Breaking Barriers, Forging Friendships and Conceiving the Future - Singapore MBA Network organizes its first networking event

Author: Pramoj S/O Sankar, MBA Student 2011, Vice-President Cultural, Student Ex-Co,

On the 9th of April, I joined a gathering of over 200 MBA students from top business schools based in Singapore -Nanyang, NUS, SMU, Essec and Insead, in an evening filled with fun, laughter and networking. It was held at the Oosh bar and restaurant, located in Dempsey Hill and one of the hip places in Singapore for parties and dining. Oosh used to be a former army camp which turned into Singapore’s largest alfresco bar and restaurant, tucked inside a natural habitat of trees – away from the hustle and bustle of buildings and city life. Yes, Singapore can surprise you with such lush places! That event was the very first initiative of the Singapore MBA Network, a newly created, and maybe the first formal group of MBAs based in Singapore, which counts both present students and alumni from the 5 schools. And this networking event was certainly the best way to kick start the formation of this group.

I found the excitement to be palpable as I met fellow young (and some very experienced) thought leaders of tomorrow from other schools and shared with one another our experiences from our respective programs, as well as our aspirations upon receiving our MBAs. Everyone was in high spirits, and I found the opportunity of meeting new people and of learning new ideas very refreshing and truly rewarding experience.

I was the emcee of the event – hugging the microphone most of the time, and maybe I tried my best to make the event as enjoyable as possible, by telling anecdotes or simple jokes to break the ice. I was thrilled to have worked with the other MBA participants to organize the event, and was especially pleased to have the opportunity to play games and interact with almost everyone.

Pram hosting the night

On a more serious note, student leaders of each school also gave brief speeches to rally their peers towards forming a cohesive and influential network of Singapore MBAs. I personally felt honoured to be part of this network, with so many brilliant minds and by just being at this event, I could already feel the immense potential and value this alliance could give me and other aspiring young business individuals. It is, indeed, a start of something big!

I felt everyone enjoyed the networking session – hundreds of name-cards, including my own, were exchanged, ideas for future collaborations were conceived and most importantly, new circles of valuable friendship had been forged. This unprecedented event had truly added a new dimension to my MBA experience in Singapore. We all look forward to the next event, as this first networking event paved the way to more occasions of similar nature.