'Nottingham in the City' events bring together alumni in Malaysia and Singapore

University of Nottingham Malaysia recently hosted receptions for its alumni and current MBA students in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, bringing together graduates from business and other disciplines, as well as industry professionals and staff from the University, in a casual setting aimed at expanding networks and sharing expertise.

The University of Nottingham has hosted similar events in London, but this is the first time the networking series - dubbed ‘Nottingham in the City’ - has been held outside the United Kingdom.

The Kuala Lumpur and Singapore editions of Nottingham in the City were organised by Nottingham University Business School (NUBS) Malaysia in collaboration with NUBS UK.

A reunion in the heart of the city

Nottingham in the City – Kuala Lumpur was held on 30 June 2018 at Bridge Bar, G-Tower, Kuala Lumpur, and attended by around 80 guests including students and alumni of the University,  CEOs and managing directors of multinational corporations, local business organisations, and founders of start-ups.

The evening kicked off with an opening address by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Professor Lee Chew Ging and Dean of Nottingham University Business School UK, Professor James Devlin. The Provost and Chief Executive Officer of University of Nottingham Malaysia, Professor Graham Kendall, also attended and welcomed the attendees to the gathering.

The highlight of the event was ‘Conversations with Dato’ Dr Geoffrey Tan’, a panel discussion moderated by the Acting Dean of NUBS Malaysia, Dr Avvari V Mohan. The dialogue covered current topics in branding, firm valuations and organisation development, featuring prominent Malaysian businessman, entrepreneur and Nottingham alumnus Dato’ Dr Geoffrey Tan, who is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GM Capital Ltd, a private investment company in the residential and commercial real estate sector.

For many alumni, it was an opportunity to re-establish ties and reminisce about their student days.

“It was a fantastic evening of reunion and networking. I caught up with former course mates, and met many interesting and like-minded folks,” said Sherlyn Neoh, an MBA alumnus who currently holds the position of Channel and Category Development Manager at Unilever Malaysia.

According to Satpal Singh, another MBA alumnus of NUBS Malaysia who is the Legal Counsel for Air Asia BIG: “It was an excellent opportunity to network with fellow alumni, especially with those who have now established themselves as successful entrepreneurs and corporate leaders. The panel session was valuably insightful and fun, and I look forward to more such gatherings.”

MBA alumnus Krishna Kodoth, a General Manager with Waters Corporation said: “It was a great opportunity to have met and conversed with the best minds out there in the business and gaining broader perspectives, all that with a sense of pride knowing that we all share a common connection and value system – that of the University of Nottingham.”

Across the causeway

The reception in Singapore was held at the City Campus of PSB Academy, the University’s partner institution in Singapore. Nottingham in the City - Singapore featured a lively panel discussion on innovations in business and business sustainability, featuring Founder of eco-friendly homes company Big Tiny, Mr Adrian Chia, Director at The Economist publication Mr Scott Munday, and Director at ride-hailing, ride-sharing and logistics services company Grab Singapore, Ms Ee Ling See. The session was moderated by Dr Avvari V Mohan.

Participants also had the chance to hear from PSB Academy CEO Mr. Derrick Chang, and Professor Lee Chew Ging, on the latest developments in their respective institutions.

“It was an excellent networking event spent building new relationships in addition to catching up with former coursemates,” says alumna Hexin, a Senior Contract Manager with Singaporean firm YL Integrated Pte Ltd who studied her Nottingham MBA at PSB Academy Singapore. “I found the panel session very fruitful, as there were many valuable insights shared on innovations in different areas of business.”

According to Professor Lee Chew Ging, “We are delighted that the Nottingham in the City events in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have brought together many alumni of the University of Nottingham in an environment that allows the sharing of expertise with members of industry.”

“We look forward to hosting more such networking events in the future, to strengthen the connections that our former students would have made while studying at Nottingham, and to encourage lifelong learning.”

About Nottingham University Business School Malaysia

NUBS Malaysia has had more than a decade's experience in providing international quality teaching and scholarship in various areas of business, management and finance, and is part of an elite global group of business schools accredited by the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and Association of MBAs (AMBA).

NUBS has campuses in the UK, China and Malaysia, with the MBA offered in the UK, Malaysia, and at the University’s overseas partner institution in Singapore, PSB Academy. The Nottingham MBA is placed 84^th globally and in the UK’s Top 15, in The Economist’s 2017 ‘Which MBA’ Full-Time MBA Ranking. It is also ranked amongst the Top 150 in the QS Global MBA Rankings 2018.

Find out more about the Nottingham MBA in Malaysia