The LKY School conducted in July a one-month Senior Management Programme (SMP), which was jointly developed by the School and the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University. The programme, which took place from June 29 to July 24, brought together a distinguished team of academic experts, senior practitioners and policymakers from the School, SIPA, and Harvard Kennedy School, as well as public and private organisations in Singapore and abroad, to train the participants in leadership and governance.

For the past four years, the SMP, which is the School’s flagship programme, has provided senior executives who are poised to become the next generation of leaders in their organisations a chance to embark on a journey of intellectual and personal renewal to improve their performance. In the same vein, this year’s SMP focused on three themes: Essential Tools for Leaders, Government & Business, and Global Realities. The overall aim of the programme was to help participants gain broader perspectives and heightened awareness of the impact of external forces on their organisations; sharpen leadership abilities and improve self-awareness to lead and inspire better; acquire new management approaches and strategic frameworks to lead their organisations to higher performance levels; and establish a valuable network of global peers from diverse backgrounds who will help expand their horizons and opportunities.

Some of the courses offered were Dynamic Governance, Leadership and Teamwork, Innovation in Financially Challenging Times, Performance Management, Strategic Planning, Advanced Negotiation, and Social Entrepreneurship. The sessions were led by a stellar cast of faculty, who offered a wealth of global experience and perspectives. Additionally, participants engaged in lunchtime discussions and fireside chats with eminent speakers, including business and government leaders, renowned authors, and established academics such as Lam Chuan Leong, ambassador-at-large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore; Frank Siegfried, managing partner, Twin Success Consultants; Sue Suh, management team, Impact Investment Exchange Asia; Tom Plate, internationally syndicated columnist; Hsieh Tsun-yan, founder, McKinsey Center for Asian Leaders; and Kishore Mahbubani, dean, LKY School.

As in previous years, the programme attracted a diverse group of senior executives. The 27 participants with various backgrounds and experiences represented Botswana, Brunei, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

“This is one of the best courses I have ever attended,” said Chiew Choon Peng, assistant director, Water Supply Network, Public Utilities Board, Singapore. “The content of the programme was easy to understand and practical to apply in a working environment.”

Reflecting on the programme, Balakrishnan Madhubala, director (legal), Housing and Development Board, Singapore, said: “Life is a journey and so is learning. You never stop learning, no matter what your age or position in your organisation. This course was very enriching and gave me useful and relevant insights about myself, how to work for my organisation’s interest, my leadership style, and where I can improve. The learning experience was absolutely fulfilling. I have so much to share with my bosses, work colleagues, family, and friends.”

Global Leaders Programme
A new and distinct feature of this year’s SMP was the overseas executive development programme component, run in partnership with the Hong Kong-based Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT). The Leaders Programme allowed participants to apply the leadership skills and insights, gained over the first two weeks of the programme, to tackle a real world development challenge.

The participants spent a week in Vietnam, visiting the Binh Luc Hospital of the Ha Nam province in the River Delta region of Vietnam. The hospital faces uneven delivery of water resources and lacks waste water treatment facilities. This hinders its ability to administer quality healthcare services to the local population and places its patients as well as nearby residents under substantial health risks. They also visited the Nha Xa village in Moc Nam commune, which specialises in silk textile works and only gained access to clean water supply after a non-functioning water factory was revitalised by a private operator in 2005, currently providing water to over 170,000 people in the region.

GIFT facilitated the week-long on-site programme and encouraged participants to use their own experience as well as other market models that they found in their research to develop an investment proposal for the hospital to establish reliable water supply as well as proper sanitation. During their stay, the participants worked with the local government, the Ministries of Health, Environment, Planning and Finance and had the guidance of Lien Aid, a Singapore-based NGO. They prepared and proposed an innovative investment model within a public-private partnership (PPP) framework with the aim of achieving the Vietnam government’s water supply and healthcare objectives. At the end of the week, participants presented their work in the form of a strategic plan at a conference organised by GIFT, which drew an audience from the public and private sectors, including Ernst and Young, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

The participants said they saw this new addition to the SMP as an enriching and unique experience. “The Global Leaders programme in Vietnam made me realise that leadership is about improving people’s lives, no matter what it takes,” said Lawrence Tham, senior assistant director, Planning and Organisation Department, Singapore Police Force.