SMU’s leaders and faculty members showcased the University’s multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary research, thought leadership and entrepreneurship related to cities and sustainability at the World Cities Summit in Singapore. The University also helped to organise the Science of Cities Symposium there to highlight innovation and technology's impact on building resilient, inclusive communities.

The SMU Industry Leaders Dialogue in China was themed as “Financing a Greener Future: China and Southeast Asia” and also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SMU and the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SingCham) in China, as well as the launch of the SMU School of Accountancy Beijing Alumni Group.

The book, Behind the Banyan: Ho Kwon Ping, which Mr Ho launched at SMU on 21 May, walks the reader through his experiences as he steered hotel chain Banyan Tree through various milestones and challenges – including the recent pandemic when it had to operate with zero occupancy at many of its properties.

SMU’s business case club, Team Cognitare, has continued its strong track record, this time clinching the title of Global Champions for the second consecutive year at the prestigious International Case Competition @ Maastricht (ICC@M).

SMU Overseas Community Service Project (OCSP) Project Gazaab aims to empower youths in Nepal by imparting business knowledge and skills to them, enabling them to realise their potential as entrepreneurs. For the 12th iteration of the project, SMU volunteers from Project Gazaab Nepal XII made the trek to Nepal’s remote mountain villages to teach local students entrepreneurial skills.

To systematically help postgraduate research students, SMU’s College of Graduate Research Studies held the second Singapore Rising Scholars Conference in May 2024, with 60 papers by presenters from 22 institutions around the world.

The launch of the inaugural overseas edition of SMU City Dialogues took place in Bangkok on 9 May 2024, centred around the theme “Growing Asia’s Secondary Cities – Challenges and Opportunities.”

SMU President Professor Lily Kong has been conferred the highly prestigious Royal Geographical Society Victoria Medal 2024 for conspicuous merit in social and cultural geography and in urban research.

SMU has officially launched its representative office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, known as the SMU Overseas Centre Ho Chi Minh City (OCHCMC) – a significant step in SMU’s mission to foster knowledge sharing and regional collaboration as a gateway university in Asia.

SMU Odyssey – an annual student-led mentoring platform for professionals and students to forge connections – this year, embraced the theme Charting the Voyage and drew together close to 800 participants, including 220 alumni and 38 C-suite speakers across various industries.