On 30th November 2016, SMU Real Estate and Alternative Investment Alumni Group organised a casual and cosy year-end catch-up at B3: Burger Beer Bistro. It was a good time for our members to renew friendships and rejuvenate minds, and also to forge greater collaborations for the new year ahead. Having it at B3 was appropriate as it is run by our very own SMU Alumni Association (SMUAA) together with the support of the SMU Office of Alumni Relations and SMU, where all proceeds go towards a building fund that is being set up, which will be the foundation of our guild house in the future.
It was great to see the diversity of our alumni network grown from mainly real estate financing from banks, to a wider group of developers, consultancies and funds. This diversity is important as our alumni carve their path forward in their respective real estate careers even as SMU does not have a real estate faculty, which would help serve as a platform for future batches to follow.
Jeanette Tay (BBM, 2008) from Baring Real Estate Private Equity Asia commented, “Good meeting avenue for the young people in this industry, which is quite small. You'll grow, progress and learn with them, as time passes. Hopefully relationships develop and deepen. The guy here may be having drinks with you, laughing over life today, may find himself on your team, or across you on the transaction table, or working together on various opportunities. Regardless, it is always good to have a friend.”
We were also privileged to invite Eileen from Project InTan to share more about their programs and initiative to raise up to $500,000 for Beyond Social Services which helps children and youth from poor families for their 10th anniversary in 2017. Their founder, Alvin, is a strong advocate for Peranakan culture and converted his home into a Peranakan museum which is open to tourists and the public. As part of our CSR initiative, we hope to play a big part to help him achieve that and give back to society.
The networking began with a good spread of food. It was good to catch up with old friends, make new ones and learn and exchange pointers on the latest market insights, such as November’s Government Land Sale (GLS) of the white site in Central Boulevard, which achieved the record high in absolute dollar quantum as well as by unit rate in Singapore's history.
Louis Chua (BBM/BAcc, 2012) from Credit Suisse said, "Many thanks to the SMU Real Estate and Alternative Investment Group for organizing a fruitful end of year gathering. The event was very useful in helping us connect with like-minded peers in the industry. Keep up the good work and I look forward to the next alumni event!"
It is always great to share in the success of our fellow schoolmates and friends in their careers, and be inspired by them. It was a good night and a great way to draw a close to an eventful 2016 for us.
Do stay tuned to our Facebook page for more exciting events coming in 2017. You can find us at SMU Real Estate & Alternative Investments Alumni Facebook Group. Click here for more photos from the event.
Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays!
Article contributed by Tan Teck Chew (BBM, 2010), Committee Member, SMU Real Estate and Alternative Investment Alumni Group.