Talk about a ‘Perfect 10’!  The long-standing SMU postgraduate programme – the Master of Science in Wealth Management (MWM) – celebrated 10 years of establishment on 10 October 2014 with an anniversary event which saw the gathering of about 150 alumni, faculty members, corporate partners and current students.

Established in 2004, SMU MWM is distinctive for the fact that it was developed in close collaboration with the Wealth Management Institute (WMI) and receives strong support from the wealth management industry.  Programme participants benefit from a broad-based education and get strong grounding in wealth management through interactions with practitioners and academics.  With a two-week study block at the Yale School of Management and the Swiss Finance Institute, they are also exposed to the international wealth management scene.

Beginning with an inaugural class of only 37 students, the programme, which welcomed its 11^th cohort this July, has grown over the last decade and graduated no less than 437 participants from across 23 countries.

Notably, the programme, also achieved a #2 position in The Financial Times’ (FT) Masters in Finance Post-experience Ranking 2013, making SMU the top institution in Asia to be ranked.

[Photo: Prof Francis Koh speaking to 150 alumni, faculty members, corporate partners and current students at the MWM 10th anniversary celebratory dinner.]

Professor Francis Koh, SMU’s Vice Provost (Special Projects) and Academic Director of MWM, said “10 years have passed by very quickly.  Our programme has graduated a pool of talents working in the industry in a variety of roles, such as in private banking, personal banking, asset management, family offices, endowment funds, private equity, real estate, as well as sovereign wealth funds, just to name a few.”

“We now have alumni working across the globe, in China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, London, Malaysia, Switzerland, Taiwan, and contributing to the growth of the wealth management sector in Asia and beyond,” he added.

In his address, SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer, commented that the programme is aligned with the three pillars of SMU’s Vision 2025 which he had recently announced.  “(The SMU MWM) is innovative in its teaching, it is built on the research of our faculty, and it is creating buzz in the financial city.  I’m very pleased with the achievements of this programme and congratulate all of you for contributing to the reputation-building of the programme and our university,” he said.

[Photo: SMU President, Prof Arnoud De Meyer.]

Guest-of-honour Ms Jackie Wong, CEO, Temasek Management Services and Member of the WMI’s Board of Directors, said, “More than ever before, wealth managers must embrace a continuous journey of continuing and upgrading their skills and capabilities in order to stay relevant and differentiated.  Often it is the journey from good to great – from being a good wealth manager to being a great, trusted advisor.  This journey is where well-designed training programmes can play a key role.”

At the dinner, Professor Koh also reminded all alumni of the motivation for establishing the MWM in the first place.  “We wanted to provide a pipeline of wealth managers with the 5 C’s – Competent, Client-centric, Compliant, Connected, and have strong ethics and Character.”

Indeed, in keeping with the SMU ethos, MWM has recently become the first SMU postgraduate programme to raise an endowed fund to support needy SMU students.  Under the MMM Study Award Fund, up to two study awards will be given out each academic year to needy undergraduates and postgraduates majoring in Wealth Management.

[Photo: Guest-of-honour Ms Jackie Wong, CEO, Temasek Management Services and Member of the WMI’s Board of Directors.]

To date, over S$200,000 have been raised from local and overseas alumni across the 10 past cohorts, with the highest single donation of S$16,000 coming from Saahil Sethi, from the graduating class of 2014. Generous contributions also came from the Mr Ng Kok Song, Chairman of WMI, WMI Board Members, as well as SMU faculty members.

Saahil, who is presently a Relationship Manager with Citibank, was appreciative that the MWM has made a difference in his career.  "It has provided me with a strong knowledge base, practical internship training and immense networking opportunities to make a smooth transition as a Relationship Manager from the insulated Indian market to the vibrant wealth market in Singapore.  This post-graduate programme is globally ranked and powered to equip aspiring wealth managers with the necessary skills to manage their clients’ portfolios from a multi-currency and global-markets perspective," he said.

In support of the Study Award, WMI also launched the MWM Study Award Fund Referral Programme at the event, and pledged to donate $1,000 for every successful person referred to the MWM July 2015 Intake by a MWM alumnus.

Ms Jackie Wong commended the MWM Alumni Committee for setting up the Fund and lauded the accomplished alumni who had not forgotten those who are less privileged than them.  “I think it is a very worthy cause and one good example of how the MWM alumni can contribute to supporting the development of the next generation of wealth managers,” she said.

Here’s bringing you some happy snapshots from the anniversary dinner, taken amid the warm camaraderie, good food, sparkling wine and celebratory toasts:

[Photo: Catching up with old friends, toasting to more good years, and not missing out on a group selfi.]

[Featured photo: MWM 5th graduating cohort with Prof Francis Koh (front row, 3rd from right)]