Since 2025, TUM Alumnus and international top manager Dr. Thai-Lai Pham has been President of the TUM Alumni Chapter Singapore, contributing to the promotion of education and networking. The picture shows him together with Prof. Dr. Juliane Winkelmann, Vice President for International Alliances and Alumni at TUM, at the opening ceremony for the world's first chapter in Singapore (picture: TUM).
TUM Alumnus Thai-Lai Pham exemplifies TUM’s international appeal: As CEO of Siemens ASEAN and President of the first official TUM Alumni Chapter in Singapore, he combines academic excellence with global innovative strength and actively shapes the future of industry, research, and alumni work.
Thai-Lai Pham’s fascination with the visionary concept of the 1990s of integrating technology into people’s everyday lives led him to Siemens as a working student during his studies, where he earned his doctorate in the field of ubiquitous computing. His doctoral supervisor and mentor, TUM Professor Dr. Joachim Swoboda, had a significant influence on Thai-Lai Pham’s attitude toward working with other people. “He gave me the opportunity to write my dissertation on a topic of my choice,” he says. “He trusted me completely and gave me the freedom to conduct my research on my own.”
BORN IN ASIA, SHAPED IN EUROPE
At TUM, Thai-Lai Pham learned two very important things: how to deal with complexity and how to strive for excellence. These skills have been and continue to be indispensable to Thai-Lai Pham in his impressive career, enabling him to make a significant contribution to every professional project. “The rigorous academic environment at TUM sharpened my analytical skills,” he recalls. “At TUM, I learned to tackle complex challenges and develop innovative solutions.”
I want to prepare young people for a marathon, not a sprint.
FROM THE LECTURE HALL IN MUNICH TO THE INNOVATION HUB OF SINGAPORE
Thai-Lai Pham’s CV shows how studying at TUM not only provides a solid academic foundation, but also opens doors to global leadership positions. He has been working for Siemens for 25 years now, holding various key positions ranging from research and strategy to sales and business and country management, and has worked on three continents: Europe, the US, and Asia.
Since 2019, Thai-Lai Pham has been CEO of Siemens for the entire ASEAN region, managing the company’s core industrial businesses in the areas of digital industries and smart infrastructure from Singapore. Thai-Lai Pham enjoys working at Siemens. Not only because he has never been bored at the company, but above all because he can help develop technologies that aim to address challenges such as climate change, demographic change, and digitalization with solutions. “I am grateful and proud to be able to work on infrastructure projects that positively influence and change people’s daily lives,” says Thai-Lai Pham. “It’s very satisfying.”
ACROSS CONTINENTS AND GENERATIONS
Thai-Lai Pham benefited enormously from Germany’s open and inclusive education system, which gives the whole of society access to education, and from the excellent academic environment at TUM. Since 2025, the international top manager has been President of the TUM Alumni Chapter Singapore, enabling him to give something back and contribute to the promotion of education. “I want to encourage the next generation of young people to pursue an education that gives them a solid foundation and opens up real opportunities in life,” says Pham.
LIFELONG LEARNING
As President of the TUM Alumni Chapter Singapore, Thai-Lai Pham is responsible for the representative duties and strategic management of this form of alumni engagement. In his view, committed alumni are the best ambassadors for a university. “We can use compelling testimonials to demonstrate the strong academic foundation we received at TUM,” says Pham.
Through mentoring and coaching, Thai-Lai Pham wants to offer students an additional dimension of learning. “I want to prepare young people for a marathon, not a sprint,” he says. “They need to know that to have a successful professional career, they need to be strong and resilient and continuously learn new things. The TUM Alumni Chapter Singapore aims to help them develop a growth-oriented mindset so that they are prepared to be flexible and adaptable in the rapidly changing world of work.”
Thai-Lai Pham was significantly influenced by his time at TUM. In particular, the former TUM President Wolfgang A. Herrmann inspired him with his charismatic leadership style. In 2024, Wolfgang A. Herrmann traveled to Singapore specifically to personally present Thai-Lai Pham with a signed doctoral certificate (image: private).
Thai-Lai Pham (Picture: TUM).
Diploma in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology 1998, Doctorate 2001
Thai-Lai Pham completed his diploma in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at TUM in 1998, followed by his doctorate in 2001. He joined Siemens in 1997 as a research assistant in the field of ubiquitous computing and has remained with the company ever since. He has held various management positions in research and development, corporate strategy, product development, and sales in the telecommunications, healthcare, energy, and building technology sectors.
Thai-Lai Pham has been President and CEO of Siemens Vietnam since 2012 and CEO of Siemens ASEAN since 2019. He is also Head of Smart Infrastructure (SI) ASEAN and manages SI’s business, which focuses on the intelligent networking of energy systems, buildings, and industries to improve people’s living and working conditions through greater efficiency and sustainability.
On September 10, 2025, the world’s first TUM Alumni Chapter was founded in Singapore, with Thai-Lai Pham as its president. The TUM Alumni Chapters are the first structured exchange and networking spaces where alumni can not only stay in touch with each other, but also actively work on behalf of TUM – locally, regionally, and globally.
In his free time, Thai-Lai Pham loves to cook and eat. He also enjoys running and playing golf. On weekends, he always spends time with his family and enjoys outdoor activities.
