SMU Leaders

On 20 October 2023, more than 400 alumni, faculty members and current students of SMU’s School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) gathered for a dinner to celebrate the school’s 20th anniversary.

SMU President’s State of the University Address 2023 touched on significant developments, strategic priorities, as well as future endeavours. It took a new and engaging format in embracing SMU’s people-centric thrust: faculty, staff and students shared their experiences and achievements through a series of videos that formed Prof Kong's compelling narrative.  

Twenty years of mutual support and understanding culminated on 29 May 2023, when SMU President Professor Lily Kong was conferred the esteemed Soka Gakkai Singapore (SGS) Friendship Award following the SGS Peace Lecture 2023.

On 10 February 2023, SMU paid tribute to its longest-serving Trustee and Chairman, Mr Ho Kwon Ping who had stepped down from the position. Over two and a half decades, Mr Ho had made an incredible impact on the University and its growth, so it was only fitting that his contributions were recognised by both current and past members of the SMU Board of Trustees and an illustrious guest list of VIPs during the Appreciation Event for Mr Ho held at the SMU Hall.

SMU’s new Chairman, Mr Piyush Gupta, hosted Singapore President Madam Halimah Yacob at the University’s Patron’s Day celebration on 13 January 2023. After two years of holding the event in hybrid format, students, faculty, staff, friends of SMU and the members of the local community enjoyed the much-anticipated annual event live on campus. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of Singapore Management University (SMU) and to commemorate the occasion, SMU students, alumni, staff, and members of the public gathered at Campus Green for an extravaganza event like no other.

President’s State of the University Address 2022 Singapore has long been known as a garden city, and with good reason. The city is home to an abundance of greenery, from the carefully manicured gardens of the Botanic Gardens to the lush foliage of Pulau Ubin.

SMU Vision 2025 was first unveiled in 2014 and now enters its second phase. In her second annual State of the University Address on 4 September 2020, SMU President Professor Lily Kong reiterated the vision for SMU — becoming a world-renowned global city university, tackling the world’s complexities, and impacting humanity positively.

Lim Kexin, a tax director at PwC, recently became the first SMU graduate to be a member of the University’s Board of Trustees To say Lim Kexin is an over-achiever is an understatement.

Take a peek at the bestselling titles in the business section of a bookstore and you will find a slew of books dispensing tips on being a good boss, daring to lead, or even adapting principles from the battlefield to win control of the boardroom. Mastering good leadership, in a time when major corporations remain dominated by cults of personality, is a perennial fixation for those striving to build a successful business.

When Professor Timothy Clark was himself an undergraduate, universities were mere purveyors of a straightforward education. Institutions of higher education were more focussed on an academic education – with minimal emphasis placed upon the application of research in the real world or preparing students for their careers after university. As Prof Clark recalled, “we were not well-supported to think about our futures beyond the university”.