Alumni from the SMU Business Families Alumni Group were privileged to hear from an outstanding panel of speakers during their inaugural alumni sharing session on 25th August 2016. Speakers for the night were Ms Chua Mei Mei (United Beauty Palace Myanmar Co. Ltd.), Ms. Lin Ruiwen (Sheng Siong Group Ltd.), and Mr. Edwin Ng (Markono Print Media), and the dialogue was moderated by Ms. Diana Chong (Left Profile). What made the sharing session even more special was that all of the speakers are SMU alumni, and also respected leaders in their own right.
Throughout the sharing, the recurring message for the night was that being in a family business is not a privilege that can be taken for granted. Rather, having the chance to work in the family business should be an honour, and the only way to live up to that honour is by working harder than anyone else in the business.
The alumni received useful advice that can be applied to doing businesses and also to life:
1. Empathise with others
2. Enrich the lives of those around you (and that of their loved ones)
3. Show appreciation
4. Find ways to recharge yourself
5. Practise what you preach and be a role model to others
6. Do things that are aligned with your values - it's what keeps you committed
7. 以道德为主，自我要求，言行一致 #shengshiongsays
8. Keep improving - upgrade, upskill, go for depth #YouTubehelps #askJuliusYego
9. Respect and seek to learn from others
10. Brag humbly, where applicable. #thingswelearninschool
The event was made possible by alumni John Cheng, Donovan Tan, Tommy Phun, and the rest of the SMU Business Families Alumni Group Exco.