In today’s world, it’s no longer what makes you tick, but what makes you tap. To better understand Prof Ho Teck Hua, who took office as the fifth President of NTU in April, HEY! invited him to show us what’s on his phone. He gamely agreed
by Foo Jie Ying / Videos by Ashraf Z & Vivian Lim
Prof Ho, 62, is a man on the move. The NTU President is a prominent behavioural scientist who is also the founding Executive Chairman of AI Singapore and President of the Academy of Engineering, Singapore, just to name a few of his national appointments.
Outside of work, Prof Ho is a devoted family man and doting grandfather. You may catch him looking at photos of his three grandkids in between work appointments. “I’m an impatient man. I like to move quickly to get things done. But with my grandchildren, I’m exceptionally patient,” he says with a smile.
FOOD DELIVERY APPS
A self-professed foodie, Prof Ho makes it a point to go for a delicious sit-down meal once or twice a week. On other days, the suite of food delivery apps he has downloaded does the job. Breakfast is usually a bowl of his favourite wonton mee from Old Airport Road ordered through Grab and shared with his wife, or some yong tau foo which he eats together with oatmeal. “I’m picky about food, not in terms of price but taste… I hope to persuade people to come forward to sell good quality food in NTU. I want people in NTU to eat well,” he says.
LOCK SCREEN WALLPAPER
Prof Ho’s lock screen wallpaper is a photo of himself (taken recently by NTU’s communications team). “I’m not narcissistic,” he says immediately. “It’s so that if I misplace my phone, people who pick it up know who it belongs to and can return it to me.”
LINE APP
With his two children and three grandkids – Daphne, Ethan and Kyrie – based in the United States, Prof Ho stays in close contact with them through chats and calls on the Line messaging app. Family has always been a priority for the doting granddad – in fact, he is treating the entire family of nine to an overseas holiday in Asia at the end of the year for some quality family time.
E-COMMERCE APPS
Prof Ho is also a savvy user of e-commerce apps. Sussing out the good deals comes naturally to him as he is a marketing professor by training who did his doctoral studies in decision sciences at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He recently bought six shirts in different colours! He lives on campus and often shops at Prime Supermarket at the North Spine, where he often goes unnoticed when he dons a face mask.
“Iron Man is depicted as being proud or impatient sometimes. He has to overcome his shortcomings in order to succeed. Superhero characters encourage us to embrace others around us. We can all work together, despite our perceived flaws and quirks, to achieve great things!”
– Prof Ho on his favourite superhero
FAVOURITE PHOTOS FROM HIS CAMERA ROLL
One cherished photo in his camera roll is a handwritten letter he received for his birthday from his daughter, a former high school teacher. “I have been receiving these letters from her each year since she was 15 years old,” he beams. Prof Ho says he is an “American parent” who gave his children a lot of privacy and space growing up. “I didn’t check their grades. I’m just their cheerleader,” he adds.
WORK APPS
A man of many hats, Prof Ho is adept at time management. Little wonder that Outlook is one of his most heavily used apps – he likes to check his inbox on the go so he can reply to e-mails promptly or hop on a quick WhatsApp call with his colleagues to be updated on urgent matters or resolve issues. He believes in engaging the ground, and the importance of teamwork. “That’s why I enjoy meeting faculty and staff,” he explains. He also recently met some student leaders to hear their concerns and suggestions for improvement.
HEALTH APP
Outside of work, Prof Ho stays active with yoga, strength training and going on the stationary bike. The Health app on his iPhone 14 doubles up as his personal health assistant that tracks the rhythm of his daily activities. Aside from exercise, Prof Ho, who is usually in bed by 10pm, monitors the quality of his slumber through his sleep ring, a nifty tracker worn like a wedding band, that is synced to the Health app.
Aside from following NTUsg on Instagram and other social media platforms for the latest buzz, Prof Ho eagerly refreshes his Instagram feed for posts and stories of his family in the United States, especially of Kyrie, one of his granddaughters who is 1.5 years old.
This story was published in the Jul-Aug 2023 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
