• SMU Executive Development held second Future Ready Forum on 16-17 March 2016
• NTUC leaders featured in opening interactive session and closing panel discussion
• Executives customised learning from six business areas with 24 speakers’ sessions

The Singapore Management University Executive Development (SMU ExD) held the second Future Ready Forum on 16-17 March 2016 at SMU, inviting participants from various sectors to consider how they could be ‘future-ready’ – what it means, what the outlook and issues are, and how to prepare for the future.

[Photo: SMU Provost Professor Lily Kong at the Forum’s opening address. She highlighted that SMU works closely with industry players on curriculum development and prepares students and executives for the unknown future.]

Organised like a fast-tracked ‘mini university’ over two days for busy executives, the participants personalised their learning curriculum from a choice of 24 bite-sized sessions on trending topics. These were themed in six business focus areas – Digitalisation, Business Strategy, Business Innovation, Human Capital Development, Leadership, and Management.

[Photo: Guest-of-Honour Mr Chan Chun Sing, Secretary-General of NTUC, shared insights on how executives can lead in tomorrow’s uncertain world.]

The highlights included a dynamic interactive session with Guest-of-Honour Mr Chan Chun Sing, Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), on the topic of “Leaders of Tomorrow”. He engaged the audience with his strategic and earnest opinions on excellent leaders’ characteristics and values that can guide future generations.

[Photo (left to right): The closing panel discussion themed “Leaders of Purpose” held on the first day, with panellists Mr Tony Tan, CEO of NTUC Link; Dayu Dara Permata, Co-Founder and Co-Head of GO-JEK Indonesia; Mr Neal Cross, Managing Director and Chief Innovation Officer, DBS Bank; and Mr Shahrukh Mafatia, Senior Advisor at Kerry Consulting. The moderator was Dr Steve Wyatt, Executive Director of SMU ExD.]

Another highlight was the closing business panel discussion on “Leaders of Purpose” with Mr Tony Tan, CEO of NTUC Link, together with three other panellists. The discussion focused on how purposeful leaders do good and do well sustainably.

[Photo: Mr Tony Tan, CEO of NTUC Link, sharing about purposeful leaders at the closing panel discussion.]

In all, the participants heard from over 20 SMU faculty and speakers who are world-class experts in multiple disciplines, and networked with 120 like-minded executive delegates. They benefitted from the sharp and condensed wealth of knowledge, including the latest trends, management insights, and research and findings by SMU faculty.

[Photos (clockwise from top left): Some of the SMU faculty who presented at the Forum included Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Tanvi Gautam; Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources (Education) Thomas Menkhoff; Assistant Professor of Strategic Management (Practice) Anne-Valerie Ohlsson-Corboz; and Professor of Quantitative Finance (Practice) David Lee Kuo Chuen.

The Future Ready Forum is a one-of-a-kind programme that SMU ExD has developed and organised to enable customised, high-impact, cost- and time-effective learning for busy executives.

It anchors on several SMU ExD strengths: drawing on the breadth and depth of multi-disciplinary knowledge from SMU schools, faculty and research to share thought leadership; designing rigorous curricula that are highly relevant in addressing Asian issues with global relevance, in close consultation with the industry; delivering through experienced international speakers not only from SMU’s best academics, but also strong corporate leaders that it works closely with; and further empowering participants through SMU’s highly interactive pedagogy in small class sizes.

SMU ExD advocates lifelong learning and constantly looks at providing PMEBs with continuing education programmes to sharpen their professional skills, expand business capabilities, and stay ahead of the ever-changing marketplace.

SMU is pleased to have NTUC as its strategic partner in bringing the second Future Ready Forum to busy executives. The other supporting partners included EuroCham Singapore, the Singapore Human Resources Institute, and the Singapore International Jazz Festival 2016.

[Photo (right to left): Guest-of-Honour Mr Chan Chun Sing, Secretary-General of NTUC, with SMU Provost Professor Lily Kong, and SMU ExD Executive Director Dr Steve Wyatt.]

[Photo: At the opening of the Future Ready Forum 2016, SMU ExD Executive Director Dr Steve Wyatt welcomed nearly 150 attendees joining the opening address.]