising on decisions to making them. Time spent in Silicon Valley and New York during the internet revolution placed him at the heart of one of the most transformative periods in modern economic history.
His work has continued to evolve into the 2000s across technology and renewable energy — sectors, as he puts it, “that always seem just about to change everything.” Alongside this, he took on board roles across publicly listed companies, helping to guide businesses through mergers, acquisitions and initial public offerings in global stock exchanges in London, Singapore, Malaysia and New York.
Alongside his work in global markets, Victor maintained a strong commitment to public service. In Singapore, he contributed to government committees and served on the Board of the Public Transport Council, engaging with issues that directly affected people’s daily lives. His contributions were recognised in 1992 with the Public Service Medal (PBM).
“Public service has been a constant thread alongside my professional career — a useful reminder that not everything worth doing is measured in Return on Investments,” he says. “Leadership carries an obligation to contribute. The world lends you its platform — it is our duty to pay back.”
That same sense of responsibility underpins his continued connection to Birkbeck. Having once been a scholarship student himself, Victor is passionate about supporting future generations. “Birkbeck played a formative role in my life,” he reflects. “It gave me intellectual grounding, global exposure, and the confidence that comes from having survived one’s own inexperience. Giving back is about ensuring others have access to the same — especially now, when education, technology, and global connectivity are more intertwined than ever.”
In a world shaped by rapid technological change, Victor believes Birkbeck’s model of education is more relevant than ever. He says: “In a world reshaped by AI and accelerating change, the capacity to keep learning is not just a virtue — lifelong learning is an essential survival skill. But Birkbeck’s deeper strength has always been its diversity: people from different ethnic groups, cultures, and countries, forced by circumstances to think together.”
For current students, his advice is both practical and aspirational. Balancing work and study may be demanding, but it builds resilience. Staying curious, building global connections and holding on to a sense of purpose are, he believes, essential.
He says: “The world will keep changing — technology, markets, ideas - but if you stay engaged, keep learning, and build meaningful connections, you’ll always find your place in it.” And, as he puts it: “It’s better to be a participant than a spectator. Passion has no expiry date.”