Over 100 guests comprising alumni from the Wharton School and Singapore Management University (SMU), as well as academics, industry experts and participated in the Wharton-SMU dialogue on Monday, 5 March 2018. Supported by Tanoto Foundation, the dialogue featured a panel discussion on the topic ‘The New World Order: Implications for Asia and Global Trade’. This event was graced by Guest-of-Honour former Singapore President and SMU Honorary Patron Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, and it marked the 20th year since the Wharton School collaborated with SMU on curriculum design, faculty development and various other research areas.
(L to R): Mrs Tinah Bingei Tanoto and Mr Sukanto Tanoto (Founders of Tanoto Foundation), former Singapore President Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam (Guest-of-Honour), Professor Arnoud De Meyer (President of SMU)
Collaborative relationships
Mr Bey Soo Khiang, Chairman of Tanoto Foundation’s Board of Governance also welcomed guests and highlighted that it was not the first time for the three institutions to collaborate together. “Tanoto Foundation together with APRIL, a business unit of RGE, annually hosts the Wharton-SMU Global Modular Course for students when they are in Indonesia. There, the students learn how a business operates on the basis that it must first do good for the community, good for the country, good for climate, good for the customers, only then will it be good for the company.”
“This Wharton-SMU Dialogue is a recognition of the importance of developing strong relations across borders, of bringing people together and forging strong partnerships committed to fostering unity, and of improving lives to tackle various uncertainties in an increasingly disruptive world. This is even more critical for the continued development of Asia, as it continues to fulfill the role expected of it in a world that is pivoting more and more to the East”, he added.
The Wharton-SMU Dialogue at SMU Hall on 5 March 2018