Singapore Management University Announces Composition of its New Board of Trustees

[12 January 2004]
Singapore Management University Announces Composition of its New Board of Trustees

Singapore Management University (SMU) today announced the appointment of five prominent business personalities and a senior government official to its Board of Trustees. They are:

  • Ms. Chan Lai Fung, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of the Environment
  • Mr. Timothy Chia, President, PAMA (Singapore) Pte Ltd
  • Mr. Michael Edward Dee, MD & CEO, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Asia (S) Pte
  • Mr. Sanjiv Misra, Citigroup Country Officer, Singapore, Citigroup
  • Mr. Narayana Murthy, Chairman, Infosys Technologies Ltd
  • Mr. Chartsiri Sophonpanich, President, Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited

Commenting on the appointments, Mr. Ho Kwon Ping, Chairman of SMU’s Board of Trustees, said, “We are honoured to have the leaders of some of the most outstanding companies in the region join our board. The rich diversity of perspectives and experiences that each of them bring to the team dovetail with SMU’s strategic intent to groom outstanding business leaders and creative entrepreneurs capable of excelling in a rapidly changing and dynamic world. I look forward to working with the new board to help drive SMU forward.”

Eleven of the existing members of the Board of Trustees will be reappointed on either a one or three-year terms. The terms have been staggered for different members to ensure continuity within the board. SMU has also announced that five members will be stepping down .

About the New Board of Trustees Members

Ms. Chan Lai Fung
Ms. Chan Lai Fung is the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment. Prior to her current appointment, she has held senior positions in the Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, and the Prime Minister's Office. In 2002, Ms. Chan was awarded the Public Administration (Silver) Medal by the President of Singapore for her contributions in public service. Ms. Chan is currently a Board Member of the Singapore Tourism Board.

Mr. Timothy Chia
Mr. Timothy Chia is the President of the PAMA Group Inc. Prior to joining PAMA, he was Vice President – Investment of American International Assurance Company Limited (AIA). Mr Chia currently serves on the boards of several private and publicly listed companies and Government linked companies in Singapore and the region. He is a keen supporter of the arts and other philanthropic efforts in Singapore.

Mr. Michael Edward Dee
Mr. Michael Dee is a Morgan Stanley MD and the CEO and Head of its Singapore office with responsibility for Morgan Stanley’s ASEAN business. Mr. Dee has spent over 20 years at Morgan Stanley and has played a key role in some of its major transactions. He is a member of the Economic Review Committee’s sub-committee on Taxes, Wages, CPF and Land Use and is also in the Domestic Competitiveness Sub-Group. He is on the board of the Asian Civilisations Museum, Make-A-Wish Foundation and a member of the South West Community Development Council (CDC) Corporate & Volunteers Relations Committee, and a council member on the IBF Council.

Mr. Sanjiv Misra
Mr. Sanjiv Misra is Citigroup Country Officer for Singapore and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Corporate and Investment Bank in Singapore and Brunei. As CCO for Singapore, he chairs the Country Coordinating Committee involving heads of other Citigroup businesses in the republic. As GCIB Head, he has responsibilities for Citigroup’s corporate banking, corporate finance, investment banking, global transaction services, equities, fixed income and treasury activities in Singapore and Brunei. Prior to joining Salomon Smith Barney in January 1997, Mr. Misra spent over ten years at Goldman Sachs & Co, in New York, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Mr. Narayana Murthy
Mr. Narayana Murthy is the Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He served as CEO of Infosys for twenty years, handing over the reins to a fellow co-founder in March 2002. Mr. Murthy also serves as an independent director on the board of the DBS Bank, as a director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India, as the co-chairman of the Indo-British Partnership, and as a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry. He is an IT advisor to several Asian countries. Mr. Murthy has been the recipient of numerous awards and honours, such as the World Entrepreneur of the Year 2003 by Ernst & Young, and Asia's Businessmen of the Year for 2003 by Fortune magazine.

Mr. Chartsiri Sophonpanich
Mr. Chartsiri Sophonpanich is the President of Bangkok Bank, the largest commercial bank in Thailand. Under his leadership, Bangkok Bank has expanded its operations and now has a local network of over 600 branches and 12 million account holders. Along with his responsibilities at Bangkok Bank, Mr. Sophonpanich is currently the Chairman of the Thai Bankers’ Association, a board member of Visa International – Asia Pacific, a director of the Thai Asset Management Corporation, Thai Airways International and the Post Publishing Public Co. Ltd., and a member of the committee of the International Human Resource Development Foundation. He is also a director of the National Science and Technology Development Agency, Ministry of Science and Technology.

List of Board of Trustees Members who have been reappointed

3-Year Term
1. Mr Ho Kwon Ping, Chairman, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts
2. Prof. Janice Bellace, Director, Huntsman Programme in International Studies and Business, Samuel A Blank Professor of Legal Studies, Professor of Management, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
3. Prof. John Rodney Niland, President Emeritus, University of New South Wales
4. Mr. Chan Yeng Kit, Deputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Education
5. Mr. Tan Kee Yong, Chief Executive, Singapore Land Authority

1-Year Term
1. Mrs Fang Ai Lian, Chairman & Managing Partner, Ernst & Young
2. Dr. Victor Fung, Chairman, Li & Fung Group
3. Dr. Gan See Khem, Chairman & Managing Director, Health Management International Ltd
4. Mr. Latiff Ibrahim, Partner, Harry Elias Partnership
5. Mr. Kuok Khoon Ean, Executive Advisor, Kuok (S) Ltd
6. Dr. Loo Choon Yong, Executive Chairman & Group Medical Director, Raffles Medical Group Ltd

List of Board of Trustees Members who are stepping down

1. Dr Han Cheng Fong, Deputy Chairman, Centrepoint Properties Ltd
2. Mr. Jaspal Singh, Deputy Secretary (Communications), Ministry of Transport
3. Mr. John Wong, Partner, General Atlantic Partners
4. Mr. Kwek Leng Beng, Executive Chairman, Hong Leong Group
5. Mr. Cheah Kean Huat, Chief Executive Officer, WyWy Office Solutions Pte Ltd