SMU students head for the Middle East to study business opportunities

Notes and media contacts

For media queries, please contact:

Mr Chan Jingzhong
Singapore Management University

Mr. Mohammad Dzarrin
Singapore Management University

About Singapore Management University

Incorporated on 12 January 2000, Singapore Management University (SMU) aims to groom outstanding business leaders and creative entrepreneurs capable of excelling in a rapidly changing and dynamic world. Today, SMU is home to over 4,700 students and comprises six schools: Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Accountancy, School of Economics, School of Social Sciences, School of Information Systems and School of Law. SMU offers bachelor's, master's and PhD degree programmes in business and management-related areas, ranging from Accountancy, Economics, Finance, Wealth Management, Law, Information Systems and Social Science. It also has a dedicated Office of Research, a number of centres of excellence, and provides public and customised programmes through Executive Education. Collaborations with leading institutions, including the Wharton School, Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago, allow SMU to draw on academic and research strengths across all major disciplines. The SMU campus is a state-of-the art facility located right in the heart of Singapore's civic and business district.

Annex
BUSINESS STUDY MISSION TO THE MIDDLE EAST

ITINERARY

United Arab Emirates

• International Enterprise Singapore (in Dubai)
• Department of Planning and Economy (Abu Dhabi)
• Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority
• Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Visits to real estate companies:
- ALDAR Properties
- Al Qudra Holdings
- Emaar Properties
- The Ascott Group
- Nakheel Properties
- Akar Properties
• Site visits to two of the world's largest developments:
- Dubailand
- Dubai Logistics City
• Networking dinners with:
- Singapore's Consul-General Mr Dileep Nair
- Ministry of Federal National Council
- Akar Properties
- Various other Singapore/Arab companies
• Leisure activities:
- Ski Dubai
- Desert Safari Tour
- Meals at the grand Emirates Palace Hotel, the Burj Al Arab
- Dhow cruise in Dubai

Qatar

• Qatar Tourism Authority (Doha)


GUEST LECTURERS

Guest speakers who were invited to conduct classroom lectures for the Business Study Mission include:

• Mr Asim Mirza Alrahmah
Minister Plenipotentiary
UAE Embassy in Singapore

• Dr Anwar Gargash
UAE Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs

• Mr Nima Alboiz
Development Director of Special Projects
Tourism Development and Investment Company, Abu Dhabi

• Mr Tan Hung Seng
Director
Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia Directorate
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Mr Terence Seow
Assistant Director
Middle East & Africa Division
International Enterprise Singapore

• Mr Stephen Ho
Vice President
Surbana International Consultants Pte Ltd

• Mr Paul Chong
Vice President, Business Development
Banyan Tree Holdings

• Ms Marlene Lee
Director
Dubai Representative Office in Far East
Government of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing

• Shafri Mohamad
Executive Chairperson
Astana International


FACT SHEET

Biographies

1) Mr Lee Yi Shyan

Singapore Minister of State for Trade and Industry

Mr Lee Yi Shyan was born in 1962. In 1986, he graduated from the National University
of Singapore in Chemical Engineering. In 1997, he completed an executive management
programme at the Harvard Business School.

Mr Lee began his career at the Economic Development Board, where he held senior
positions in human resources, services development, China operations and industry
development for the chemical sector. He was posted to Washington DC and Chicago
from 1993 to 1997, as well as Suzhou in China from 1997 to 1998. Mr Lee was appointed
Deputy Chief Executive of the Singapore Productivity and Standards Board in 2000.
In 2001, Mr Lee was appointed Chief Executive Officer of International Enterprise
Singapore. In his 4½ years with IE Singapore, he led the successful transformation of the
former Singapore Trade Development Board to IE Singapore. He steered the statutory
board to focus on its new mission to help Singapore-based companies grow and
internationalise successfully.

Mr Lee served on a number of boards including that of International Enterprise Singapore, IE Holdings and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. He was also the International Economic Advisor to the Shaanxi Provincial Government and Shanghai WTO Affairs Committee.

Mr Lee was elected as one of five Members of Parliament for the East Coast Group
Representation Constituency in the June 2006 General Election. He was appointed
Minister of State for Trade and Industry on 30 May 2006 and was also designated as
"Minister-in-charge of Entrepreneurship".

Mr Lee is married and has two children. For recreation, Mr Lee enjoys reading and
listening to music. He also jogs and plays golf.

FACT SHEET

2) Mr. Fazlur Rahman Bin Kamsani

Executive Director
Middle East & Islamic Finance
Cross-Border Investments
Chesterton International Property Consultants

Fazlur Rahman Bin Kamsani is an Executive Director with Chesterton International, a leading global real estate services group. Over the last five years, he specialises on the Middle East market by bringing in Arab investors into Asia Pacific and vice-versa. Related to this business includes value-added service in real estate financing and indirect investment vehicles such as Property Fund and REITs; both conventional and Shariah-compliant. He is a member of Middle East Expert Panel under International Enterprise Singapore (IES), the government agency under Ministry of Trade and Industry, to promote more business engagement between Singapore and the Middle East.

Prior to joining Chesterton, Fazlur was with DTZ from 2000 to 2005. Amongst his main task was to advise the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) in rejuvenating its portfolio of 'Waqf' (endowment) assets. Fazlur was also part of the team that advised MUIS in the issuance of the first Islamic Bond in Singapore through the Musharakah and Ijarah structure for investment acquisition of an office building, 11 Beach Road and subsequently, the development of Bencoolen mixed-use project. He was also advising OCBC Bank, one of the three largest local banks in managing the portfolio of non-performing loans in real estate.

Fazlur started his career with Jurong Town Corporation (now known as JTC Corp), a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which spearheads the industrialisation initiatives in Singapore. He started off as a property valuer from 1993 to 1996 and subsequently was given the responsibility to develop, market and manage two Business Parks in Singapore; starting with the International Business Park and later the Changi Business Park. He pioneered the Build and Lease scheme to attract MNCs such as IBM, Honeywell and Ivensys to locate their Regional HQ in Changi Business Park. He was also part of the team, which introduced the first District Cooling System (DCS) in Singapore at Changi Business Park.

Fazlur was educated in Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College. He graduated in Estate Management with Honours from the National University of Singapore in 1993. Besides juggling between career and family, he is also actively serving in several government committees and the local Muslim community.

FACT SHEET

3) Mr. Bambang Sugeng

Managing Director
Capitaland Amanah Pte Ltd, a member of the CapitaLand Group.

Prior to joining the CapitaLand, Bambang was the Deputy Director, Americas Directorate, at the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from March 2005 to July 2006. This was his second stint at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He had first joined the Singapore Foreign Service in 1989. After representing Singapore at the 46th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 1991, he joined Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) as the Executive Assistant to the Managing Director, Mr. Ong Beng Seng, in July 1992. In July 1995, he was appointed Director of HPL (UK) Ltd in the United Kingdom, where he was charged with developing and managing the investment portfolio of the HPL Group in the UK and Europe, including the Canary Riverside Project, Sailmakers Court and Virgin Entertainment Group Limited. In July 1998, Bambang returned to Singapore to manage his family's investment holding company, which was involved in Islamic private equity and the sales representation of Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation in the region.

Bambang Sugeng graduated from the National University of Singapore with a 2nd Class Upper Honours Degree in Political Science in 1989.

FACT SHEET

• We would like to make special mention of the following sponsors:

- "Platinum" Sponsors

- D&D Financial Services Pte. Ltd.
o $8000 course fees sponsorship
o $10,000 competition prize money
o Providing possible internship positions in Dubai

- Akar Properties
o Sponsoring dinner at Dubai
o Sponsoring skiing activity in Ski Dubai (housed in Mall of emirates)
o Providing 3 internship positions

- "Gold" Sponsors

- UAE Ministry of Federal National Council and Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry
o sponsoring of dinner in Dubai

- UAE Embassy (Singapore)
o provided 40 copies of CDs and books related to the UAE

- Banyan Tree Holdings
o providing corporate gifts for all the companies to be visited during trip
o providing internship positions

• For media interview with Mr. Peter Tan (D&D Financial Services Pte Ltd)