Madam President: Lily Kong, SMU President

IN September 2017, the Singapore Management University (SMU) announced a global search to replace its outgoing president, Arnoud De Meyer. Seven months later, that search ended where it had begun: in the university's own backyard, where Lily Kong was standing.

After four presidents and nearly 20 years since its founding in 2000, it was the first time SMU would be appointing a Singaporean to the job. And as Prof Kong tells The Business Times, it was "a little bit of a dream job", combining several of her great life passions as an educator, a researcher, and a leader.

Ambassador-in-chief