Graduate Studies Blog

NANYANG EXECUTIVE MBA

Evolving in the Face of Change

Even with 20-plus years of experience in the semiconductor industry, NTU alumnus Loon Keong Lew felt there was still much room to grow and learn.

After decades overseeing quality control at the world-leading memory manufacturer Micron, he’s taking on an expanded role as Senior Director for Global Quality at Micron Technology, leading quality improvements in the manufacturing environment.

Nonetheless, Loon Keong felt he needed to fill a few knowledge gaps and expand his understanding of other factors that affect the semiconductor business. This includes mastery of the financial impact on the supply chain and the dynamic nature of artificial intelligence, amongst many different things.

“I thought my business acumen was something I should continue to develop,” he tells us.

Beyond on-the-job learning, Loon Keong felt he needed a more structured learning environment governed by a comprehensive curriculum. He decided the Nanyang Executive MBA (EMBA) programme was the right fit.

Invaluable lessons beyond the classroom

The programme’s innovative and interdisciplinary curriculum and the institution’s exceptional standing in global university rankings year after year, made it an obvious choice for Loon Keong. Nanyang Business School is a premier business school within Nanyang Technological University, which ranks 15th globally in the 2025 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.

The Nanyang EMBA’s overseas segments also played a part in sealing the decision. Nanyang EMBA participants spend a few weeks learning at the University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley), USA, and Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua), China.

Through these segments, EMBA participants gain direct access to the professors, insights and learning environments of two leading universities in both East and West. “We get to listen and interact with business leaders in the US and China,” Loon Keong explains. “We’re able to understand their perspectives, giving us real-world insights about the current business climate.”

In the Tsinghua segment, Loon Keong was exposed to China’s innovative business ecosystem. Nanyang EMBA participants studied the interrelationships between the government and private sectors and explored how Chinese government decisions have impacted major international business decisions.

“I can appreciate the thinking process behind government actions,” Loon Keong shares. “That actually helped me react and explain those decisions to my team.”

Loon Keong shares. “That actually helped me react and explain those decisions to my team.”

Reshaping leadership approaches

At UC Berkeley, Loon Keong participated in a leadership accelerator module giving him “a better understanding of why my leadership style is the way it is, and what I can change to be a better leader,” Loon Keong explained.

Loon Keong’s previous leadership style reflected a traditional Asian tendency to avoid conflict and shy away from confrontation. At the leadership accelerator, he learned that a bit of conflict was necessary to spark innovation within his team. “That was an ‘aha’ moment for me,” he says.

Both segments “definitely gave me very real-world insights about the current business climate,” Loon Keong says, a particularly valuable takeaway given his industry’s VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) business environment.

“The semiconductor business is very fast-paced, dynamic, and even unpredictable,” he explains, using the example of generative AI. “Two years ago, nobody even thought about that,” he recalls. “Suddenly, this trend starts picking up and affecting everyone, including my company! As a leader, how do we prepare our workforce for it?”

Thinking outside his department

Three modules in the Nanyang EMBA stood out the most to Loon Keong due to their relevance to his career: Knowledge and Technology Management, led by Prof. Vijay Sethi; Cultural Intelligence, taught by Prof. Ng Kok-Yee, and Talent Management, led by Prof. Olexander Chernyshenko.

“Knowledge and Technology Management taught us what kind of business logic we should apply based on different situations,” he explains. “Cultural Intelligence prepared me to navigate through different cultural situations, while Talent Management changed my perspective on internships and showed me how it’s one way to build up human capital quickly.”

Modules like these have helped Loon Keong to think beyond his forte in quality control and study other angles, including the industry’s supply chain and financial aspects. As a Senior Director, he acknowledges how important it is to consider different points of view on board, not just his own.

“By being able to appreciate their pain points and all these things, I’m able to provide a better solution to address the needs from all sides,” he asserts.

Learn, unlearn and relearn

In the ever-changing semiconductor industry, professionals must be committed to upgrading their skills to move with the times. Loon Keong has been leading the charge for upskilling at Micron and taking it further by encouraging colleagues and direct reports to consider joining the Nanyang EMBA programme.

“After the EMBA, I was able to share the things that I learned, which I find very useful,” he says. “I think that prompted them to consider taking up the EMBA as well.”

As an added incentive, Loon Keong tells them about Micron’s Advanced Education Program for upskilling, which underscores the company’s commitment to providing opportunities for higher learning and continuous employee development. Through such arrangements, employees can worry less about the financial aspects and focus more on the Nanyang EMBA experience.

When asked what advice he offers colleagues who wish to follow in his footsteps, Loon Keong emphasizes how the Nanyang EMBA is about challenging one’s assumptions.

About the Nanyang Executive MBA

The Nanyang EMBA has allowed working executives to gain the insights, skills and knowledge they need to stay agile and relevant in this fast-paced business climate.

This 13-month part-time programme serves more senior executives looking for more flexibility in terms of schedule, with the option to stretch the programme duration to two years to meet work demands.

To learn more about the programme and the funding options available, visit our website or download the brochure to find out more. ###