Singapore, 7 November 2016 (Monday) – The Institute for Societal Leadership (ISL) under the Singapore Management University (SMU) was today officially launched by distinguished Guest of Honour Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies of Singapore, during the Societal Leadership Summit 2016. DPM Tharman also delivered a keynote address on societal leadership.

ISL is the first and only institution in Asia that focuses on societal leadership. The Institute was formed to advance Societal Leadership in Southeast Asia and beyond. It is anchored on SMU’s foundation of academic rigour and aims to achieve a greater applied understanding of societal leadership. ISL seeks to be a thought leader in societal leadership for the betterment of society. It provides a convening and collaborative platform for societal leaders, and is a capacity builder to inspire and develop current and emerging societal leaders.

Professor Arnoud De Meyer, President, SMU remarked in the opening address, “Creating societal impact has always been at the core of what SMU stands for. With the launch of the Institute for Societal Leadership (ISL), we take the next step in our journey of being a socially responsible university, advancing societal leadership and building thought leadership and practices that can help the future of our community, country and beyond. The role we play as an academic institution is critical in advancing the understanding of societal leadership.”

ISL will focus on creating knowledge, convening societal leaders, curating leadership lessons, catalysing change, and communicating good. It has rolled out several initiatives on various platforms to achieve a greater applied understanding of societal leadership – the Societal Leadership Summit, Catalyst Asia, Digital Narratives of Asia, Southeast Asian Global Undergraduate Leaders’ Programme (SEAGULL), Service For Asia Fellowship Programme, Applied Research, Country Insights Labs, Catalyst Conversations, and Partner Programmes. (For more information on ISL initiatives, please refer to the Appendix for the Factsheet.)

The Societal Leadership Summit, ISL’s annual flagship event, is aimed at generating deeper conversations to catalyse the growth of societal leadership. This year’s Summit, which was held with the launch of the Institute, featured over 10 influential speakers who shared key insights on the social impact landscape across Southeast Asia.

The two-day Summit will discuss pressing issues affecting long-term sustainability for social impact organisations in Southeast Asia. The discussion topics included:

• Being Financially Viable – Rethinking the Business Model
• Talent Management – Retaining and Attracting Good Staff
• Burnout – Need for Self-care
• Succession Planning

The distinguished speakers at the Societal Leadership Summit 2016 were:

• Prof Arnoud De Meyer, President, SMU

• Mr Martin Tan, Executive Director, Institute for Societal Leadership, SMU
• Prof David Chan, Lee Kuan Yew Fellow & Professor of Psychology, and Director, Behavioural Sciences Institute, SMU
• Mr Alfie Othman, Executive Director, raiSE
• Mr Arnel Casanova, Advisor to the Vice President of The Philippines
• Mr Ben Cheong, Founder, Magical Light Foundation
• Dr Goh Wei Leong, Chairman & Co-Founder, HealthServe
• Mr Jeff Cheong, President, Tribal Worldwide Asia
• Mr Koh Seng Choon, Founder, Project Dignity
• Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin, Director, The Thought Collective
• Ms Lynna Chandra, Founder, Rachel House
• Mr Ong Boon Hwee, CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre
• Dr Patrick Liew, Managing Partner, Global Enterprise Exchange
• Ms Veronica Colondam, Founder & CEO, YCAB Foundation

ISL hosted the first Societal Leadership Summit at SMU on 26-27 November 2015, focusing on ways to catalyse the growth of societal leadership so as to better deal with Southeast Asia’s (SEA) complex challenges.

ISL is helming the relatively new concept of societal leadership to spur more integrated approaches that lead the way in addressing societal issues.

For more information on ISL, please refer to the Press Release Appendix for the Factsheet, or visit isl.smu.edu.sg.

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Media Contacts:

Charlene Liew

Assistant Director, Corporate Communications

Singapore Management University

DID:     +65 6828 0020

Email:  charleneliew [at] smu.edu.sg