Distinguished Alumni

A quick recap of our leading achievements:

• Mention in PM Lee’s farewell speech: Perhaps the most important moment was when PM Lee, in his farewell address, referred to IIM Alumni in Singapore as a valuable asset and talent base for Singapore. This reflects the work done over the years in building our brand here.

• Inclusion in MOM Compass: The most tangible achievement was the inclusion of the flagship programs at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta in the list of programs awarded 20 points under the COMPASS criteria that the Singapore Ministry of Manpower uses for evaluating Employment Passes.

• Launch of INSPire Forum 2024: In partnership with Elevandi (GFTN), we launched the inaugural INSPire Forum during the Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF) in November. Alumni leaders like Indian CEA Mr. Anantha Nageswaran and Mr. KV Kamath participated in 4 panels curated by us, attracting an audience of thousands on the SFF stage and digital channels.

• A democratised constitution: To harmonise activities across IIMs, we revamped the Pan IIM Alumni Association constitution to make it fit for purpose for the next 10 years . We’ve enabled broader participation in our activities, e.g., any alumnus can now contest election for Office Bearers positions. We also elected a new expanded Exco with sufficient representation across all IIMs, including newer ones like Raipur. And finally we welcomed on board alumni from IIM Mumbai (former NIPM)

• India Singapore Collaboration: We connected on a deeper level with the Singapore government, holding meetings with Mr. K Shanumgam (Minister for Home Affairs, Singapore), Mr. Beh Swan Gin and team at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ms. Jacqueline Poh and team at EDB, Mr. Lee Chuan Teck and team at Enterprise SG and Mr. Kok Ping Soon at SBF. Our goal is to translate our unique position as leaders with an understanding of both the SIngapore and India operating systems to actual tangible initiatives to benefit both countries. There is recognition among all sides that IIM Alumni in Singapore are a unique asset for both countries. Two initiatives have been brought to final stages, and we expect to launch them very soon.

• Community Engagement: We also expanded the number of ways in which alumni are able to connect. Under the IIMPULSE brand, we launched 5 sports tournaments that saw about 325 alumni participating. We also began our engagement with Singapore civil society, with about 80 alumni actively participating in community service along with NVPC ( National Volunteer And Philanthropy Centre) for a Ruckathon and the Standard Chartered Marathon.

• Thought Leadership: We held several IIMChats with leaders like K Lakshminarayana of Premji Foundation, to Education Minister D Pradhan, the Indian Chief Economic Advisor, Mr. Anantha Nageswaran and Indian MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor. These events attracted about 525 attendees including alumni and partners.

• Reach and Visibility: We raised our branding game by stepping deeper into content marketing, increasing our frequency of LinkedIn posts while also launching The IIM Alumni Podcast, where we had 16 Singapore-based alumni share their experiences and expertise with the wider world and have reached 100,000+ impressions this year.

2025 promises to be even bigger and better.

• We plan a greatly expanded calendar of events, covering thought leadership, action programmes, sports and volunteerism,
  • IIMPACT is making a comeback after a 5 year hiatus.
  • IIMCHAT will be more regular and calendarised
  • IIMPULSE will have more events both on the sports and volunteering sides
• We will continue to build on our G2G partnership with India and SIngapore government bodies
• We plan to upgrade our tech stack to make the experience more seamless for alumni and partners alike
• Last but not least, as per popular demand, we plan to launch a subscription model that allows alumni members to engage with the association at various levels. This model will offer flexibility ensuring that all members can participate according to their preferences, with discounted prices on calendarized events.

None of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of a few dedicated people!

I would sincerely like to thank all the volunteers, partners, the ExCo and our patrons for their unwavering support in making this year a success.

As they say in Singapore, akan datang!

Regards
Suresh V Shankar
President, IIM Alumni Singapore