Monthly archive

A new not-for-profit society called Women in Sustainability and Environment (WISE) was launched on Thursday (Nov 18), with the aim of ensuring a strong and equal voice and representation of women in the area of sustainability in Singapore. Also announced on Thursday was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between WISE and SMU to build knowledge and programmes around sustainability.

In late 2020, Singapore launched its first institute focused in green finance research and talent development, the Singapore Green Finance Centre (SGFC), which will tap the strengths of Imperial College Business School and the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business in climate science, financial economics and sustainable investing. The centre is supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and nine founding partners. In a joint statement, the two academic institutions and MAS said that SGFC’s multi-disciplinary research and training will enable financial institutions, corporates and policymakers to improve the management of environmental risks, develop financial solutions to promote environmental sustainability, and design policies for a sustainable future.

The World Savings Day was first observed on October 30, 1924, during the 1st International Savings Bank Congress in Milan, Italy. ‘World Savings Day’; is a day devoted to the promotion of savings all over the world. SMU Assistant Professor of Finance (Education) Aurobindo Ghosh, who is the Programme Director for the Citi Foundation-SMU Financial Literacy Programme for Young Adults, discussed why it is important for young adults to start saving early and how they can do so.

The Times of India (Oct 30)

To help businesses weather climate change and accelerate transition to a climate-sustainable model, an initiative has been rolled out to help their boards of directors better understand the issues for decision making. The Singapore chapter of the Climate Governance Initiative was launched on Thursday (Oct 28) at SMU in a hybrid event attended by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu. Climate Governance Singapore (CGS) and SMU signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Oct 28. Under the MOU, SMU will act as CGS' knowledge partner to curate and manage research materials, deliver training programmes and organise events.

“With the climate crisis an existential threat, SMU is keen to contribute meaningfully to this global effort through our education, research, infrastructure, and community engagement initiatives. I am pleased that SMU will be formalising our collaboration with Climate Governance Singapore as its knowledge partner, tapping on our expertise from across the university to curate and manage the content library and training programmes for boards of directors in Singapore,” said SMU President Professor Lily Kong.

The staggering pace of demand for environmental, social and governance (ESG) expertise amid scarce candidates has led to a demand-supply mismatch globally. In Singapore, there has been a recent surge in ESG courses to develop a suitable pipeline of talent here. For example, the new Singapore Green Finance Centre [an initiative of SMU and Imperial College Business School], backed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, offers courses across various levels – undergraduate, post-graduate, continuing and professional education. SMU's Advanced Certificate in Sustainability and Sustainable Businesses course – which costs up to S$10,272 for international participants – has been fully subscribed till March 2022.