Despite the current global economic crisis, NUS Business School retains its dynamic focus, drawing on its strengths to keep in steadfast pursuit of its mission – to educate and empower global business leaders of the future. Spirits are kept high by the number of accolades the School continues to earn for its achievements and initiatives in both local and international arenas.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NUS Business School and HEC Paris on a Strategic Partnership and a new joint MBA double degree represents a significant milestone. Both institutions will achieve a higher level of synergy, and the offerings of programmes in NUS Business School and HEC Paris will be enriched.

Our students continue to do us proud, and we extend congratulations to our undergraduates for clinching the top spot at CaseIT 2009. Our Business-Law double degree students also deserve applause for coming in first at the 4th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition 2009 held in Paris.

We had the opportunity to welcome several eminent Deans from top international business schools, as well as play host to over 20 business school Deans from China who visited NUS Business School on a learning trip.

An insightful talk entitled 'Managing through a Crisis' given by Mr Ron Widdows, President and CEO of Neptune Orient Lines, drew more than 110 participants. The First Singapore Conference on Quantitative Finance, and the Seminar on Investment Strategy and Diversification, both hosted by Saw Centre in conjunction with the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Phillip Capital respectively, also drew healthy numbers of attendees. This reflects the strong partnerships that we have with the industry and we will continue to build such ties in the coming year.

I look forward to sharing more triumphs with you in the months ahead.

Prof Bernard Yeung
Dean and Stephen Riady Distinguished Professor of Finance
NUS Business School

HEC Paris - NUS Business School Strategic Partnership Signing

NUS Business School signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Strategic Partnership and a new joint MBA double degree programme on 13 February 2009 with Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) Paris , ranked for the third consecutive year as the top business school in Europe by the Financial Times. Held at the University Hall, the event was witnessed by RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State for Education and Information, Communications and the Arts, and His Excellency, Pierre Buhler, French Ambassador to Singapore.

With the unprecedented increase in EU-Asia trade relations since the 1990s, and 10 years of successful collaboration between the two institutions, the MOU is a timely one in the context of globalization of management education. The Strategic Partnership aims to support educational, professional and cross-cultural projects and activities in management research and education among students, faculty, staff and business communities of the two institutions.

The new NUS-HEC Paris Double Degree MBA programme aims to provide solid business training and international exposure by building on each institution's excellence in management education. The programme will increase the options for students of both institutions who want in-depth business knowledge in Europe and Asia , and benefit students both ways - the NUS MBA is designed with a strong Asian focus combined with best practices from around the world, and the HEC Paris MBA focuses on building leadership characteristics that empower.

The signing of the MoU signifies further commitment to joint cooperation, and continuing efforts to cement collaboration ties between the two academic institutions.

NUS Business School hosts top Deans

Ron Widdows delivers talk on weathering the economic crisis

Learning from the best

Investment seminar advocates diversification to preserve and multiply wealth

First Singapore Conference on Quantitative Finance

Saw Centre, together with the Institute of Mathematical Sciences hosted the First Singapore Conference on Quantitative Finance. The Conference served as a platform for researchers and academics to share research findings on applied quantitative financial models framing complex derivative instruments for the management and mitigation of financial risks.

Prof Tan Eng Chye, Provost of NUS, delivered the opening speech and stressed the importance for market regulators and users to understand financial models and the underlying risks of each for optimal use instead of outright accusation of financial models as the cause of the current financial tsunami.

A total of 110 participants, consisting of postgraduates and PhD students, faculty members and public members attended the conference. They were given insights by Prof Duan Jin-Chuan, Director of Risk Management Institute, Prof Juri Hinz from Department of Mathematics and Assoc Prof Melvyn Sim from Department of Decision Sciences, among many speakers.

Congratulations on new appointments

Scoring double wins for BBA

Our students Elaine Hee and Anderson Quah, together with Wong Wei Ming from School of Computing , topped CaseIT 2009, an annual international undergraduate business case competition with a strong MIS focus, organised by Simon Fraser University.

4th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition

On 7 February 2009, the student leaders of the newly elected NUS MBA Student Council for 2009 had the opportunity to go through a planning and team building session at National Center for Leadership Institute (NACLI). The 30-member team spent two days brainstorming, deliberating and planning for various initiatives for the upcoming year.

Caleb Chew, a staff member of the MBA Programme Student Development Unit, was on site to guide the team in their planning.

Futsal for charity

The “Futsal Fury” fundraising tournament took place on 14 February 2009 at the Sports and Recreation Centre, and received overwhelming response, with teams from Accenture, NTUC Income, KPMG, GE, BHP Billiton and INSEAD in attendance. Organised by the our MBA students in collaboration with the Sports Club, the event raised over $1,500 with proceeds going to ‘Patient Care Centre' (PCC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Assoc Prof Albert Teo , Director of Centre for Social Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy, was also present to join in the fun.

Daniel Coutinho, captain to one of the INSEAD teams, said, “We had a great Saturday morning and lots of fun. We are looking forward to joining you guys in any future NUS events.” Kevin Goh, captain of team KPMG, commented, “It was a very well-run event and we enjoyed ourselves. We look forward to attending similar events in the future.”

Team INSEAD (white jerseys), team GE (light blue jerseys) and 3 FAS official referees posing for the final shot at the end of the game.

Over 70 current and exchange students turned up for a night of sumptuous BBQ food and fun on 8 February 2009, at a block party organised by the MBA Office. Held at Prince George's Park, it was a cosy time where students could meet their peers out of the classroom and savour a much-welcomed break from studies.

Launch of NUS MBA Alumni Mentorship Programme

YMCA-NUS Commencement Ceremony

Ms Chew Gek Khim, Chairman of National Environment Agency and Deputy Chairman of Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, was the Guest-of-Honour at the Commencement Ceremony held at the NUS University Hall. The evening was hosted by Prof Kulwant Singh , Deputy Dean of the NUS Business School, with support from Global Alumni Network Office and Centre for Social Entrepreneur Ship & Philanthropy. Guests and friends of the graduates, course staff and facilitators were on hand to receive certificates of completion and letters of appreciation.

17th CEO Unplugged

Over 80 students and staff got up-close and personal with two influential corporate figures on 9 February 2009 at the 17th CEO Unplugged session at the Shaw Alumni House.

Howie Lau, General Manager and Executive Director, Lenovo ASEAN/Korea and Stanley Tan, Chairman of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, were speakers at the session. Both speakers were engaging and sincere, and responded actively and enthusiastically to questions. The event was akin to a two-hour mass mentoring session where the audience learnt more on how these corporate leaders manage their careers, and their perspectives on the current economic situation.

Prof Tan Hwee Hoon of SMU was the moderator during the talk, which was rounded-up with an insightful and lively panel discussion.

Ready to usher in the Year of the Ox

The Global Alumni Network Office hosted over 60 Chinese alumni at a dinner at Roland Restaurant on 7 February 2009, to usher in the Year of the Ox. The annual event, a much-anticipated one by our Chinese alumni, was also attended by many guests, including Assoc Prof Quek Ser Aik, Vice-Dean for Undergraduate Studies, and Assoc Prof Brian Hwarng, Academic Director of our double degree MBA programme with Peking University , and other NUS Business School faculty and staff. Entertainment highlights of the evening, aside from the abundant spread of good food, included table games and lucky draws. The event is certainly a meaningful way to celebrate the festive occasion.

Northern China Alumni holds forum on for future economic opportunities

NUS Business School Northern China Alumni Network and the Finance Intelligence Club hosted the 2009 New Year Forum in Beijing on 10 January 2009. The theme of the forum was “China's Economic Opportunity in Dealing with Global Financial Tsunami”.

Suzhou Alumni Association celebrates Chinese New Year 2009

On 11 January 2009, more than 20 alumni from Shanghai, Suzhou and other locations in China gathered in Suzhou to celebrate Chinese New Year 2009. Organised by Mr Zhou Bin(APEXC 2000), Vice Chairman of Suzhou Alumni Association, the alumni enjoyed a day of corporate visits, sight-seeing and of course, a wonderful feast.