Warren Fernandez is a Senior Fellow, Head of the National Security Studies Programme, and Editor of RSIS Publications at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). He also serves concurrently as Senior Advisor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI).

With more than three decades of leadership experience across journalism, media, and strategic communications, Warren has held several prominent roles, including Editor-in-Chief of the English, Malay and Tamil Media Group at SPH Media and Editor of The Straits Times.

Prior to joining RSIS, Warren was Chief Executive Officer for Asia Pacific at Edelman, where he developed deep expertise in building and sustaining trust in an increasingly complex global environment. His career spans the transformation of the media landscape, providing him with first-hand insight into digital disruption, evolving information ecosystems, and the changing dynamics of public trust.

An active contributor to public service, Warren currently serves as a Board Member of the National Arts Council and Deputy Chairman of the National Library Board. In 2023, he was appointed a Member of the Public Service Commission by the President of Singapore. He has also served as President of the World Editors Forum, Chairman of the Asia News Network, and Chairman of The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

Warren holds a First-Class Honours degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from University of Oxford and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

• Geopolitics
• Geoeconomics
• Security and trust in society and information

• Member, Public Service Commission (PSC)
• Deputy Chairman, National Library Board (NLB)
• Board Member, National Arts Council (NAC)
• President, World Editors Forum, June 2019 to 2023
• Chairman, Asia News Network (ANN), January 2019 to December 31, 2021
• Chairman, The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, October 19, 2015 to January 31, 2023

RSIS Commentary Series

• With or Without You: U2 Comes to Shangri-La

  04 June, 2026

• The Collision of Imbalances Shaping a More Contested World – and Why Tariffs Are Not the Answer

  13 May, 2026

• Reading in the Age of AI: A Life Skill More Crucial Than Ever Before

  23 April, 2026

• Fiscal Firepower in a More Dangerous World

  04 March, 2026

• What Lies Ahead: A Fluid, Improvised, Flexible and Inchoate World Order?

  23 February, 2026

• All Hands on Deck Amid Storms of Conflict and Change

  30 June, 2025

• The Day the Music Died at the Shangri-La as US Projects Hard Power

  10 June, 2025

• Whither Asia in a Multipolar World of Trump 2.0?

  24 March, 2025

• The Art of a Deal in a Trump-Xi Summit?

  04 February, 2025

Annual Reviews

• The Emerging Fluid, Flexible Gx World Order

  14 January, 2026

Authored Books

• What We Read, and Why. Singapore: World Scientific, 2026

Op-Eds

• “With or Without You: U2 Comes to Shangri-La”, The Straits Times , 3 June 2026
• “The day the music died at the Shangri-La”, The Straits Times, 9 June 2025
• “White-knuckle time for Asia as Trump could twist either way”, The Straits Times, 21 March 2025
• “The art of a deal in a Trump-Xi summit”, The Straits Times, 4 February 2025

Ex Straits Times Chief Editor on LKY’s Ideas, Singapore’s Literacy Paradox And Why You Must Read

Celebrating World Book Day with What We Read, and Why

RSIS Podcast on China’s Response to Trump 2.0

Chairperson, RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture by Professor Barry Buzan, “The Rise, Decline and Replacement of the Western World Order”, 9 April 2026

Panelist, Youth Model ASEAN Conference (YMAC) 2026 Opening Ceremony, 6 April 2026

Panelist, EU-Singapore Think Tank Dialogue: Partnering for Resilience in the Indo-Pacific, 17 March 2026

Discussant, RSIS Seminar by Professor Nick Bisley on Asian Crucible: Globalisation, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future, 17 March 2026

Speaker, School Safety, Security and Emergency Seminar, Leading Safety and Security in an Evolving Landscape, 26 February 2026

Chairperson, S. T. Lee Distinguished Annual Lecture by Prof Peter Frankopan, “Multipolar Asia and the Reconfiguration of Global Power”, 23 October 2025

Chairperson, Scene-Setting Lecture, “Multilateralism as a Bulwark in a Changing Global Environment”, The 26^th Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO 2025), 13 October 2025

Panelist, The Inner Circle Gathering – QED Changemakers: New World Disorder: Geopolitical Impact To Businesses, 19 September 2025

Speaker, SGC Dialogue with Mr Warren Fernandez, “Leadership amid Change: How AI, Digital Disruption and Geopolitical Shifts Impact You”, 16 September 2025

Speaker,  SPOT Dialogue with Mr Warren Fernandez, “It’s Your World: What the Changing Global Landscape Means for You and Your Career”, 11 September 2025

Moderator, Fireside Chat for 6th RSIS Trilateral Exchange, “The Future of Engagement” on 27 August 2025

Chairperson, RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture by Professor Hal Brands on “The Eurasian Century and the Future of US Global Leadership“, 21 August 2025

Moderator, International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS 2025), Southeast Asian  Social Cohesion Radar 2025, 25 June 2025

Chairperson, KAS-RSIS Fireside Chat with Professor Volker Perthes on “Germany and Southeast Asia in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape: Common Concerns, Varied Approaches?”, 20 June 2025

Speaker, Thomson Reuters seminar on “Globalization Fatigue? Trade, Business and the Law in A Fracturing World”, ALB SE Asia In-House Legal Summit 2025, 22 May 2025

Discussant, Session 1 – Advancing Peace and Stability Amidst Uncertainties in the Indo-Pacific region, 7^th Korea-Singapore Forum “Singapore-ROK Relations: Looking Towards the Next 50 Years”, 17 April 2025

Panelist, NBS HR Connect 2025 on “Navigating Geopolitical Shifts: Building Resilience for the Future”, 3 April 2025

Panelist, “Journalism Studies In The Age of AI Symposium“, Centre for Information Integrity and the Internet (IN-cube) at WKWSCI, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, 20 February 2025

Chairperson, RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture by Professor Christopher Hughes,  “Japan’s Grand Strategy in The Era of Trump 2.0“, 18 February 2025