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Hurling herself off a cliff to paraglide was never on Audrey Tung’s radar, but the breathtaking Swiss Alps unfolding beneath her made the terrifying jump worthwhile.
“It was very liberating and mind-blowing,” she recalls of her university graduation trip to Switzerland in 2022. “If you’d ask me to jump off a cliff a few years ago before that, I would never have imagined myself doing it.”
That adrenaline-filled adventure ignited something within her. “You never know what you like or dislike until you try it,” she says.
Today, the 25-year-old Public Service Commission (PSC) scholar is looking forward to yet another challenge – being a part of the team managing Singapore’s reserves in her new posting at the Ministry of Finance under the Reserves and Investment Directorate.
As an associate in the Investment Policy team, Audrey works closely with key partners like Temasek and GIC, as well as develops policies that support sustainable, long-term returns on the reserves.
“I am very intrigued by the work,” enthuses Audrey, who joined the directorate in July this year. “The reserves are a uniquely Singaporean asset which has helped tide us through so many crises – like the 2008 global financial crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic – without racking up a huge debt.
“It is an intergenerational asset that will have a lasting impact on future generations,” she says, adding that her new responsibilities will contribute to safeguarding this asset.
“There is definitely a lot of new information, but I will go in prepared and with an open mind. I can’t wait to see what I can learn from this opportunity.”
When she was a teenager, Audrey’s interest in numbers led her to dabble with stock market simulations online, where one could create a mock portfolio based on real-world stock prices.
“I just bought stocks of what I liked: Disney and Apple. It is fascinating to see how stocks fluctuate and react to news and politics,” says the Methodist Girls’ School and St Joseph’s Institution alumnus.
As she explored finance, another calling was quietly taking root at home. Seeing her father find fulfilment in his role in the defence sector shaped Audrey’s own vision of a meaningful career.
“Working takes up a lot of hours in a week, so I want my work to be aligned with my core values. I saw how my dad’s public service job brought him meaning; that was a pivotal pull towards the public service for me,” she says.
“The reserves are a uniquely Singaporean asset… that will have a lasting impact on future generations.”
– Audrey Tung, recipient of the PSC (Public Finance) Scholarship
This led her to apply for the PSC (Public Finance) Scholarship, which took her to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she studied accounting and finance, and later to Stanford University in the United States, where she did a master’s in management science and engineering.
At LSE, she gained a deeper understanding of how to analyse financial statements and audit reports, rather than simply reading them. One memorable assignment was studying the collapse of British construction and facilities management services firm Carillion.
“I learnt how to look out for red flags and abnormalities in financial documents,” she says.
Audrey put those skills to good use during her time at the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) from 2023 to early 2025. She was involved in the thematic audit on parenthood support measures. “There was never a dull moment,” recalls Audrey of her time at AGO, where each irregularity felt like a puzzle to solve.
Recently, Audrey completed a six-week foundation course designed for new entrants to the Public Service Leadership Programme General Phase, which provided insights into the roles of different government agencies.
As part of the course, Audrey was attached to the Agency for Integrated Care, where she engaged with elderly residents to raise awareness about national schemes like Age Well SG and Healthier SG, while also gathering feedback on how these programmes had impacted their lives.
The experience brought policymaking into real life. “My parents always told me to value relationships and find ways to impact the lives of our friends and family. Similarly, policymaking affects all the different levels of society.
“The visits gave me a first-hand experience of how people may fall through the cracks. I became more aware of that risk and how I can do my best to cover the gaps.”
Despite her fast-paced job and rotations through Singapore’s government agencies, Audrey takes time to unwind. “I brew my own coffee – it is very therapeutic,” she says of her hobby she had picked up while studying at Stanford.
To manage stress, Audrey lives by a simple mantra: Go with the flow. “Life is unpredictable. I never imagined myself going down this route to study in Britain and then the US. It’s okay not to know what you want in life.”
In the past year, Audrey has also picked up long-distance running. She runs 10Ks regularly and plans to complete her first half marathon by the end of the year.
Whether it is setting a new fitness goal or stepping into her latest role managing Singapore’s reserves, Audrey approaches every challenge with the same adventurous spirit sparked by her first paragliding experience.
“You will never know unless you try,” she says.
