Singapore: City of success

The recent University of Adelaide graduation ceremonies at the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre in Singapore saw 94 students graduate with qualifications in a range of disciplines. Three of the graduates who attended those ceremonies are featured here. All are excelling in their chosen fields, and all represent the breadth and depth of quality graduates from the University of Adelaide.

Stories and photos by Candy Gibson

Helping Singapore to stay green

It's easy being green in Singapore, a country with a global reputation as a garden city, with 5% of its island reserved for nature.

Since the early 1990s its government has trumpeted green policies, setting an environmental agenda for its citizens, nurtured by educational programs and the formation of the Singapore Environment Council.

High-profile property developer Eddie Wong has been part of this green wave, ensuring his company - City Developments Ltd - has striven to meet Singapore's stringent environmental laws in the design and construction of some of the city's biggest buildings.

Mr Wong, a familiar face within the Singapore construction industry, has taken his commitment a step further by completing a Masters in Environmental Management at the University of Adelaide.

As general manager of City Development's Project Division, Mr Wong is responsible for some 50 building projects within Singapore and overseas.

He helped spearhead the development and implementation of Singapore's green policies within his own company, resulting in a swag of awards for their environmentally friendly buildings.

"City Developments has managed to deliver about one third of Singapore's Green Mark certified building projects," Mr Wong said.

In 2006 it took out 10 building and construction awards in Singapore, including four Green Mark Gold prizes for its environmentally sustainable projects as well as accolades from the Singapore Government.

Its award-winning green buildings in Singapore include City Square Residences, St Regis Hotel & Residences, The Sail @ Marina Bay and King's Centre Plot 3 development.

"The Masters in Environmental Management has provided me with a global and national view of the environment, which we take for granted," Mr Wong said.

"The course has helped me to better understand the impact of buildings on the environment, the demand for depleting natural resources, the waste that the industry has created and the social impacts of our industry. I am now qualified to set up some new management systems to address these impacts."

MBA graduate gets down to business

Singapore-based Judy Howison is using her newly-acquired MBA from the University of Adelaide to provide career advice to students of one of the world's leading executive education schools.

Ms Howison is a counsellor at the INSEAD Singapore Campus, contracting her services through her private company, Consulting for Global Business.

INSEAD is an international business school with campuses in Europe (France) and Asia (Singapore). More than 7000 executives from around the world take part in its programs each year.

Ms Howison grew up in Melbourne and worked in the UK and Europe before returning to Australia with her husband in 1990 and relocating to Asia in 1996. She has enjoyed a successful career in the executive search, IT, higher education, media and construction industries.

"Living and working in Singapore has been a great experience, but it presented some challenges in the beginning. The positive work attitude and high level of productivity now reflect a globalised nation where people can share innovative ideas, start new businesses and engage in exciting career opportunities."

Her consulting company provides services in human resources, counselling and English language to firms and individuals throughout Asia Pacific.

Despite her extensive experience, Ms Howison found that in order to keep pace with a dynamic business environment, an MBA was necessary. In 2006 she enrolled at the University of Adelaide's partner campus in Singapore, the Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre.

"I chose the University of Adelaide because of its long reputation in education and the convenience of a campus in Singapore. Because of the flexibility the MBA allowed, I was able to continue running my own business and allocate blocks of time to study."

A spin-off of her MBA qualification will be a new series of communication workshops offered by her company to corporate organisations in Singapore.

"The MBA has been a wonderful learning experience and opened up some great opportunities for me to expand my company," she said.

Lena's a high flier in every sense

Few people are prepared to travel more than 5000 kilometres to attend a lecture at the University of Adelaide, but company manager Lena Low did just that - 18 times.

While completing her MBA, the businesswoman boarded a flight from Tokyo to Singapore every four weeks for 18 months to attend lessons at the University's Ngee-Ann Adelaide campus.

At the time Ms Low was Head of Operations for the Japan office of International SOS, a worldwide leader providing international corporations with medical services in far-flung corners of the globe.

Six months before completing her MBA, the 32-year-old businesswoman secured a job with the world's leading software company, Microsoft, becoming the Senior Regional Service Delivery Manager for Asia Pacific and Japan.

Now based in Singapore, Ms Low manages all Microsoft's outsourced call centre business for Xbox in the region, ensuring the quality and efficiency of the product and directing the business strategy for the Asia Pacific. She reports to the United States.

"The fact that I was within reach of an MBA qualification and had demonstrated such a strong commitment to the program, flying between two countries, really made an impression on the interview panel at Microsoft," she said.

She is confident her MBA will open up more career opportunities, leading to senior management and hopefully a chief operating role for a major company within the next decade.

"Having an MBA is a pre-requisite for moving into senior management positions in Asia. I chose the University of Adelaide because it is one of the prestigious Group of Eight universities in Australia and has an outstanding reputation in Singapore," Ms Low said.

Ms Low completed an undergraduate degree at the National University of Singapore in 1996 and won a scholarship a year later to study for her Graduate Diploma in Japanese Studies at Tsukuba University.

She enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Adelaide in 2004, with an international working background which included stints in the United States, France, Britain, China and Japan.