Asian Alumnae Symposium

Alumnae Gather in Singapore for Thought-Provoking Weekend

November 4-6, 2016

Mount Holyoke College’s second Asian Alumnae Symposium drew almost eighty attendees from around the world to the island city-state of Singapore, a multicultural hub of global commerce, finance, and transport. Over the weekend of November 4–6, alumnae and their guests gathered at the Bloomberg headquarters in the heart of the city to explore how innovation has evolved in Asia and discuss company-specific strategies and government policies that have been instrumental in this process.

The event, organized by the College, the Alumnae Association, and a committee that included Pooja Daftary ’09, Natalya Marusich ’04, Laura Rieber ’04, Ishani Shrestha ’13, Ann Blake ’85, Eleanor Chang ’78, and Katherine Hunter ‘75 featured panels, interactive discussions, and dedicated networking opportunities. In addition, attendees were able to more casually engage with each other and explore the city through activities such as walking tours guided by local alumnae, a river cruise, a private tour of Asian Civilisations Museum, and a dim sum brunch at Empress.

The weekend’s speakers included global thought leaders, accomplished entrepreneurs, and high-level executives from across Asia and the United States. Omar Lodhi, husband of Huma Lodhi ’92 and partner and regional head with the Abraaj Group, a leading investor in growth markets, gave Saturday’s keynote address, examining Singapore’s overwhelming progress as well as the latest macroeconomic trends globally and how they have been affecting Asia. Symposium attendees also had the opportunity to meet and hear from six prominent Mount Holyoke College alumnae speakers as well as a number of leaders from the College, who shared the latest campus developments.

“It was inspiring to see the diversity of people from so many classes and fields meet up to talk about one topic from all angles,” said attendee Zanna McKay ’13. “I met several people in the region who are working on all kinds of interesting and truly impactful projects, and there’s a lot of potential for collaboration and support down the road.”

#MHC2016SG

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