Tham Jun Han
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I’m Tham, Co-founder and COO of Friendzone, and I’ve spent over a decade designing learning experiences and facilitating conversations in both public service and the community space. My background is in engineering, but I quickly realised my passion lay in creating environments that bring people together to reflect, share, and connect. From running futures thinking workshops for senior leaders to building neighbourhood chats, I’ve always been driven by how design can spark trust and understanding.
What do you do at Friendzone? What excites you about the work?
At Friendzone, I lead programme design and impact evaluation, making sure every event or tool we create doesn’t just feel good in the moment, but actually strengthens social cohesion in the long run.
What excites me is seeing how something as simple as a structured conversation can shift mindsets, dissolve barriers, and even create entirely new support systems for people.
What’s your big dream for Friendzone?
I dream of a Singapore — and eventually a world — where approaching a neighbour, colleague, or stranger for a chat feels natural, safe, and rewarding. My hope is that Friendzone becomes the go-to space for building the kind of deep, trusting social capital that makes communities resilient and people feel less alone.
What’s your favourite programme you’ve designed so far? Why?
One of my favourite events has to be our early neighbourhood gatherings, where 20 strangers sat under fairy lights and cushions to talk openly about life. It was a simple setup, but it showed me that when you design the right environment, meaningful friendships can spark instantly. That proof of concept has shaped everything we’ve done since.
What’s the most underrated thing about working on Friendzone?
People often see our events, but what they don’t realise is the amount of thought and design behind the scenes — from crafting the right questions, to training facilitators, to creating follow-up channels that keep connections alive. It’s less about a single moment and more about building a whole ecosystem for friendships to grow.
What’s a memorable Friendzone moment that restored your faith in community/friendship?
After one of our Tampines neighbourhood events, a neighbour got so excited he invited everyone from our Telegram chat over to his place for what he called a “Friendzone Tampines Family Meal.” He whipped up paella on his brand-new stove, and it turned into an evening of food, laughter, and easy conversation. Moments like that, when someone’s enthusiasm sparks a gathering that feels like family, remind me why this work matters.
What’s one quirky thing about you?
I say “welcome” to replace greetings in almost every context. It started in university when I was welcoming people to project meetings, and somehow it stuck with me. It can be very strange, especially when I’m at someone else’s place and I say “welcome” to them, but it helps me reduce my own awkwardness in new social settings :)
What’s a friendship lesson everyone should know?
Friendship starts with curiosity. Ask the first question, take the small step to show up, and you’ll be surprised how often that leads to deeper bonds that genuinely change lives.