Terence Kok
Enterprise AI Strategist · Author · Keynote Speaker
Executive Director, AI Governance & Assurance Practice, Orion Five Engineering
Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (IAPP) · ISO/IEC 42001:2023 AI Management Systems Lead Auditor · Registered Management Consultant, Singapore
Biography
Terence Kok is an Enterprise AI Strategist and Executive Director, AI Governance & Assurance Practice at Orion Five Engineering, with twenty-five years leading digital and AI transformation programmes across Asia and the Middle East. He has designed and deployed AI systems for national smart-city initiatives, critical infrastructure projects, and enterprise operations at scale, including a retrieval-augmented generation platform serving more than 6,000 engineers with zero security incidents. His practice spans the full deployment lifecycle: from readiness assessment and governance design through to production optimisation and ROI measurement.
His work centres on three disciplines most AI implementations neglect. First, structured impact assessment before deployment begins, so ROI claims are defensible rather than aspirational. Second, AI governance that maintains accountability as systems scale: oversight, escalation paths, and audit trails. Third, a deployment methodology that closes the gap between pilot success and production performance, drawn from the Eight-Dimension AI Readiness Assessment in AI at Scale: From Pilot to Production, the book he co-authored with Iram Tanvir (Q4 2026).
Terence introduced the Return on Employee (RoE) framework as a counterweight to narrow cost-reduction AI business cases, quantifying the productive capacity gained per person instead: hours reclaimed, decision quality, and cognitive bandwidth returned to higher-value work. He has applied RoE across mid-market transformation engagements, government capability-building programmes, and international development contexts, including the UN ESCAP AI for Developing Countries Forum. He is a Registered Management Consultant, AIGP and ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor, and a retired Singapore Armed Forces officer.
Short bio (50 words)
Terence Kok is an Enterprise AI Strategist and Executive Director, AI Governance & Assurance Practice at Orion Five Engineering, with twenty-five years leading digital and AI transformation across Asia and the Middle East. He has deployed governed AI for national infrastructure operators, government agencies and mid-market enterprises, including a platform serving more than 6,000 engineers with zero security incidents.
Introduction (100 words)
Terence Kok is an Enterprise AI Strategist and Executive Director, AI Governance & Assurance Practice at Orion Five Engineering. Over twenty-five years he has led digital and AI transformation programmes across Asia and the Middle East: national smart-city initiatives, critical infrastructure projects, and enterprise operations at scale, including a retrieval-augmented generation platform serving more than 6,000 engineers with zero security incidents. He is the co-author, with Iram Tanvir, of AI at Scale: From Pilot to Production and the originator of the Return on Employee framework for measuring AI value in knowledge work. A Registered Management Consultant, AIGP and ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor, he advises boards, agencies and owners on taking AI from pilot to production with governance that survives an audit.
Speaking Topics
AI Readiness Diagnostics
The five-dimension framework for assessing whether an organisation is positioned to deploy AI productively.
Governing Agentic AI Systems
How to design oversight structures that maintain accountability when AI acts without human approval for every step.
Measuring AI ROI
Two measurement layers, model performance and business outcome, and what to measure in the first ninety days. Includes the Return on Employee (RoE) framework for workforce-aligned impact reporting.
AI Governance for Non-Technical Leaders
The four governance questions every decision-maker must answer before deploying AI, translated from IMDA and NIST frameworks into plain language.
Selected Engagements
Conversational AI Innovation Summit
InteracTech Asia
9th Chief Digital & Data Officer Asia Summit
CDO Vision Singapore
AI for Developing Countries Forum (UN ESCAP)
FutureCIO Conference
C-Engage Convention
3rd Salalah Engineering Forum
IMDA Digital Transformation Industry Day
What hosts say
His work moves beyond theory into real-world action. I wholeheartedly recommend Terence for his deep expertise in integrating innovation with sustainable business practices.
He is a leading voice in AI-driven urban transformation, and I recommend him to anyone seeking insight, credibility, and forward-looking leadership.
Formats
- Keynote: 30, 45 or 60 minutes
- Panel: panellist or moderator
- Moderator: plenary or track sessions
- Closed-door executive briefing: board, C-suite or agency leadership, under NDA on request
- Half-day workshop: facilitated, with a benchmarked readiness score
You will hear back within one business day.
Technical requirements
- Lapel or headset microphone preferred
- Own laptop with HDMI or USB-C output
- Slides in 16:9
- Confidence monitor and clicker appreciated
- A 30-minute tech check before the session
Travel
Based in Singapore. Available in person across Asia and the Middle East, and virtually worldwide.
Headshots and logo
- Colour portrait (PNG, 896 x 1120)
- Black and white portrait (PNG, 928 x 1152)
- Headshot (PNG, 896 x 1152)
- TK mark, navy (PNG, 215 x 179)
Thumbnails, logo variants, award artwork and usage terms are in the media kit.
This one-sheet exists because event organisers are busy and shouldn't have to dig through a full bio to find what they actually need: what I speak on, where I've spoken before, how to reach me. I still remember the first panel invite I said yes to, mostly out of nerves about whether I had anything worth saying. I did, and I've kept saying yes when the topic is one I've actually lived through. If that's this one, let's set it up.
