Director, Office of Overseas Centres

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As Director of OOC in Singapore, Kenneth is responsible for establishing and managing SMU’s Overseas Centres. Kenneth has been involved in the education and international business space for over two decades, based primarily in Singapore and China.

He joined Singapore Management University in January 2021 from the Council on International Education Exchange, an American-based organisation, where he served as its Regional Director for Asia-Pacific region and he expanded its regional footprint to 13 centres over a 5-year period including China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Australia.

Prior to that, Kenneth held leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. These included country management responsibilities whilst serving at Enterprise Singapore and PSB Academy. He received a Public Service Commission scholarship to study at the National University of Singapore.

Kenneth is married with one child and is a weekend chef.

Senior Associate Director

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Gregory has been involved in the education and training industry since 2002 in various capacities. His experience in the industry is attributed from heading business development units in deriving Continuing Education & Training (CET) solutions for corporations, setting up and running of training centre operations, and organising K12 enrichment courses including holiday camps and extra-curricular activities. Before SMU, Gregory headed the Enterprise Partnership team at NUS School of Continuing And Lifelong Education (SCALE) where he helped reach out and secure strategic partnerships with corporate organisations for their workforce training.

Gregory holds a Bachelor of Business (Business Administration)-Pass with Distinction, from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and have completed the Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) from the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.

Senior Manager

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Charlene brings over two decades of experience in marketing, international business and partnerships, supporting OOC's growth in Asia through market entry and expansion strategies into new overseas locations. Prior to joining OOC, she spent six and a half years at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business where she cultivated partnerships across universities, government bodies, professional associations and corporate entities while managing talent development programs.

Before SMU, Charlene held roles spanning sales & marketing, business development and product marketing roles at the Management Development Institute of Singapore, Accton Technology and Creative Technology, covering the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and USA markets. Her diverse experiences equipped her with a profound understanding of international markets, diverse business cultures and the importance of building strategic alliances and partnerships.

Charlene holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) with majors in Marketing and International Business from the University of Tasmania. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and live band music. An aesthete with a passion for fashion, she expresses her creativity by capturing her culinary creations through food plating and photography.

Office Manager

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Before assuming her role at SMU, Angela served as an Admin Manager in a local IT training sector for over a decade. Leading a proficient team of administrative staff, she excelled in ensuring seamless operations and optimizing administrative processes.

Angela's expertise extended to liaising with government bodies, where she played a pivotal role in facilitating SkillsFuture courses and securing crucial government funding to drive the organization's mission of empowering individuals with essential tech skills.

Angela is an avid traveler who takes delight in discovering new destinations and immersing herself in various cultures. Through her travels, she cultivates memorable experiences that enrich her life and broaden her perspective on the world.

Country Director

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Having spent more than two decades working in Indonesia, Shoeb has seen the country transform from an authoritarian, centralized government to one of the most dynamic democracies in the world and a rapidly expanding economy. Over that time, he has built a strong understanding of Indonesia’s economic and political landscape and developed a wide network of contacts.

As the Country Director of SMU Indonesia, SMU’s first overseas presence, he is responsible for deepening the university’s engagement and partnerships across the cross-section of Indonesian society including academia, government, and industry.

Shoeb graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington with a double major in Journalism and Political Science. He is also currently the Chairman of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce Indonesia and the founder of the Indonesia Economic Forum, a multi-stakeholder platform that promotes economic and social development.

Assistant Director

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Astrid is in charge of the Indonesia market and works closely with the Country Director of SMU Indonesia to facilitate all aspects of daily operations. She also provides support in developing and executing internationalisation strategies in Indonesia, including building connections and relationships with agencies, institutions and universities, and other government and private organisations to enhance SMU’s overall reputation.

Astrid went to Kwik Kian Gie Business School and has more than 15 years of experience in Business Development and Marketing. She started her career with DBS Indonesia then continued to Oil & Gas industry in Indonesia. Before joining SMU, Astrid was a Market Advisor for Singapore Business Federation overseeing the Indonesian market. She helped Singapore SMEs venture into Indonesia market and establish strong relationships with provincial governments, private institutions, and trade associations.

On weekends you can find her baking, conducting dancing classes, and sometimes performing Indonesian traditional dance, especially Balinese dance, on stage.

Assistant Office Manager

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Although new to the higher education industry, Rika loves collaborating with her talented colleagues who are quickly becoming friends. Rika holds a Business Administration degree. She is also part of Future Females Empowerment Initiatives, a programme that offers funded spot to Indonesia female entrepreneurs building tech-based business and creating impact in their communities.

After living in Denmark, she decided to return to Jakarta and continue her study in Business Law. With her experiences, she hopes to contribute to society and make a difference.

On weekends, you can find her out with family or friends, doing casual runs, travelling, or watching cinema and live music.

Country Director

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In Celine's capacity as the Country Director of the SMU Thailand at Singapore Management University (SMU), she serves as the primary liaison between SMU and Thailand. Her role entails spearheading SMU's vision to become Asia’s Knowledge Gateway by cultivating strategic collaborations between SMU's academic entities and Thailand's diverse educational, corporate, and governmental sectors.

Celine comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience in executive education and strategic partnerships. Before joining SMU Thailand, she worked at AIA Group, where she demonstrated her ability to optimize operations and deliver a stellar learning and conferencing experience at the Group’s learning facility in Bangkok. Her role as a leadership programmes architect led her to create impactful initiatives aligned with AIA's corporate strategy.

Celine’s tenure at INSEAD showcased her adeptness in ensuring programme relevance and academic rigour for the Tsinghua-INSEAD Executive Master of Business Administration (TIEMBA) programme. She played a crucial role in strengthening the partnership between Tsinghua SEM and INSEAD.

Celine holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of London and have completed the Management Acceleration Programme with INSEAD. She enjoys interacting with professionals from all walks of life and finds pleasure in co-creating customised, integrated solutions that drive organizational success and foster mutually beneficial relationships.

Manager

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Worrawan Kanokkantapong, known as End, is responsible for driving postgraduate programmes outreach and recruitment in Thailand, cultivating strategic partnerships across Asia, and strengthening SMU’s brand presence in Thailand through targeted engagement initiatives.

End brings over 10 years of experience in international education and student counselling. She began her career advising Thai high school students on UK boarding school placements and eventually rose to the position of Assistant Country Director at a leading education agency. There, she managed recruitment operations, led teams, and collaborated with marketing and management units to support students pursuing degrees in the UK, USA, and Australia.

She holds a Bachelor of Science from King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Federation University Australia.

Outside of work, End dedicates her weekends to her family and is a proud and busy mother of 2 young children.

Assistant Manager

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Based in Thailand, Wipawee Panyosook known as Palm - brings a positive and can-do attitude to any challenge with a background in operations seeking to leverage transferable skills in the education industry. Previously excelled in guest relations and event coordination, demonstrating strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving abilities. Eager to contribute a multitasking and adaptable approach to a dynamic learning environment.

Beyond work, Palm is a passionate content creator and enjoys transforming spaces through home décor. When she unwinds, she loves listening to music and letting her creativity flourish.

Country Director

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Viet Anh has been appointed as the Country Director in SMU Vietnam, he closely collaborates with the Office of Overseas Centres (OOC) in Singapore to develop SMU's brand, enhance its reputation and contribute to SMU's vision of becoming Asia's Knowledge Gateway.

With over a decade of experience working in higher education between Europe and Asia, Viet Anh began his career as the Community and Project Manager at the World Entrepreneurship Forum, a global think tank dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship. He then served as the Head of Sales for International Graduate Programmes at Emlyon Business School in France, where he successfully developed and launched commercial activities for several new flagship programmes.

Prior to joining SMU, he was the Industry Partnership Engagement Lead at the INSEAD Career Development Centre, where he led the expansion of INSEAD’s employer engagement footprint across key markets in APAC.

Viet Anh is also a member of the MBA Career Service and Employer Alliance, a global platform where MNCs and career service professionals exchange best practices and discuss challenges in graduate recruitment. He holds a Master of Science in International Management with a major in European Affairs from IAE School of Management in Lyon, France.

Senior Manager

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Trang graduated with Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) from RMIT and Post Graduate Diploma in Psychology from Northumbria but earned extensive knowledge when working in private sectors, NGO, family business and community services. Trang spent her last 10 years in international higher education in Vietnam as she truly believe in the power of education. Prior to SMU, she worked at RMIT Vietnam, Hinrich Foundation and Fulbright University Vietnam in careers, partnership and scholar development.

Trang’s topics of interests are connection, health and vulnerability. You can find her enjoying Vietnamese foods and beaches with friends, or movies binge and charcoal/ gouache paintings.

She’s so looking forward to being a member of the proud SMU family!

Business Operations Manager

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Hoang Thao is currently the Business Operations Manager at SMU Vietnam. With an education background in Business Marketing from James Cook University of Singapore and a Master of Science in Management from Singapore Management University, Thao brings a humble approach to her role.

Prior to joining SMU, she gained experience in both creative agencies and client organizations, primarily focusing on marketing in the Vietnam market. Thao has also supported education companies in Vietnam by conducting market research and developing marketing strategies. She is committed to continuous growth and collaboration in every endeavor.

Thao is interested in coffee, reading books and travelling when she has time during the weekend. Otherwise, she will be spending time taking care of her cats.

Director

Email: catherinec@smu.edu.sg | Connect on LinkedIn

Catherine leads the engagement with industry partners and government sectors with a shared vision for growth to holistically support their transformation journey through strategic access to the University’s talent, expertise, technologies, and resources. She is responsible for developing the University’s Industry Engagement Strategy and fostering meaningful partnerships that supports the University’s strategic ambitions in creating positive impact in the world.

Catherine has been in Business Development throughout her career, starting at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) from 2007 to 2014, driving industry development in the Consumer Businesses Sector as well as attracting high-net-worth individuals to invest in Singapore before joining the Health Promotion Board (HPB), where she led in the development of healthier food policies and industry incentive schemes to promote food industries to develop healthier food products from 2014 to 2018.

She was with Johnson and Johnson’s Human Performance Institute from 2018 to 2019 to promote wellness solutions to corporations in Asia Pacific before returning to public service in 2019 at the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) as the Business Development Director to drive research investments from 2019 to 2022.

Catherine holds a Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science) with Honours, from the National University of Singapore (NUS), with a Minor in Technopreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania, USA (co awarded with NUS through the NUS Overseas College programme). She was also part of the University Scholar’s Programme (USP) at NUS.

Senior Associate Director, Industry Partnerships

Email: genevieveng@smu.edu.sg | Connect on LinkedIn

Genevieve Ng brings extensive experience in partnerships and business development across various industries in both private and public sectors. As Senior Associate Director of Industry Partnerships at Singapore Management University (SMU), Genevieve cultivates impactful research partnerships between academia and industry to advance innovation and drive societal impact.

Throughout her career, Genevieve has successfully expanded partnership ecosystems, negotiated strategic alliances, and launched award-winning marketing campaigns. Her professional journey includes leadership roles at Standard Chartered Bank, DBS Bank, ZUJI and Infocomm Media Authority Development (IMDA), where she consistently delivered measurable business and strategic outcomes.

With a Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University, Genevieve is committed to shaping the future of industry-academia partnerships and empowering organisations to thrive in an evolving landscape.

Senior Assistant Manager, Industry Partnerships

Email: jenngoh@smu.edu.sg | Connect on LinkedIn

Jenn supports the industry engagement efforts at OIE, facilitating partnership interests and broadening opportunities. Jenn developed and currently manages SMU’s internal partnership resource platform which allows OIE and colleagues across the university to coordinate and share engagement updates.

Driven by her passion for fostering connections between academic and industry, Jenn is committed to working with SMU’s industry partners to create and communicate the real-world impact through their collaborations with SMU. She brings with her diverse experiences in project management, marketing, communications, and event coordination to her role at OIE.

Jenn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from LASALLE College of The Arts, where she has contributed to the art community through exhibitions and curatorial programmes.

Senior Assistant Manager

Email: lthebez@smu.edu.sg

Nonie is responsible for industry communications and outreach strategy at OIE. She supports OIE’s industry engagements and oversees the Partnership Concierge, SMU’s dedicated platform designed to facilitate external visitors and organisations in identifying the right collaboration opportunity within SMU.

Prior to SMU, Nonie helped small and independent businesses flourish through relationship-building and effective brand, marketing, and digital campaigns. She now applies her keen insights into trends, relationship-building acumen, and strategic communications skill to enhance SMU's industry outreach efforts and improve the partnership experience.

Nonie is an alumna of New York University, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health.

Office Manager

Email: sharolynp@smu.edu.sg

Sharolyn Paul is the Office Manager at SMU, bringing over 20 years of experience in administration, finance, events, and stakeholder management across diverse industries. In her current role, she streamlines partnership operations, enhances team efficiency, and supports strategic initiatives that strengthen SMU's industry collaborations and drive institutional success.

A firm believer that dreams come true, Sharolyn is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Law degree at Birmingham City University, fulfilling a childhood aspiration. Her legal studies complement her professional expertise, deepening her understanding of governance and regulatory frameworks—essential skills that enhance her ability to anticipate partnership needs and contribute holistically to organizational goals.

Outside of work, she is passionate about Indian classical dance and fitness, embracing the discipline and balance they bring to her life. Sharolyn's commitment to continuous learning and personal growth reflects the same dedication and excellence she brings to her professional endeavours.