Thought Leadership

On 10 November 2023, the Business Families Institute (BFI) held its 10th anniversary conference, “From Succession Planning to Legacy Building”. This acknowledges how family businesses have both supported and benefitted from BFI’s programmes and initiatives. BFI was officially launched by SMU in March 2013 as Southeast Asia’s first regional business-family-centric institute, a few months after it was first established in response to the growing need for research and education.

The latest edition of the Ho Rih Hwa Leadership Lecture series saw Dame Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, share her experiences and perspectives in a conversation with Mr Ho Kwon Ping, the founding and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Singapore Management University.

SMU held its inaugural Sustainability Forum to showcase its multi-faceted contributions to economic, social and environmental sustainability. The event attracted students and educators from a range of institutes of higher learning, representatives from various social-service agencies and non-profit organisations, as well as business owners.  

On 22 September 2023, SMU launched two innovative sustainability programmes – the Master of Sustainability (MST), and a Second Major in Sustainable Societies (SSOC). These were launched as part of a suite of sustainability courses and programmes that aim to develop sustainability leaders and meet the needs of a green economy.

SMU hosts the 2023 MIT Asia Conference in Accounting.  

SMU and The Chinese University of Hong Kong host global forum on Computational Social Science.

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.

Straits Times Education Forum 2023 in partnership with SMU

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.

During SMU’s first Presidential Distinguished Lecturer Series (PDLS) held overseas, in Jakarta, SMU President Professor Lily Kong moderated an eminent panel  who spoke on the importance of developing a talent pipeline pertaining to sustainability in Indonesia, as well as exploring various strategies to help bridge existing skills shortages.