In 2016, a first for Private Educational Institutions (PEIs), we set up six Industry Advisory Boards (IABs) from various sectors to help align its programmes with the needs of industries that were at the top of the Government’s SkillsFuture agenda.
The intention, being primed on industry requirements, was to produce industry-ready graduates, equipped with skills for the 21st century and the 4th Industrial Revolution, who could walk into various industries and add value immediately without having to be retrained.
The six Boards comprise:
- More than 40 external senior executives
- Over 460 years of senior management experience
- A collective representation of companies employing over 22,000 employees in Singapore alone
- Representatives from diverse organisations: 52% MNCs, 38% SMEs and 10% startups
- Representatives with a Singapore/Regional role, about 50% local and 50% foreign in nationality
- 40% representation of female leaders, well above international averages for Boards
The IABs advise Kaplan on the latest trends in various industry sectors and provide valuable input to ensure our curriculum and employability services are relevant to industry demand. This makes it current and based on practical experience. The input is then used to modify our programmes to make them of industry standard to meet Singapore’s labour needs and prepare our graduates to be career-ready.
The IABs also reflect on industry viewpoints, and provide valuable input on employment demands and the qualities that employers look for in graduates. This ensures that the programmes remain relevant to the real world.
Additionally, the IABs suggest ways of engaging the industry to ensure the relevance of programmes and recommend novel ways that industry intelligence can be inculcated into the curriculum. Uniquely, every one of the boards has a technology leader in its membership, capable of injecting the industry’s requirements towards the vision of a Smart Nation.
Note: The Members serve and give advice to Kaplan through the Industry Advisory Boards (IABs) as individuals. Therefore, the IAB Members’ opinions are their own and do not represent the views of their employer.
Kaplan Industry Advisory Board Members
| Accounting, Banking & Finance | |
| Mr Thomas Meacham (Chair) | Head of Sales APAC Fenics Direct |
| Mr Mike Christie (Deputy Chair) | Chief Operating Officer Kaplan Singapore |
| Mr Alvin Aloysius Goh | Executive Director Singapore Human Resource Institute |
| Mr Linus Lim | Co-Chief Investment Officer Phillip Capital Management (S) Ltd |
| Mr Matthew Campbell | Executive Director Indirect Tax JP Morgan |
| Mr Mohammad Nizam bin Ismail | Founder & Chief Executive Officer Ethikom Consultancy |
| Mr Sarjit Singh S/O Sarmukh Singh | Executive Chairman Ardent Singapore |
| Ms Suprita Vohra | Director Risk Solutions Group Barclays |
| Mr Tan Choon Ngee | Group Chief Executive Officer aZaas Pte Ltd |
| Ms Charlotte George | Deputy Director Employability & Student Affairs Kaplan Singapore |
| Marketing & Communications | |
| Mr Iain Twine (Chair) | Founder and Managing Partner Harrup Advisory |
| Mr Mike Christie (Deputy Chair) | Chief Operating Officer Kaplan Singapore |
| Mr Ben Heyhoe-Flint | Chief Operating Officer Vuulr |
| Mr Fong Kwok Shiung, PBM |
Strategic Project Consultant
Real Kaiten Group |
| Ms Gemma Manning | Founder & Managing Director Gemstar Technologies |
| Ms Ruth Beattie | Country Operations Manager (Southeast Asia) Marketing Google Asia Pacific |
| Ms Wendy Walker | Senior Director (Asia Pacific) Marketing Salesforce |
| Ms Charlotte George | Deputy Director Employability and Student Affairs Kaplan Singapore |
| Hospitality, Tourism & MICE | |
| Mr Marcus Hanna (Chair) | Managing Director Fairmont Singapore & Swissôtel The Stamford |
| Mr Mike Christie (Deputy Chair) | Chief Operating Officer Kaplan Singapore |
| Mr Benjamin Tan | Deputy CEO & Chief Commercial Officer Wildlife Reserves Singapore |
| Mr Emmanuel Benardos | General Manager Food & Beverage Fairmont Singapore & Swissôtel The Stamford |
| Mr Felix Yeo | General Manager Four Points by Sheraton Singapore, Riverview |
| Ms Janise Tan | Developer Space Lead Developer Relations Ecosystem Google Asia Pacific |
| Mr Kevin Teng | Executive Director Sustainability Marina Bay Sands |
| Ms Yap Xinling | Regional Account Director (Asia Pacific) BCD Meetings & Events |
| Ms Charlotte George | Deputy Director Employability and Student Affairs Kaplan Singapore |
| Retail & Supply Chain Management | |
| Ms Elim Chew (Chair) | Founder 77th Street Co-Founder FastFast Delivery & Elim Chew TV |
| Mr Mike Christie (Deputy Chair) | Chief Operating Officer Kaplan Singapore |
| Ms Anne Lepissier | General Manager (Southeast Asia, Korea, India) Consumer Sales & Marketing Microsoft Asia Pacific Women at Microsoft co-lead |
| Mr Ben Robinson | Chief Executive Officer Raffles Quay Asset Management Pte Ltd |
| Ms Hien Lane | Vice President Partnerships Asia Pacific Hello Health Group |
| Mr Stephen Ho | Group Chief Operating Officer SkyLab Holding Pte Ltd |
| Mr Yap Cheng Hua | Independent Consultant (formerly Portek) |
| Ms Charlotte George | Deputy Director Employability and Student Affairs Kaplan Singapore |
| IT & Engineering | |
| Mr David Siah (Chair) | Vice President (South East Asia – Australia) Centre for Strategic Cyberspace & International Studies |
| Mr Mike Christie (Deputy Chair) | Chief Operating Officer Kaplan Singapore |
| Mr Abdul Wahab Mohamed Yusoff | Vice President (Asia Pacific & Japan) Forescout Technologies, Inc. |
| Mr Amolakh S. Calais | Investor Advisor Allotz |
| Mr Duncan Tan | Project Manager / Technical Controller United Singapore Builders Pte Ltd |
| Mr Garth Trathen | Former Senior Project Manager Faithful+Gould |
| Mr Ivan Chang | Payments & Subscriptions The Walt Disney Company Co-Chair of Talent Committee SGTech |
| Mr Lionel Chok | Creative Technologist iMMERSiVELY |
| Mr Ng Chong Yang | Associate Director Business Development NCS Group |
| Ms Novita Jong | Regional Head of Sales GrabAds |
| Ms Charlotte George | Deputy Director Employability and Student Affairs Kaplan Singapore |
| Healthcare & Social Services | |
| Ms Tan Li Li (Chair) | Independent Consultant (Formerly Executive Director, Singapore Association for Mental Health) |
| Mr Mike Christie (Deputy Chair) | Chief Operating Officer Kaplan Singapore |
| Ms Karina Tay | Consultant Educational Psychologist, PINES Educational Psychology Services |
| Ms Shirley Tay | Director of Nursing, Mt Alvernia Hospital |
| Dr Dianne Sainsbury | General Dentist, Smilefocus Family Dental Specialist |
| Dr Maha Sawahly | Director of Business Development, Singapore & SEA, Content Ed Net Pte Ltd |
| Ms Jane Chua | Training Manager, Spa Menu Pte Ltd |
| Mr Yong Keng Kwang | Group Chief Nurse, National Healthcare Group |
| Ms Charlotte George | Deputy Director Employability and Student Affairs Kaplan Singapore |
Networking Events
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Annual Get-Together Lunch 2019
With the induction of new partnerships and for year-end updates on developments at Kaplan, industry leaders from our Industry Advisory Boards (IABs) attended the Annual Get-Together Lunch held in SKAI Suites at Swissôtel The Stamford.
We announced the formation of the Employability and Industry Engagement (EIE) department, as well as the latest initiatives and employability services to give our students a competitive edge when they enter the workforce.
We also introduced new partnerships signed and honoured existing partners that have helped us produce industry-ready graduates equipped with the latest skills required for employability. We hope to continue to inspire, guide and nurture the next generation of industry professionals.
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Kaplan Alliance Networking Dinner 2018
To commemorate 3 years of partnership, industry leaders from our Industry Advisory Boards (IABs) came together for the Kaplan Alliance Networking Dinner, held at the SKAI Restaurant. Apart from showing appreciation to our members’ contributions and welcoming new members, our COO & Provost, Associate Professor Rhys Johnson also shared major initiatives launched with the backing of the IABs’ inputs, which play a crucial role in our students’ employability.
Representing the collective IAB members, Mr Marcus Hanna, General Manager at Fairmont Singapore & Swissôtel The Stamford, and Chairperson of our Hotels, F&B and Tourism & Events Board, spoke on the importance of the relationship with Kaplan, and the upcoming plans for 2019.
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Kaplan Alliance Networking Dinner 2017
Our team of experts from our Industry Advisory Boards (IABs) had a get-together at Meat Smith to celebrate 2 years of partnership in bettering our students’ learning outcomes. These industry leaders worked with our academic team and provided insights on the latest trends and developments in their respective sectors, with the common goal of shaping an industry-relevant curriculum. We thanked our IAB members for giving their time generously to help us nurture the next generation of industry professionals.
We deeply appreciated hearing from Iain Twine (Vice-Chairman – APAC, Middle East & Africa, Edelman PR), when he spoke on behalf of the IAB members that being part of the board “has been a wonderful experience and a nice opportunity to give back.”
Kaplan Alliance Networking Dinner 2016
The members of our Industry Advisory Boards (IABs) gathered for a fun evening at Cocotte Restaurant for the inaugural Kaplan Alliance Networking Dinner, to round up the year of collaboration and exchange of ideas that would enhance our students’ learning outcomes.
Drawing on more than 460 years of senior management experience, the 42 industry expert members were driven with the common purpose of enabling our students to succeed in academics and employability. Working hand in hand with our academic team, they shared their experience, expertise and advice on industry employment needs to ensure our programmes help our students build industry-relevant skillsets.
Members’ Contribution
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#1MinuteInsights – Disruptive Technologies in Real Estate |
#1MinuteInsights – How can we address Cyber Threats? |
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