A group of thought leaders consisting of industry practitioners and SMU faculty members gathered together on 18 and 19 March 2014 to discuss strategies to unlock the power of innovation and drive growth across Asia in the inaugural SMU Executive Development’s Business Leaders Forum entitled “Innovation and Growth Strategies”.

Truly a meeting of minds, the seminal forum was the perfect platform for a high-quality exchange of views, insights and experiences between prominent SMU faculty members and élite business leaders in diverse industries, from financial services to technology to consumer goods.  

The impressive turnout included senior management such as Mr Wong Yuet Nan, Executive Partner and CIO Consultant, Asia Pacific Executive Programmes, Gartner Inc. (Singapore); Mr Aman Dokania, Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Division of Hewlett-Packard; Mr Lee Tiong Heng, Partner in Deloitte; Mr Sumit Bhasin, Vice President of Global Prestige Research & Development at Procter and Gamble and Ms Saw Phaik Hwa, Group CEO of Auric Pacific Group Limited.

Renowned lead speaker, Professor George Day, Geoffrey T. Boisi Professor from Wharton School of Business, kicked off the session based on his research and consultancy work and shared the approaches and strategies companies could use to find the best growth opportunities and the speed to move from ideas to impactful execution.

Other prominent speakers within the forum included eminent faculty from Goizueta Business School, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, Professor Jagdish Sheth; Dave and Jeanne Tappan Chair in Marketing, USC Marshall, Professor Shantanu Dutta as well as SMU’s very own President Professor Arnoud De Meyer; Provost, Professor Rajendra K Srivastava; and Executive Director of SMU Executive Development, Mr Steve Wyatt.

[Photo: Thought leadership innovation in perpetual motion (L to R): Prof Arnoud De Meyer, President of SMU; Prof Rajendra K Srivastava, Provost of SMU; Mr Steve Wyatt, Executive Director of SMU Executive Development; Prof George Day, Geoffrey T. Boisi Professor, Wharton; Prof Shantanu Dutta, Dave and Jeanne Tappan Chair in Marketing, USC Marshall; Prof Jagdish Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing, Goizueta Business School]

Mr Neil Cross, Vice President of MasterCard Labs, Asia, Middle East and Africa, offered a succinct observation, “I wanted to understand, firstly, am I doing it right and how do I benchmark against industry practice? Secondly, to pick up new frameworks to enable me to be a better innovator. It’s been a great experience, like a five-day course delivered in two. The ability to get feedback and learning, how everyone has a voice and gets to engage so it’s not a one-way presentation … the way the programme was structured and the takeaways were delivered very well. Indeed, SMU has a great brand here and beyond.”

[Photo: Exchanges that continued into tea breaks]

Other participants also chimed in.

Ms Ooi Huey Ting, Country Manager, Singapore and Brunei from Visa Worldwide, commented, “It has been a very exciting journey. The course leaders are very experienced; they understand the challenges of innovation and issues that are relevant to working people like us. I also like the exchange and engagement within the classroom setting where the materials and experiences shared were all very insightful.”

Ms Kwek Hwee Choo, Managing Director - Strategy and Innovation, APAC, BNY Mellon, added on, “To have so many thought leaders under one roof in two days and to have the chance to interface with so many market practitioners provides me with a pulse check in terms of what I have been doing and to see where we are going. It has far exceeded my expectations. The speakers gave many concrete examples in innovation, not just in the global arena but which were relevant to our market in Asia. Such perspectives are really helpful.”

In closing, Mr Steve Wyatt, Executive Director of SMU-ExD said, "We hope that this leadership forum demonstrated an additional dimension to what SMU has to offer. SMU Executive Development has a comprehensive suite of programs designed for senior executives and C-Suite candidates keen to keep abreast of new developments and stay ahead of an evolving world in need of new knowledge and best practice.”

SMU Executive Development Business Leaders Forums provide opportunities for C-Suite executives to exchange perspectives and insights with recognised global thought leaders. By invitation only, each forum is focused on key topics of relevance, such as managing across borders, innovation-led growth strategies, human capital and business strategy.

[Featured photo: A class of business leaders in a meeting of minds and ideas]