DBS Foundation's Karen Ngui says ageing isn’t the problem, outdated perceptions are

In the race to stay young, relevant and culturally plugged in, brands have long prioritised younger audiences, often overlooking the growing influence, needs and spending power of older consumers.

That disconnect is becoming harder to ignore. As Singapore enters “super aged” status, with more than one in five people aged 65 and above, rising to one in four by 2030, Karen Ngui, head of DBS Foundation, believes the bigger – and more fundamental – issue is not about societies ageing, but how ageing is framed.

Ngui was a keynote speaker at Content360 Singapore. Spending over 20 years leading the marketing and communications function at DBS, most recently Ngui took on the role of head of DBS Foundation.

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Too often, she said, ageing and retirement are viewed through a deficit lens. That gap, she noted, presents both a societal and marketing challenge.

“Businesses that are forward thinking would realise that there is a whole longevity economy,” she explained during a fireside chat.

As a bank, DBS has always believed in doing well by doing good and, with its history as the Development Bank of Singapore, this comes with the idea of building forward. She added that often brands take the stance of “giving back” when going about their impact efforts – but that suggests maintaining the status quo. Instead, it should be around building forward, which means making things better.

That thinking underpins DBS Foundation’s focus on helping vulnerable segments to build better and break out of cycles of disadvantage. With many of its key markets ageing rapidly – including Singapore, which faces a roughly 10-year gap between lifespan and health span – the Foundation is also ramping up on helping people “age with dignity and purpose". 

“The assumption is that retirement is linear. You're born, you go to school, you get an education, you work, you have kids and then you stop work, right? But that's not the case anymore," said Ngui.

Instead, she pointed to a more fluid model, where younger people take breaks or “mini-retirements”, while older individuals continue contributing in different ways.

“I don't think life should be that binary, and seniors still have much to contribute,” said Ngui, adding: 

To not tap into what seniors can offer, it's a huge loss to society.

In an AI-driven world, that balance becomes even more critical. Seniors bring “the wisdom of experience, critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, decision making skills,” while younger generations bring digital fluency.

Across her work, Ngui is deliberate about impact, even if it takes time. DBS Foundation does not support programmes unless they are scalable, sustainable and have the potential to help drive systemic change. That same philosophy extends into marketing.

From storytelling to story-doing

At a time when every brand is trying to tell a story, Ngui’s view is stark.

“Brands must walk the talk, you know, not just talk the talk,” she said. “The best way to be authentic is not just tell stories, but actually do it first before we tell the stories."

That insistence on “story-doing” has quietly underpinned one of Asia’s biggest brand transformations.

When Ngui first joined DBS in 2005 as managing director and head of group strategic marketing and communications, she did not see a clear brand. What she found instead was a long-standing purpose that had not been fully articulated.

DBS began life as a spin-off from Singapore’s Economic Development Board, set up to support national development. Its early history includes decisions that prioritised quality of life, from pioneering AutoSave accounts to anchor-tenant concepts that reshaped mall culture.

Rather than invent a new purpose, Ngui returned to that DNA and made it explicitly customer-centric.

“Live more, bank less” became the clearest expression of that shift, despite internal resistance at first.

“The customer wants to spend less time, less hassle banking. Of course, we want the customer to bank more with DBS, but that's about us. But if you put it from a customer perspective, that's when it resonates,” said Ngui.

The line was tested through research, with customers interpreting “bank less” as a signal of strong digital capabilities.

Putting “Sparks” back into the bank

The same thinking carried into content.

Long before branded entertainment became standard, DBS launched “Sparks”, a mini-series built around human stories of bankers and clients. It was designed to answer a simple question Ngui set herself: “Why DBS?”

At the time, she noticed there were plenty of shows about doctors or lawyers, with Suits among the inspirations, but none about banking, creating an opportunity.

Those stories didn’t come from a boardroom brainstorm. They came from business colleagues and front liners who shared real stories and moments that felt particularly special. "Banking is not just about a transaction, it's about a relationship that you build with your client, so we wanted to hear stories of those relationships," said Ngui.

The results show that, done right, this kind of content does more than entertain. Sparks currently has four seasons, 32 episodes, 1.5 billion views and over 86 million engagements, said Ngui, adding that Sparks also helped shape brand perceptions along the way.

Perhaps most interestingly, Sparks became a recruiting tool. Ngui recalls meeting colleagues who told her that Sparks was "life changing".

“When they were interviewing in different banks they went to Google to search to see and learn more about the banks, and that's when Sparks popped up," said Ngui. "Some of our colleagues shared that they would not have joined DBS if not for the fact that they saw Sparks and thought that banking isn't so boring after all.”

Across both brand and foundation work, the throughline remains consistent: Impact must be lived, not just told. Her final advice reflects that belief.

“Feel free to swim outside your swim lanes. Don't be afraid to be a rebel with a cause. Just learn and if it doesn't work, fine, at least you've learned something," she said, adding: 

If you have a voice, it's only useful if you use it right.

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