The IO Team

Matthew Lee

Director

Email: matthewlee@smu.edu.sg

Matt leads Team IO in building bridges and deepening relations for SMU with some 300 partner universities around the world. His time at SMU follows 21 years of international relations work in the public and non-profit sectors. Best experiences then include running international campaigns, and leading multilateral negotiations and collaborations on maritime issues at UN agencies and regional inter-governmental organisations; establishing a representative office in London to promote Maritime Singapore to the European community; and building a network of Friends of Singapore Communities in major cities in China, the UK, US and ASEAN countries.

Real and reel lives converge for Matt. His first close encounter with the force of alliances was in 1977, when Lucas gifted fanboys A New Hope. Folded not stirred, this Double “International” O’s other passion is ice-cream…velvety ice-cream.

Tan Sook

Associate Director

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

Tan Sook is the Associate Director, Partnerships (Asia Pacific) at the SMU International Office. Supported by a team of four country managers, his responsibility is to engage with existing and prospective partner universities in Greater China, North Asia, Southeast Asia and India to forge meaningful collaborations to support the University's internationalisation drive. 

He had previously handled a corporate communications portfolio with SMU and served as an International Relations specialist at various Singapore government agencies, such as Enterprise Singapore, Ministry of Communications and Information, and Ministry of National Development.

Mabel Wong

Senior Assistant Director

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

Mabel leads a team to develop and manage SMU’s bilateral and multilateral relations with foreign university partners and stakeholders in the Americas and Europe.

With over a decade of experience in international relations, she has worked across education, arts and culture, and tourism industries in both non-profit organisations and statutory boards.

Prior to SMU, Mabel was at the Singapore Tourism Board where she worked with a team to proudly develop and present Singapore: Inside Out — a multi-disciplinary showcase celebrating Singapore’s creative talents during the nation's 50th birthday in 2015 to Beijing, London and New York.

Mabel is currently pursuing a Masters in Digital Management, where she aims to major in being human in the age of AI. She is a proud mother to a beautiful daughter, a novice aerialist and an aspiring seamstress currently specialising in children’s clothes. 

Lim Tau Wee 

Assistant Director

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

Tau Wee develops SMU’s partnerships and collaborations with universities in Brunei, India, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, through joint academic programme collaborations, student exchange and programmes, research collaborations and university conferences, dialogues and networks. He also led the Short-Term Study Programmes team and developed the SMU Global Summer Programme into a scalable and profitable revenue-generating programme for SMU.

Prior to joining SMU in 2017, he drove Singapore International Foundation’s (SIF) strategy and work in China and led collaborative projects and events in the fields of healthcare, academia, business and social entrepreneurship in Shanghai, Beijing, Yunnan and Chongqing, as well as Kuala Lumpur, Bandung and Jakarta, to further SIF’s public diplomacy mission among foreign communities of interest, while growing Friends of Singapore networks overseas and in Singapore.

Tau Wee graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics.

Yip Siew Min

Assistant Diretor

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

Siew Min currently manages the growth and development of SMU’s network of quality international partnerships, particularly in Europe and the UK. 

She brings more than a decade of experience in interacting with stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds and education levels through her teaching stints in Singapore and Japan. 

Before joining SMU, Siew Min was the Head of Staff and Student Development at the School of Communication, Arts and Social Sciences in Singapore Polytechnic where she led and managed a large array of school-wide events and initiatives.

Siew Min’s passion for experiential learning and inculcating global awareness among the youths motivated her to apply for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme where she taught oral communication skills to senior high school students in Fukuoka for two years. She also facilitated several overseas student exchange and community service expeditions to places such as Hiroshima and Shangri-La.

Adeline Goh

Senior Manager

Email: adelinegoh@smu.edu.sg

As a Senior Manager, Adeline’s portfolio spans across the Greater China region, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and rest of the world. She is driven to pursue a career in international relations and partnerships due to a profound belief in the transformative power of universities to address complex societal and global challenges. Coming from a decade of service in the public service, she understands that cooperation and collaboration between public-private sectors is key to navigating the increasing complexities in the VUCA environment. Adeline is drawn to the idea of building bridges between universities, fostering dialogue, and working towards a more harmonious and interconnected world where knowledge and best practices can be pooled together collective to generate greater synergy.

Adeline is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Management that underscores her commitment in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for impactful and informed decision-making in various professional settings that could value-add to her current work.

Valerie Sim

Senior Manager

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

As Senior Manager in the SMU International office, Valerie currently manages the growth and development of SMU’s external partnerships and relations, specifically in Europe.

Valerie was introduced to cross-cultural engagements at the inaugural Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010, where she enjoyed her experience as the principal assistant in the engagement of government agencies and foreign embassies in Singapore. That led her to join the National Institute of Education, Singapore as Senior Assistant Head overseeing Hospitality Relations, where she built over 10 years of experience managing internationalisation activities and initiatives and consulting on protocol-related matters. She was also the project lead for the NIE Visitors Learning Centre, a first of its kind that tells Singapore’s teacher education development story. 

Outside of work, Valerie enjoys watching F1 races but cannot drive to save herself. 

Nora Wu 

Manager

Email: norawu@smu.edu.sg

Nora looks after partnership developments with universities in Greater China and Japan. Besides forging and facilitating academic and research collaborations, she also conducts profiling initiatives such as organising the global forum with partner universities. 

Prior to joining SMU in 2017, she was the programme lead at Nanyang Technopreneurship Center in Nanyang Technological University. There, she takes lead in entrepreneurship and innovation education programme development for local and overseas executives and students. 

Nora graduated from the National University of Singapore. She subsequently obtained a Master of Arts in Contemporary China from Nanyang Technological University. She is fluent in English, Chinese, and German, and enjoys cooking and playing the violin in her leisure time. 

P A Fathima Muhsina

Manager

Email: fathimam@smu.edu.sg

Fathima Muhsina oversees partnerships with universities in North America and Oceania, focusing on areas like student exchange, academic collaboration, and research partnerships. Before joining SMU, Fathima garnered valuable experience at institutions like the National University of Singapore and Singapore University of Social Sciences. In her previous roles, she effectively managed student exchange programs and academic initiatives. Fathima has a keen interest in working with data, leveraging it to uncover trends and insights beneficial to educational institutions. She holds a Master of Finance degree from Singapore University of Social Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Singapore Management University.

Michelle Hong

Office Manager

Email: michellehong@smu.edu.sg

Michelle is the Office Manager of SMU International Office. She is responsible for the organisation and coordination of office administration duties and office procedures.

Prior to joining SMU in 2018, Michelle was managing the sale and marketing of processed teak logs in the golden land of Myanmar.

Kayven Tan

Senior Executive | Connect on LinkedIn

Email: kayventan@smu.edu.sg

Kayven currently manages and develops SMU’s international collaborations and partnerships with universities in the Southeast Asian region through facilitating research and academic collaborations, university conferences and dialogues and student exchange programmes.

Prior joining to SMU in 2023, Kayven served as a Foreign Service Officer in the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There, he was in charge of formulating and reviewing Singapore’s bilateral policies relating to technical assistance under the Asia Pacific region. He also liaised with ministries and statutory boards to curate, implement and facilitate capacity-building programmes for foreign government officials from over 170 developing countries, sharing Singapore’s expertise on Healthcare, Sustainability and Public Administration. He also assisted in the conceptualization and implementation of the Singapore-Timor-Leste ASEAN Readiness Support (STARS) package, a technical assistance package to provide support for Timor-Leste in its accession to ASEAN.

Kayven graduated with a Masters in International Relations from Nanyang Technological University. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling and hiking in his leisure time.