Asmah Alias

As the Museum Director of Children’s Museum Singapore, Asmah is responsible for overseeing the museum’s strategy, programmes, exhibition curation, and day-to-day operations.

With an extensive background in the museum and heritage sector, Asmah’s career includes serving as a former lecturer at Republic Polytechnic and as the General Manager of the Malay Heritage Centre. Since 2018, she has also been a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) CECA (Committee for Education & Cultural Action) Board and played a pivotal role in bringing the ICOM-CECA Annual Conference to Singapore for the first time to Southeast Asia in 2023.

With over 15 years of experience in the museum, heritage, and education sectors, Asmah has developed a broad range of expertise and a proven track record of success.

Asmah Alias will be speaking at the MuseumNext Forecast Summit 2025 :

Small, Mighty, and Magnetic: The Future of Children’s and Community Museums

In a rapidly changing world, small and children’s museums are uniquely positioned to lead with agility, empathy, and imagination. This presentation explores how these institutions—often underestimated are becoming essential hubs for community connection, play-based learning, and social impact. Through future-focused shifts, we’ll reframe scale as strength and spotlight how small museums can drive big change. Featuring real-world innovations from our museum, this session will inspire museum professionals to think deeper, act boldly, and embrace the power of proximity. The future of museums isn’t just large, it’s local, inclusive, and playfully impactful!