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FIRST THINGS FIRST

Office ofBusiness Developmentand External Relations

issue 01JAN 2014

A newsletter of the Office of Business Development and External Relations

SYNERGY

/02 PROF KOH’S MESSAGE

Dear colleagues, friends, partners and supporters,

Warm greetings from the Office of Business Development and External Relations at SMU. 2013 was a great year and we are delighted to launch the inaugural issue of Synergy – the annual newsletter from my office.

I am proud of the synergistic value we have created across the five offices – Business Families Institute, Centre for Professional Studies, Financial Training Institute, International Trading Institute and China Desk in 2013.

Our various activities and programmes have led to value creation in other SMU offices and found meaningful synergy with our lifelong learning partners, research partners, government and corporate entities in Singapore and beyond. We are grateful for the unwavering support of our SMU colleagues and external partners.

I’m glad that each office will share their highlights in this issue.

The team at Business Families Institute, led by Ms Elaine Tan, has made media impact in the past nine months. I thank our founding and affiliate family members as well as the knowledge and strategic partners for helping us build a family-centric institute focused on addressing the needs of business families in the region. We also thank our academic partners for joining our learning journey.

MESSAGE FROMTHE VICE PRESIDENT

Our one-year-old Centre for Professional Studies featured the well-received thematic and industry specific training through the CXO Symposiums on Productivity and the Graduate Diploma Programme In Healthcare Management and Leadership. Ms Kuo Pey Juan and the CPS team have built a sound reputation for high-quality certification programmes for working professionals in non-financial areas.

Financial Training Institute has entered its seventh year offering quality training programmes and setting high certification standards for professionals in the financial services industry. Through the hard work of Ms Chang Chiew Yee and her team, FTI has customised programmes for home-grown banks and regional trading houses – helping to build a pipeline of Singaporean core talent.

The International Trading Institute co-manages the International Trading Concentration offered under the Finance major at our Lee Kong Chian School of Business and links SMU students to the industry. The Maritime Economics Concentration (MEC) was recently launched under the School of Economics. I am delighted that Mr Christopher Chow and his team will now look after both ITC and MEC undergraduates. I give kudos to our commodities trading partners for their unfailing support over the past six years and warmly welcome maritime-related partners for sponsoring and supporting the MEC.

Finally, I am pleased that China Desk is housed with the Office of Business

Development and External Relations supporting President Arnoud De Meyer in championing SMU’s China strategy. Mr Andrew Chin helped establish deep academic partnerships with China’s many universities and we look forward to implementing new projects and MOUs inked in 2014 and beyond.

We have learnt much from the collaboration across this cluster of offices. Many of the business families in Asia are in financial services, commodities and resource industries, maritime businesses, and so on. They are the hidden champions making a difference in their countries and communities. I know the synergy across these offices will continue to grow.

I am grateful to SMU for this opportunity to link these offices to my diverse external activities e.g. speaking at World Economic Forum platforms, serving as a global agenda council member for SEAsia, or on boards, government committees, advisory councils or with Chinese chambers. We look forward to connecting with you in one way or another via the different offices.

Enjoy the first issue of Synergy. I wish you many winning moments in the year of the Horse in 2014!

With warm wishes,

Associate Professor Annie KohVice PresidentOffice of Business Development andExternal Relations

Bright smiles from the team at the Office ofBusiness Development and External Relations, SMU

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The Business Families Institute at SMU is Southeast Asia’s pioneer regional business family-centric institute, focused on the needs of business families in the region. BFI@SMU serves as an educational, engagement and research platform, bringing business families together and offering insights into issues such as business succession and family ownership. It aims to facilitate business families to THINK GENERATIONS, THINK GROWTH and THINK GIVING.

EducationBFI@SMU organises educational programmes, master classes and bespoke workshops for business families as well as business advisors. Topics covered include the following:

• Making sibling teams work for family cohesion and business success

• Being a successor, steward and stakeholder in an inter- and intra-generational business family

• Conflict and communication in business families – from adversaries to allies

• Growing the family business through generational change and governance

• Programme for advisors – understanding family business

THINK GENERATIONS. THINK GROWTH. THINK GIVING.

Business Families Institute addresses the needs of business families in Southeast Asia

SYNERGY - BUSINESS FAMILIES INSTITUTE

A unique aspect of BFI@SMU is that business family members, faculty, practitioners and professionals are engaged to teach in its programmes. It also offers holistic educational opportunities through its sister institutes, such as the private equity modules offered by the Financial Training Institute@SMU and the Next Gen Leadership Series modules offered by the Centre for Professional Studies@SMU.

EngagementBFI@SMU works closely with the following:

• Senior business family members, who share openly at Legacy Lessons Series. In August 2013, Mr Philip Ng, CEO, Far East Organization, shared about “Family Legacy and Stewardship”

• Knowledge Partners, who share their thought leadership at our Knowledge Series on various investment themes

• Sister institutes, such as the International Trading Institute@SMU, which conduct regional and international learning journeys to countries such as Malaysia, Myanmar and Spain.

ResearchOn the research front, BFI@SMU’s strengths lie in commissioned research surveys as well

as bespoke Asian case studies. It is privileged to have provided expert analysis for LGT’s Private Banking Asia Report and UOB’s Asian Business Families’ Dependency on Asia – Balancing Opportunities and Risks Report. BFI@SMU also collaborated with Deloitte Southeast Asia to design, disseminate and deliver the inaugural Southeast Asian Business Families Succession Research Survey Report. The initial scope of this Research Survey Report was focused on Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, but it has also received responses globally. The Research Survey Report provides thought leadership on current succession-related sentiments of business families as well as the strategies and structures in connection with next-generation training and non-family managers and advisors facilitating these transitions.

Visit http://bfi.smu.edu.sg for more information on BFI@SMU.

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BFI@SMU in collaboration with Deloitte Southeast Asia launched a pioneering research report on Asian Business Families Succession – Going the Distance with the Next Generation on 8 November 2013. The survey, which was conducted by BFI@SMU between August and October 2013, covered various countries in Asia, namely Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. It provides valuable insights into the current succession-related sentiments of business families, highlighting key themes that are relevant to business families, such as succession objectives, planning for succession, successor selection process, successor criteria, succession-related challenges, strategies and training needs.

Business Family Management Succession is deemed important to business families and they believe that their Next Generation will be able to take over the family business. Asian family businesses are currently in their developmental stages of a Management Succession Process, with most business families spending at least five to ten years training their next generation. Moreover, a full cycle of a single Management Succession Process takes at least 25 years.

KEEPING THE BUSINESSIN THE FAMILY

Inaugural survey contributes to better Asian businesses’ family successions

SYNERGY - BUSINESS FAMILIES INSTITUTE

Given the significance of the developmental stage of any Management Succession Process, business families will require training and support in the short term (one to two years), in the following areas related to Family Development: (1) Family Dynamics – Conflict and Communication, (2) Family Governance – Constitution and Councils, (3) Family Leadership and Family Talent Development and (4) Philanthropy – Strategic and Sustainable Giving.

Business families acknowledge that Non-Family Management and/or Advisors can play a crucial role in balancing the needs of the business and the family as well as in developing the next generation for succession. Thus, business families are open to and in favour of trusted Non-Family Advisors who are able to facilitate the development and mentorship of their next generation for transition. Moreover, involving Non-Family Advisors in a succession plan may help to objectively balance the collective interests of Business Family Members.

When asked about the challenges that prevent a business family from developing a succession plan, business families indicated that the most prevalent problem is the lack of

inventory among the next generation and the associated difficulties of identifying capable heirs. Families are also highly concerned about sibling favouritism and/or rivalry, which may have a corresponding impact on the development of potential next generation talent. Additionally, succession planning is a medium-term (three to five years) challenge, especially since business families anticipate transferring the management of the business to other family members in the medium term.

In conclusion, a clear succession plan acts like a blueprint and roadmap to business families. It is thus essential to train and mentor the family successor. It is also vital to involve trusted non-family management and/or advisors in the management succession process. Their input can have a profound and positive impact on any succession plan. Lastly, as business families continue to evolve and execute their succession-related development plans, there is optimism that, with appropriate commitment and conscientiousness, business families will be able to pave the way for sustained and fruitful successions.

Prof Annie Koh, VP, Office of Business Development and External Relations, SMUMr Rehan Amarasuriya, Director, BP de Silva HoldingsMr John Riady, Dean at Universitas Pelita Harapan and Founder and Editor of BeritaSatuMs Jamie Lim, Regional Marketing Director, ScanteakMr Tiam Boon Neo, Chief Executive Officer, TA Corporation LimitedMr Tam Chee Chong, Regional Managing Partner, Financial Advisory Services of Deloitte Southeast Asia

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SMU–WDA CXO symposium on the pitfalls and success secrets of implementation

SYNERGY - CENTRE FOR PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

IMPLEMENTING PRODUCTIVITY: SYMPOSIUM REVEALS THE SECRETS

The symposium “Implementing Productivity, Service and Innovation – The Common Pitfalls and Success Secrets” was held on 20 November 2013 at SMU. Organised by the Centre for Professional Studies, it sought to reveal the secrets and pitfalls of implementation.

The symposium facilitator, Mr Robin Speculand, a strategy implementation specialist and Chief Executive of Bridges Business Consultancy International, noted that nine out of ten companies fail in their implementation efforts.

“Leaders today have been trained to plan, not implement,” he said. “Most leaders underestimate the challenges of implementation. When they take their eyes off implementation, so do their staff. As a result, implementation does not happen.”

A compass for implementation What do the leaders of the remaining 10 percent of companies, which are successful in implementation, do differently then? Mr Speculand shared with the participants the “implementation compass” – a framework that helps leaders take the right actions in eight areas, namely people, business case, communication, measurement, culture, process, reinforcement and review.

He said: “If strategy is about making the right choices, then implementation is about taking the right actions. When you are able to drive execution and make change happen, it can differentiate your business.”

Practitioner’s perspectiveSharing the practitioner’s perspective was Mrs Helen Khoo, Executive Director of Wing Tai Retail, the retail arm of property development and lifestyle company Wing

Tai Holdings. Wing Tai Retail manages 18 brands and 122 outlets in Singapore.

Wing Tai Retail has a holistic approach to implementation, one that integrates technology investments with people development, said Mrs Khoo. To put its processes in place, the company has implemented online training, automated manpower scheduling and an ERP system, to name a few technology initiatives. However, Mrs Khoo said, the company’s implementation is largely about getting the right people and gearing a customer-centric mindset in them.

Since 2005, Wing Tai Retail has embarked on customer-centric initiatives that have enabled a change of focus from products and brands to customers. Mrs Khoo said: “We now define our customers according to their attitudes towards fashion, and cater our offerings according to their needs.” With the shift of focus to customers, sales coordinators are now fashion coordinators who are professionally trained to offer fashion advice to customers.

A valuable experienceThe symposium was the third and final session in the SMU–WDA CXO Productivity,Service and Innovation Symposium Series designed for senior SME leaders. Each symposium paired a thought leader with an industry veteran to offer perspectives on leading practices and real-world applications.

Mr Speculand said: “What makes this symposium so wonderful is that it brings together the practitioner’s experience and the theoretical approach. The participants were able to get value from both perspectives in one session.”

Noting that the symposium drew insights from different disciplines, Mrs Khoo said: “The symposium was able to inspire the participants to think out of the box, out of their industries. I hope the audience would try out the concepts discussed.”

Symposium participant Ms Chui Fung Yee, Director of Corporate Development at The Happy People Co., said: “The symposium was insightful, especially the tools that the thought leaders shared with us. The topics covered were relevant to the challenges we are facing in the F&B industry.”

“Robin has a way of making his delivery very interesting with lots of illustrations and examples. He shared good tips that we can apply to our strategy implementation,” added Mr S. Rajendran, Director, Container Trades Statistics.

Mr Robin Speculand, Chief Executive, Bridges Business Consultancy International, sharing his insights and expertise

Ms Chui Fung Yee, Director,Corporate Development,The Happy People Co.

Mr S. Rajendran,Director,Container Trades Statistics

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PURPOSE AND LEADERSHIP

In this age of information deluge and perpetual connectivity, “urgent” seems to be the status quo, and demands for our time and attention bombard us from all around.

The principle of “first things first”, advocated by management guru Stephen Covey, therefore, seems more relevant now than ever. To achieve effectiveness, Covey said, we must prioritise work aimed at fulfilling long-term goals over tasks that seem to be urgent but are actually less important.

This can’t be more critical for leaders, for they shoulder more responsibilities to strategise, inspire, mobilise and empower at higher levels, towards the “big picture” – their organisations’ purpose and vision.

How does putting first things first enable effective leadership? Participants of the SMU–SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management and Leadership programme share their perspectives.

Challenges of first things firstMs Sharmila Kannan, Director, Administration, Research Affairs and Support Services, at the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI), said: “The challenge of ‘first things first’ comes in the execution, as it is

often simply much easier to go with the flow dictated by reminders and to-do lists.” Dr Sng Ban Leong, Consultant, Department of Women’s Anaesthesia at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), agreed. He said: “It is easy to lose sight of our purpose amid our busy schedules and heavy workloads, multiple interests and urgent issues.”

However, for doctor-leaders, he said, “It is important to be guided by long-term goals, as these will give us compelling reasons to continue to pursue education and research for medical excellence.”

Ms Annie Goh, Assistant Director, Nursing, at KKH, remarked: “In reality, it can be very challenging to keep our priorities in order while maintaining focus, vision and attending to set goals. However, we do have a choice on how to invest our time and honour it.”

A high-performing team is one that knows which are the right things to work on, said Mr Peter Tan, SingHealth’s Director of Leadership and Organisation Development. But he also acknowledged that it is often hard to do this, as demands come from everywhere, for everything. Priorities also change in fast-paced environments.

“I tell my team that situations do shift, and our role is to continuously adapt so that we remain relevant to the organisation,” Mr Tan said. “The principle of first things first comes with managing expectations and good judgement too.”

Focused on purposeTo overcome these challenges, the leaders have to help their teams see the purpose and long-term goals of their organisations clearly. Open communication is their key strategy to do so.

“Leaders should have a clear set of organisational goals, mission and vision, which is then well reiterated and cascaded to all levels,” said Ms Sharmila. “When everyone is aware of the big picture and the common goals, they will be better able to craft and carry out their priorities in alignment.”

To help her team put first things first, Ms Goh endeavours to lead by example and show them the way. “Enabling the team to learn from one another’s experience and facilitating self-reflection is essential too,” she said. “It is prudent to stop and reflect on what we are doing.

Effective leadership is about putting first things first, say participants of the SMU–SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management and Leadership

SYNERGY - CENTRE FOR PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Ms Sharmila Kannan, Director, Administration, Research Affairs and Support Services, SERI Ms Annie Goh, Assistant Director, Nursing, KKHDr Sng Ban Leong, Consultant, Department of Women’s Anaesthesia, KKH Mr Peter Tan, Director of Leadership and Organisation Development, SingHealth

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We should spend more time on being effective, not just being efficient.”

For Dr Sng, delegation is an important part of his leadership, in order to achieve more. He said: “I will explain to my team how the tasks are individualised to their capabilities and strengths, and how the tasks would help achieve our long-term goals.”

Sharing leadership insightsBefore leaders can help others see the big picture, it is essential that they see it themselves. In fact, the SMU–SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management and Leadership (GDHM), offered by the Centre for Professional Studies in collaboration with SingHealth, was an invaluable opportunity for the SingHealth leaders to understand the business and leadership of healthcare holistically.

The knowledge and skills covered in the programme were wide-ranging, from strategy, leadership and people management to operations excellence, finance management and customer value delivery.

Ms Sharmila appreciated how the faculty brought home insightful theories through real-life application within the healthcare domain. She said: “That facilitated clearer understanding of the concepts and their future applications.”

For Dr Sng, the programme demystified the thinking behind policies and administrative decisions. “It helped me sharpen my perspectives on healthcare management and improve my leadership skills,” he said.

One significant feature of the programme was the exchange of insights among the faculty and the participants. Mr Tan, who found the diversity of thoughts particularly enjoyable, said: “The sharing by leaders from SingHealth and other clusters, facilitated by the SMU faculty, stimulated a rethink of our current ways.”

Ms Goh added: “Faculty and participants from different institutions came together in the programme and opened up new, varied perspectives. The discussions were challenging and thoughtful.”

SYNERGY - CENTRE FOR PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Note: The participants interviewed in this article were from the 5th cohort of the GDHM. The annual programme commenced in July 2013 and aims to develop holistic, broad-minded but sharply focused clinicians and hospital administrators to excel in both healthcare management and business leadership.

Prof Annie Kohengaging with participantsduring the programme

“To achieve effectiveness, we must prioritise work aimed at fulfilling long-term goals over tasks that seem to be urgent but are actually less important.”

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RIGHT TALENTS, SPECIALISED EXPERTISE

As an international trading hub, Singapore has a lot going for itself – a robust ecosystem of trade services such as financing, logistics and arbitration, and incentives like tax breaks and a strategic location along key trade flows.

It is no wonder then that the Republic has been drawing international trading and natural resources companies to locate their regional or global bases here. Singapore has long been an important trading centre for oil; now, it is set to become a leading trading hub for other commodities as well.

As Singapore becomes a significant player in global oil and commodities trading, it is crucial that the industry is supported by professionals with the right knowledge and skills to structure complex commodity financing deals.

According to banking veteran and SMU adjunct faculty Mr Yong Meng, local universities such as SMU have trained a sizable number of aspiring traders for trading companies, but banks and financial institutions still lack professionals with specialised expertise to service the commodity trading industry.

The Executive Certificate in Structured Trade and Commodity Finance, offered by the Financial Training Institute@SMU, addresses this gap. The programme is aimed at equipping participants with the practical skills to analyse, structure and present commodity financing proposals and to control risk exposures.

Mr Yong is one of the three trainers for the programme, which has completed two successful intakes since its launch in March 2013, drawing participants from key local and foreign banks. He has had a distinguished banking career spanning 30 years, during which he headed the trade and commodity finance desks of banks such as AMRO Bank, Rabobank and UOB.

First things first: Imparting knowledge and skillsHe said: “I wish to pass on my knowledge, experience and skills to those who aspire to develop a career in structured commodity financing. To do well in this business, not only do they need to understand financing techniques and skills at a higher level, they also need to appreciate the peculiarities of applying these skills to various commodities and countries.”

The course adopts an industry-specific, real-world case approach. Besides Mr Yong, the other trainers, Ms Bernadette Cenzon and Mr Poon Churn-Yuen, are also industry veterans who share their deep experiences of applying various structures for financing agricultural commodities, oil and metals in Asia.

Mr Yong continued: “All of us have a lot of experience to share; we know what can go wrong, the risks and peculiarities of each country. Our course is practice-oriented, focused on Asian cases. This is the unique proposition of the course.”

One of the senior bankers commented: “What I really liked about the course were the real-life examples and case studies. Speaking from their personal experiences, the trainers shared with us what could possibly go wrong so that we could avoid the same mistakes.”

Another aspect that the participants appreciated was the balanced yet varied mix of participants from both the trading and banking sectors who were able to share how deals were cut and the risks involved from different perspectives.

FTI’s Executive Certificate in Structured Trade and Commodity Finance programme trains talents for the fast-growing sector

SYNERGY - FINANCIAL TRAINING INSTITUTE

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Mr Karim Akbar Sulaiman, a trader at Bero Coffee Singapore, said: “As a trader, I am exposed to only trading most of the time. I gained a holistic view from the course, and I am now able to understand the points of view of bankers and colleagues better. It has been helpful to my work as a trader.”

Ms Jammie Wee, a structure trade finance officer at Gunvor Singapore, agreed. She said: “The way I think about my work has changed thanks to the big picture I gained from the course. Now that I know what catches the bankers’ eyes for deal proposals, I can work better with them to meet our common goals.”

Room for continuous improvementAs Asian economies and their demand for commodities grow, the structured trade and commodity finance industry will continue to develop at a fast pace. Besides gaining the necessary knowledge and skills through formal continuing education, how can practitioners stay ahead?

Mr Yong has this advice for them: “Do a lot of research on your own, learn how deals are made, and be a ‘busybody’ in getting contacts. Always be on the lookout for knowledge, information and experience. You will go far this way.”

SMU FICS Certificate in Commercial BankingPassport to the enriching world of corporate banking Inaugural Intake: 12 Feb – 17 May 2014

Asia is poised to become the largest and fastest growing region in the wholesale banking universe by 2015. Competition has intensified amongst global and regional banks jostling for a stronghold in Asia. With increasing sophistication among clients, banking professionals need to have the relevant knowledge and expertise, to bring value to clients and grow market share.

The war for talent favours those who are well versed with the workings of the industry. The SMU FICS Certificate in Commercial Banking, newly launched by the Financial Training Institute, provides an excellent platform for aspiring professionals, and for financial institutions to groom talent and build capabilities to capture the myriad of opportunities.

The course is designed for entry-level hires and professionals with up to three years’ corporate banking experience. The curriculum focuses on the principles of commercial lending, credit evaluation framework and practical approaches in structuring credit facilities. Benchmarked to industry best practices under the Financial Industry Competency Standards (FICS) framework, this course is aimed at providing a structured training roadmap to acquire critical competencies in commercial banking.

FTI can customise the course for banks and financial institutions seeking to differentiate their bankers from the competition, to meet both business and professional certification objectives. For more information, please contact FTI at Tel: 6828 0563 or Email: fti@smu.edu.sg.

SYNERGY - FINANCIAL TRAINING INSTITUTE

Mr Yong Meng,Adjunct Faculty, SMU

Ms Bernadette Cenzon,Programme Faculty

Ms Jammie Wee,Structure Trade Finance Officer at Gunvor Singapore

Mr Karim Akbar Sulaiman,Trader at Bero Coffee Singapore

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TRADING KNOWLEDGE, GOING GLOBAL

The International Trading Institute (ITI@SMU) was formed as a result of a collaborative effort between the Singapore Management University, IE Singapore and industry partners. Since its inception, it has played a key role in talent development for Singapore’s physical trading sector.

Under ITI@SMU is the International Trading Concentration (ITC), a specialised programme designed to equip undergraduates with the knowledge and skills for physical trading. This includes topics such as trade finance, risk management, international trade law, shipping and the trading of commodities such as oil, cocoa, petrochemicals and coal, amongst others. The first of its kind in the world, ITC has grown from strength to strength since its humble beginnings in 2006 when 22 pioneering students joined its ranks. It has come a long way since then with more than 130 students currently on the programme today.

“We pride ourselves as the first university in the world to offer such a programme,” says Mr Christopher Chow, Director of the International Trading Institute.

International Trading Concentration graduates are highly sought-after talent by the global physical trading sector

Mr Leon Ng, Fertilizer Trader, Koch Fertilizer Asia Pte LtdMr Christopher Chow, Director, International Trading Institute, SMUMr Frederik Groth, Chief Executive Officer, Toepfer International-Asia Pte LtdMr Ng Guangjie, SMU business student and President, 5th Merchant’s Club Executive Committee

From left to right

He added: “ITC is a highly sought-after programme in SMU. Our proudest achievement is our graduates who are able to hit the ground running when they join the trading sector. Not only is there significant interest in the ITC by our students, but there is also a strong demand for ITC talent by industry players. Many of our graduates are making their mark in industry and are now found all around the globe, from Sao Paulo in Brazil, to Kakinada in India, to Austin, Texas in the United States.”

Developing Trading for the FutureThe unique, rigorous and sector-relevant curriculum offered by the ITC is the result of the close relationship that has been developed between ITI@SMU, IE Singapore and its industry partners. This includes companies such as ABN Amro, Shell, Rabobank, Olam and Womar Logistics, to name a few. Christopher shared: “Our close relationship with our stakeholders enable us to keep abreast of the issues and developments surrounding the sector. This allows us to ensure our curriculum remains relevant as we develop the next generation of trading talent.”

SYNERGY - INTERNATIONAL TRADING INSTITUTE

Toepfer International-Asia is an agricultural commodity trading company and an ITI@SMU industry partner which actively contributes to the programme. Mr Frederik Groth, its Chief Executive Officer, highlighted: “We help ITC form the right curriculum to ensure that whatever is taught in the university also fits with industry needs. We want to be sure that the students who work with us are properly trained.”

Industry partners also play an important role through their support for various experiential learning opportunities to the students. These include overseas Industry Study Missions (ISMs) to countries such as the United Arab Emirates, India, China and Myanmar where the students have the opportunity to visit and experience first-hand operations on the ground. Learning opportunities are also provided in the form of internships with their organisations where the students develop real world working experience.

This holistic approach towards education has enabled ITC students to better

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“This allows us to position and train them properly for different functions within our organisation.”- Mr Frederik Groth, Chief Executive Officer,Toepfer International-Asia Pte Ltd

SYNERGY - INTERNATIONAL TRADING INSTITUTE

understand the career path they want to take upon graduation.

ITC alumnus Mr Leon Ng started in operations and market research and is currently a Fertilizer Trader with Koch Fertilizer Asia. When asked about his experience on the programme, he commented: “I got a realistic sense of the trading world from the programme. This helped me realise that trading is what I wanted to do and prepared me for a trading career.”

“We have found that ITC graduates tend to have a clear understanding of what they want to do in life, which is very important for Toepfer,” says Frederik. “This allows us to position and train them properly for different functions within our organisation.” Growing Trading KnowledgeBesides talent development, ITI@SMU also serves as a catalyst for the trading sector. It organises a regular industry speaker series where thought leaders from the trading sector have the opportunity to share their ideas and views to ITC students, industry professionals and government officers.

Mr Ng Guang Jie says: “These sessions provide us with the opportunity to learn from current industry practitioners who are able to provide in-depth perspectives on the commodities sector. This is how ITC adds further value to the programme, making it different from other tracks.”

Charting New WatersITI@SMU’s latest initiative is the recent introduction of the Maritime Economics Concentration (MEC). This specialised programme is tailored to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills for careers in Singapore’s maritime sector.

“The physical trading sector is a comprehensive value chain involving the finance, trading and maritime sectors. The MEC and ITC complement each other and will contribute significantly towards the development of Singapore as a maritime and trading hub,” says Christopher.

Mr Leon Ng,Fertilizer Trader,Koch Fertilizer Asia Pte Ltd

Mr Christopher Chow,Director, International Trading Institute, SMU

Mr Frederik Groth,Chief Executive Officer,Toepfer International-Asia Pte Ltd

Mr Ng Guangjie,SMU business student and President,5th Merchant’s Club Executive Committee

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As a key national university in Singapore, SMU aims to contribute to Singapore–China bilateral co-operations by nurturing China-ready and bicultural graduates, and engaging in top-notch China-related research projects.

SYNERGY - CHINA DESK 中国事务

CHINA DESK

As China plays an important role in SMU’s next phase of growth and international reputation building, SMU formed and officially launched China Desk in late 2012 to focus on enhancing collaboration with existing universities as well as extending its network of partners in Greater China.

SMU President Prof Arnoud De Meyer (梅雅诺) personally leads the SMU China Initiatives. China Desk works closely with SMU’s senior management, schools, institutes, centres, labs and initiatives on SMU’s China strategy and initiatives. It supports the SMU senior management’s China trips and works with schools, institutes and centres to follow up on various potential projects. China Desk also supports the SMU senior management in hosting visits from Chinese partners, including the visit by the President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Highlights of 2013In April 2013, SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer led an 11-member delegation to China. An MOU for the Joint Research Centre on Development Studies was concluded and signed with Fudan University. SMU signed a total of 13 MOUs

SMU’s long-term strategy in China is as follows:• Raise the international profile, brand name and reputation of SMU in China;• Improve the quality of student-intake for SMU undergraduate, postgraduate and executive programmes;• Engage faculty members in common research and PhD co-supervision with their counterparts at leading Chinese universities; and• Engage students in student exchange programmes and internships in China.

with five leading Chinese universities (Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and Sichuan University) on this trip, a major milestone of SMU China Initiatives.

In April 2013, SMU’s Centre for Professional Studies (CPS) entered into separate partnerships with the Singapore Chinese Chamber Institute of Business (SCCIOB) and China’s Sichuan Administration Institute (SAI). Together with an earlier MOU signed with IE Singapore and six other Singapore education providers in January 2013, SMU, through CPS, is able to draw on the diverse strengths and rich networks of its partners to augment SMU’s value proposition in training, research and outreach activities for interested Chinese clients.

Prof Annie Koh,VP, Office of Business Development andExternal Relations, SMUMr Li Xin, Vice President, Sichuan Administration Institute四川行政学院副校院长李新

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中国事务

SYNERGY - CHINA DESK 中国事务

新加坡管理大学作为新加坡重点国立大学之一，希望通过培养具备双元文化的杰出人才和与中国顶尖的科研项目合作来为新中双边交流奉献自己的一份力量。

加强与中国的合作是新加坡管理大学下一阶段发展目标以及在国际声誉的提高上占有重要地位。在2012年底，新大正式成立了中国事务并着重于加强与现有中国高校的合作以及扩展在中国的合作关系网络。

新大中国事务与大学的管理层、学院、研究院、研究中心、实验室及各个部门在中国策略，措施和倡议上紧密合作。例如，新大中国事务安排和协调大学管理层出访中国，积极寻求与中国的潜在合作项目。不仅如此，中国事务同时负责接待中国代表团及合作伙伴的友好访问，如上海交通大学校长今年的新大访问。

新大的长期中国发展战略是:

• 树立新大在中国的国际形象，建立 品牌，提升声誉；• 提高新大本科生、研究生及高级 培训生的招生质量；• 促进新大与中国顶级大学专家学 者们共同研究以及联合培养博 士生；• 推广与中国的交换生与学生实习 项目。

2013年4月，新大校长梅雅诺教授率领11名高级管理人员组成的代表团例行一周的访华，访华期间在院长们和专家们48小时高效率和高质量的研究下，与复旦大学签署了联合研究中心项目。此次访华与中国5所一流大学其中包括清华大学、复旦大学、上海交通大学、上海财经大学和四川大学共签订了13个合作备忘录。此次成功访华成为了新大中国事务的一个重大里程碑。

2013年4月，新大专业教育中心和新加坡中华总商会管理学院 (SCCIOB) 和中国四川行政学院 (SAI) 分别签订了合作协议。连同1月份与新加坡国际企业发展局和六所新加坡教育/培训机构签署的谅解备忘录，新大通过专业教育中心和其它有名的合作伙伴，旨在为中国市场提供更多样化的优质培训和研究方案，同时丰富客户的网络及为他们的人脉增值。

SMU signed an MOU with Tsinghua University新加坡管理大学代表团访问清华大学并签署了《新加坡管理大学与清华大学建立学术合作关系谅解备忘录》

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