Manila, 4 October 2017 (Wednesday) – Singapore Management University (SMU), a premier university in Asia internationally recognized for its world-class research and distinguished teaching, has today hosted its inaugural Industry Leaders Dialogue in the Philippines, supported by Ayala Corporation and the SMU Alumni Chapter in the Philippines. The conference tackled how the future economy react to the effects of disruption, its impact on jobs and education, as well as what businesses are doing to manage the rise of disruptive innovation and the ripple effect in the ever-changing environment.

SMU also launched its International Advisory Council in the Philippines to establish, strengthen and deepen SMU’s collaboration and engagement with the government, academic and business communities in the country. The SMU International Advisory Council seeks to collaborate with and involve friends of SMU and its alumni to reach out to corporates and grow the friends of the SMU community in overseas countries. The Council will provide platforms for active engagements between SMU’s overseas alumni, international students, and the local business community and academia.

About 150 business, government and academic leaders from the Philippines, SMU senior management and SMU alumni in the Philippines, were present at the event which was held at Fairmont Makati in Manila, Philippines. Among the dignitaries present were Her Excellency Kok Li Peng, Singapore’s Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines who gave the welcome address; Mr Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation and a member of SMU Board of Trustees; and SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer.

Professor Arnoud De Meyer said, “The forces of change and disruption are inexorable and have a profound impact on jobs and education. While we have to embrace these changes, we also need to have a good understanding of the impact these forces will have, and to calibrate our education system accordingly so that our students will be prepared and equipped to thrive in this fast-changing world.

“This Industry Leaders Dialogue is therefore timely and forms an integral part of SMU’s overall efforts to deepen our understanding and collaboration with the Philippines. The Dialogue serves as a platform for industry leaders, academia and other stakeholders to share, discuss and debate ideas and issues about the Philippines that are current and relevant.”

“The Philippines is in a unique position, where various forces are disrupting the status quo—the country’s demographic dividend, the pervasive effect of technology, and the strong drive for inclusive growth. This Dialogue is an excellent venue to unearth these themes and see how industry and academe can work together towards a common goal,” said Mr Zobel.

Professor Arnoud De Meyer delivered the keynote address on ‘The Future Economy: Digital, Jobs and Education’ in which he outlined the disruptors and drivers of change that will impact the education landscape. Professor Gerard George, Dean of SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business, then spoke about the importance of leadership in the new-fangled business models and market game changers in his speech on ‘Navigating Innovation’.  

Professor Philip Charles Zerrillo, Executive Director of SMU Centre for Management Practice moderated a panel discussion on ‘Disruptors vs Innovators in a traditional marketplace’. The panel members were Mr Jimmy Thai, CEO of Primer Group and Mr Ramon B. Segismundo, Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources and Corporate Services at Meralco, both of whom are members of SMU International Advisory Council in the Philippines. Joining them on the panel were SMU alumni Ms Deborah Wee, Co-founder and Head of Operations of HipVan Pte Ltd, and Mr Lai Chang Wen, Co-founder and CEO of Ninja Logistics Pte Ltd.

This was followed by a leadership dialogue on ‘Future Challenges and Disruptions in South East Asia’ with Mr Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala, Chairman & CEO of Ayala Corporation, Mr Edgar O. Chua, Chairman of Makati Business Club, and SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer. The session was moderated by Ms Cathy Yang, Managing Editor and Anchor at ABS-CBN News Channel.

SMU’s International Advisory Council in the Philippines

Professor De Meyer added, “In addition to the Industry Leaders Dialogue, we have also established the International Advisory Council made up of prominent and esteemed business leaders from the Philippines to support SMU’s efforts to build its international reputation as a premier university in Asia that is internationally recognised for its world class research and distinguished teaching. We look forward to having their advice and guidance to further develop our engagement with the Philippines.

“The success of this Industry Leaders Dialogue and launch of the International Advisory Council in the Philippines come on the heels of our successful effort in Myanmar in July this year, and will provide added momentum to our plan to roll out similar initiatives to other countries in the region where we have a sizable alumni base and established relationships with local academia, businesses and governments.”

SMU’s International Advisory Council in the Philippines, chaired by Mr Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO of Ayala Corporation, comprises the following members:

1)     Mr Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala, Chairman and CEO, Ayala Corporation

2)     Mr Richard L. Lee, Chairman Emeritus, The Covenant Car Company Inc., Hyundai Asia Resources and Scandinavian Motors

3)     Mr Jimmy Thai, CEO, Primer Group

4)     Mr Jose L. Cuisia Jr., Chairman, The Covenant Car Company Inc.

5)     Mr Manuel R. Guillermo, Retired CEO of KSearch Asia Consulting, Inc.; Retired Partner of Andersen Consulting (Accenture) and SGV & Co.

6)     Mr Cesar V. Purisima, Former Secretary of Finance, Republic of the Philippines

7)     Mr Ramon B. Segismundo, Senior Vice President, Meralco

8)     Mrs Josephine Gotianun-Yap, President and CEO, Filinvest Development Corp

9)     Mr Kevin Robertson Tang, President of SMU Alumni Chapter in the Philippines (SMU alumni)

The members of the SMU International Advisory Council (Philippines), in their roles as ambassadors of the university, will lend support to SMU’s activities in the Philippines. These activities will include dialogues and panel discussions to raise awareness of SMU’s thought leadership and our areas of excellence, as well as alumni showcase/gatherings and networking sessions. The members may be invited to be panelists, or nominate and help to invite suitable persons to participate in such dialogues and discussions or networking sessions.

SMU’s recent engagements with the Philippines

In the last few years, SMU has steadily increased its engagement with the Philippines. These include:

-        Accounting Study Mission: this is a 13-week course to expose students to accounting and auditing standards, banking, tax, and monetary policies, and corporate governance structures in other countries, culminating with a visit to the respective countries. The study mission to the Philippines took place in April-May 2016.

-        SMU Alumni Chapter in the Philippines: established in 2016 to maintain strong linkages between the growing SMU alumni in the Philippines with other stakeholders in the SMU community. The Chapter currently has 40 registered members. This is SMU’s 11th overseas alumni chapter.

-        Case Teaching & Writing Initiative: SMU’s Centre for Management Practice (CMP) conducted Business case writing and case teaching workshop at Jose Rizal University. CMP has also written several case studies about Philippines, including “Manila Water: From Privatisation to Sustainable Growth”, and “BPI Globe BanKO: Reshaping the Philippines Rural Banking System”, both of which won the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Award in 2016.

-        Faculty visit: Professor Gerry George, Dean of SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business, led a faculty visit to Manila in 2016 where they visited several companies including IT Business Processing Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), Primer Group, Ayala Group, and Unilever as well as the Asian Institute of Management.

-        Exchange partnerships: SMU currently has three exchange partnerships with universities in the Philippines, the highest number amongst ASEAN countries.

          o   Ateneo de Manila University

          o   De La Salle University

          o   University of the Philippines

-        Overseas community service projects in the Philippines: Develop sustainable model for conservation and preservation of reef at Monad Shoal; Educate local community on waste management

          o   Project Ligaya, Manila: teaching English, Math and Art & Craft to children; provide business solutions to the local community on selling handicraft as a livelihood.

          o   Project Reef Alert: raise awareness on marine conservation at the local community schools and assist researchers with field data collection underwater.

-        Support for Filipino students:

          o   Ayala Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration Scholarship: The Ayala Foundation supports four scholarships every year, to motivate outstanding citizens of the Philippines who work for a civil society organisation or government agency and are enrolled in the SMU Master of Tri-Sector Collaboration degree programme. The MTSC is the world’s only advanced degree program in professionalizing partnership development and management. It empowers emerging leaders from the private, public, and people sectors to work together to develop sustainable solutions to the world’s big problems.

          o   Doris and Mick Aw Accounting Study Grants: provide assistance to full-time School of Accountancy undergraduates participating in the Accounting Study Mission.

          o   Wilmar Overseas Grants: supported by Wilmar International Limited, the grants seek to expose students to emerging economies of the world and inculcate in them a pioneering spirit, entrepreneurship vision and sharp business acumen.

          o   Temasek Foundation-SMU Leadership Enrichment and Regional Networking (LEaRN) Programme: the programme seeks to build character in our exchange students through community outreach and giving back to society.

[Caption: SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer (4th from left) with members of the International Advisory Council in Philippines: (from left) Mr Kevin Robertson Tang, Mr Ramon B. Segismundo, Mr Manuel R. Guillermo, Mr Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala, Ms Josephine Gotianun-Yap, Mr Richard Lee, Mr Jimmy Thai, and Mr Cesar V. Purisima. Mr Jose L. Cuisia Jr was unable to attend the launch event.] (Photo: Ayala Corporation)

-        END -

For more information, please contact

Teo Chang Ching

Senior Assistant Director

Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing

DID: (65) 6828 0451

Email: ccteo [at] smu.edu.sg