Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series: Inform Innovate Inspire - UWCSEA

2022/2023 Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series Inform Innovate Inspire

As we plan for how UWCSEA might continue to be an active contributor to Singapore, building on our 50-year legacy, our ongoing Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series invites our community to engage with leading thinkers and conversation shapers from Singapore.

Under the theme of Inform, Innovate, Inspire please join UWCSEA as we continue to engage thought leaders and deepen our understanding of how we can contribute to Singapore in a way that fulfils both the ambitions of our mission and those of our host nation, Singapore.

The paradox about our times is that on the one hand, we live in the most peaceful era ever in human history, statistically speaking … on the other hand, we are also about to enter one of the most dangerous periods in human history.”KIshore mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute (ARI), National University of Singapore (NUS), speaking at the KMSS event: perspectives on peace on 21 September 2021, in reference to the current shifts in power dynamics in the global geo-political landscape

2023/2024 Inform. Innovate. Inspire.

Janadas Devan | 13 March 2024
Corinna Lim | 14 Dec 2023

Janadas Devan | 13 March 2024

Webinar recording

About the Event

Guest speaker: Mr Janadas Devan, Director of the Institute of Policy Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Singapore as a Nation State, Past Present and Future

Join Mr Janadas Devan, Director of the Institute of Policy Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, as he delves into the discussion on 'Singapore as a Nation State, Past Present and Future.' With a distinguished career, including his role as Singapore's former Chief of Government Communications at the Ministry of Communications (MCI) and Information, he currently holds dual positions as Senior Advisor (Government Communications) in MCI and Deputy Secretary (Prime Minister's Office). The session will include a student panel and a live audience Q&A.

Take the opportunity to connect during our networking session, with complimentary refreshments starting at 5.30pm. There will be a one-way bus shuttle to Dover Campus for East Campus participants.

About the Speaker

Janadas Devan

Director of the Institute of Policy Studies at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Janadas Devan, currently the Director of the Institute of Policy Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, boasts a diverse career that reflects his dedication to framing Singapore's narrative. His journey began as a journalist for The Straits Times and a broadcaster for Radio Singapore International. In 2012, Janadas took on the pivotal role of the Government’s Chief of Communications at the Ministry of Communications and Information.

With an impressive 11-year tenure, Janadas has since expanded his influence, assuming dual roles as Senior Advisor (Government Communications) in MCI and Deputy Secretary (Communications Group) at the Prime Minister’s Office. Beyond his governmental responsibilities, Janadas also serves as the Chairman of the Singapore International Foundation, fostering connections and collaborations beyond Singapore's borders.

Janadas Devan stands as a seasoned professional with an extensive understanding of public policy nuances, and his enduring commitment continues to shape and influence Singapore's narrative, both locally and internationally.

Corinna Lim | 14 Dec 2023

Webinar recording

About the Event

Guest speaker: Corinna Lim, Executive Director of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)

Play the Long Game: Making Social Change in Singapore

As the Executive Director of AWARE and a dedicated women's rights activist, Corinna Lim has much experience in the art of advocacy. Corinna has joined us to share her experiences and important lessons on how to effect change and ensure long-term sustainability for NGOs.

She has drawn on her decades of experience with AWARE and in advocating for women’s issues to impart valuable insights into strategy setting, managing change, diversity and conflict, and the essential tools and tactics needed for successful and sustainable advocacy. At the end Corinna was joined by a panel of UWCSEA students and a live audience for Q and A.

About the Speaker

Corinna Lim

Executive Director of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)

Corinna Lim is the Executive Director of AWARE, the Association of Women for Action and Research. As a dedicated women's rights activist, she has been an advocate for issues such as the promotion of gender-equal workplaces, the addressing of gender-based violence, and the provision of greater support for single parents and lower-income women.

In addition to her advocacy work, she spearheaded the establishment of the Sexual Assault Care Centre at AWARE in 2011.

Ms Lim has a Masters in Public Administration from Columbia University and is a Fulbright Scholar. She graduated with an LLB from the National University of Singapore and was called to the Singapore Bar in 1988.

2022/2023 Inform. Innovate. Inspire.

K Shanmugam | 27 April 2023

About the Speaker

Mr K Shanmugam

Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Mr K Shanmugam is the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law. He was first appointed to the Singapore Cabinet in May 2008 as the Minister for Law. Since October 2015, he has concurrently been the Minister for Home Affairs.

Between 2008 and 2015, in addition to being the Minister for Law, Mr Shanmugam concurrently served as:
(1) Second Minister for Home Affairs, May 2008 – October 2010;
(2) Minister for Home Affairs, November 2010 – May 2011;
(3) Minister for Foreign Affairs, May 2011 – September 2015.

Under Mr Shanmugam’s leadership as Minister for Law, there have been significant changes to Singapore’s justice system. These include streamlining the family justice court process; introducing legislative changes to protect the public from online falsehoods; and establishing the Public Defenders’ Office. The Singapore Convention on Mediation, the first United Nations treaty named after Singapore, was also adopted under his charge, in 2018.

As Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Shanmugam has overseen several programmes and initiatives, including the transformation of Singapore Police Force’s counter-terrorism capabilities; a comprehensive overhaul of the Penal Code to modernise Singapore’s criminal laws; and strengthening Singapore’s drug rehabilitation regime. He also launched the nationwide Conversations on Women’s Development in Singapore, in 2020.

Prior to entering Cabinet, Mr Shanmugam was in private practice for over 20 years, and was appointed Senior Counsel in 1998. He was consistently recognised in international publications as one of the top litigation, arbitration and insolvency Counsel in Singapore. He has been described as the “complete lawyer”, “one of the finest all-round legal talents in the country”, with a “formidably logical and aggressive style”, and one of the two “titans'' of Singapore litigation (Who’s Who Legal, Singapore 2008; The Asia Pacific Legal 500, 2001-2007). He has acted for, amongst others, the then-Chief Justice of Singapore, and all three of Singapore’s Prime Ministers. Over 100 of Mr Shanmugam’s cases have been reported in Singapore’s law reports.

Parag Khanna | 23 February 2023

Webinar recording

About this event

The question of where shall I live, where shall I work? is relevant to us all, perhaps even more so when we think of our children and their futures in our rapidly changing world. In this third appearance in our Kishore Mahbubani Speaker Series, Parag Khanna, celebrated author and futurist, outlined the data behind his bestselling 2021 book Move: Where People are Going for a Better Future.

Khanna’s key message is that the next phase of human civilisation will be characterised by both mobility and sustainability; that the considerations that move us to particular parts of the globe will be dominated by population changes, climate crisis and culture. As climate change tips toward full-blown crisis, governments destabilise and technology disrupts, we’re entering a new age of mass migration. One where the success or failure of any society will be linked to its ability to attract skilled global citizens. Anyone who is younger than 30 today will be the focus of countries and cities, who will join organisations and companies in competing for the best of the next generation. Khanna refers to this as “the war for young talent”– a phenomenon targeting both our current students and our recent graduates.

Watch the webinar to explore how and why, with all of this change, what map of human geography may emerge in our children's future.

About the guest speaker

Dr Parag Khanna

GEOPOLITICAL FUTURIST AND AUTHOR

Parag Khanna is a leading global strategy advisor, world traveler, and bestselling author. He is Founder & CEO of Climate Alpha, an AI-powered analytics platform to forecast asset values and future-proof global real estate, and Founder & Managing Partner of FutureMap, a data and scenario based strategic advisory firm. Parag's latest book is MOVE: Where People Are Going for a Better Future (2021), which was preceded by The Future is Asian: Commerce, Conflict & Culture in the 21st Century (2019). He is author of a trilogy of books on the future of world order beginning with The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order (2008), followed by How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance (2011), and concluding with Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization (2016). He is also the author of Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State (2017) and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012).

Parag was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He has traveled to more than 150 countries and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

He is a parent in the UWCSEA East community.