President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has conferred national awards on three business leaders from the manufacturing sector for their significant contributions to Singapore, the Economic Development Board (EDB) said on June 13.
Mr Manish Bhatia, executive vice-president for global operations at Micron Technology, was awarded the Public Service Medal (Friends of Singapore), which recognises individuals who have rendered commendable public service to the Republic.
The Public Service Star (Distinguished Friends of Singapore) award was presented to Gary Dickerson, president and chief executive officer of Applied Materials, and Marc Casper, chairman, president and CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Under Mr Bhatia’s leadership, Micron has made multi-billion-dollar investments in Singapore, which have cemented the country’s role as a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain.
Over the past 20 years, Micron has invested more than $40 billion in Singapore and currently operates four memory wafer fabrication plants and a test and assembly centre here.
At the ceremony, Mr Png Cheong Boon, chairman of EDB, said: “Mr Gary E. Dickerson, Mr Marc Casper and Mr Manish Bhatia have significantly expanded the presence of their respective firms in Singapore, benefiting our local ecosystem through the creation of good jobs and business opportunities.
“Applied Materials, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Micron are stalwarts in Singapore’s manufacturing sector, and their activities have deepened and strengthened Singapore’s semiconductor and healthcare industries, contributing to our continued attractiveness as an investment destination.”
Mr Bhatia, 52, a second-generation American whose parents migrated to the United States from Sindh, now part of Pakistan, said: “I love Singapore for the talent pool it has, there are many qualified students and youth here who can contribute so much to the semiconductor industry making Singapore a forerunner in it. I see the industry continuing to grow here.”
Mr Bhatia also shared that he enjoyed his stay in Singapore with his family between 2018 and 2021 when he oversaw the process of NAND flash memory facilities built by Micron.
“Both my family and I loved our time here and we got an apartment to reside in when we visit,” he said.
Before Micron, Mr Bhatia, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, served as the executive vice-president of Silicon Operations at Western Digital Corporation.
He has played a crucial role in shaping Micron’s commitment to building a strong pipeline of semiconductor talent in Singapore.
For instance, Micron launched a comprehensive partnership with the five polytechnics in Singapore in 2023. This partnership includes providing 20 scholarships annually to polytechnic students with a passion for engineering and an interest in the semiconductor industry.
On being conferred the award, he said: “I am honoured to receive the Public Service Award on behalf of Micron and our strong team of nearly 9,000 members in Singapore. As semiconductors become an increasingly integral part of our lives, we look forward to continuing our partnerships with the Singapore government and ecosystem partners to drive technology innovation in the years ahead.”
Between 1998 and 2023, 49 senior business executives have been awarded the Public Service Star, while 49 have been presented the Public Service Medal.
