Transforming skilled specialists into tomorrow’s leaders

After a decade in legal practice, Mr Ng Shi Yang realised he wanted to be an organisational leader rather than a functional leader.

The technical nature of his profession as a litigator gave him little opportunity to hone the skillsets and values needed in organisational leadership, so Mr Ng began looking for roles in business. He admitted it was a humbling experience, as companies seemed to interview him out of curiosity regarding his career pivot instead of viewing him as a serious candidate.

“Recognising the market gap in my resume, I decided to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA),” he said. “I chose Nanyang Business School (NBS) at Nanyang Technological University because its programmes are recognised for their academic reputation and rigour.”

While pursuing a Nanyang Professional MBA at NBS (from which he will graduate this year), Mr Ng secured a role as a senior specialist in business management at FairPrice Group, where he works closely with the senior leadership team on strategies and business directions.

A LEADERSHIP-ORIENTED TRANSFORMATION

The Nanyang Professional MBA is designed for mid-career individuals seeking to elevate their skills to become T-shaped leaders with both breadth of understanding and depth of expertise in their chosen fields. There are two tracks available: General and International Trading.

Participants like Mr Ng, who select the general track, are usually skilled specialists looking to become flexible leaders with the help of a comprehensive curriculum designed to enhance their existing storehouse of domain expertise.

 “The programme is comprehensive, multi-directional and broad-based, allowing me to gain strategic insights into the multiple aspects of business,” said Mr Ng.

As a working professional and parent of young children, Mr Ng appreciates the accelerated 18-month schedule of the Nanyang Professional MBA. Weekend classes are held twice a month, allowing participants to minimise their out-of-office days and use of personal leave.

In addition to lectures, general track participants undertake case studies, study trips, simulations and hands-on industry projects to support their growth and learning.

In Mr Ng’s case, the experiences and learning from the Nanyang Professional MBA curriculum helped him to navigate his career pivot. “Transitioning from a pure legal practice background to a business management role involves a steep learning curve. But that curve was made less steep because of the business knowledge picked up and the instincts honed from the programme.”

One of Mr Ng’s most rewarding experiences was the Strategy Projects at Nanyang, where participants worked on a ‘live’ consulting project with a sponsor company. He recounted: “My team worked with a market-leading company to explore greenfield opportunities in a developing domain. Despite our unfamiliarity with the company’s area of speciality and the nascent domain, it was satisfying to incorporate the frameworks we learnt from the programme to analyse the business opportunity.”

Mr Ng added that the insights he has gathered from the Nanyang Professional MBA have helped to reaffirm his beliefs on effective leadership: “Two key lessons stand out – firstly, leaders are in it for the long haul, to do a sustainably profitable business, while managers tend to think more short-term and more tactically. Secondly, leaders coach to help realise their team’s full potential, while managers micro-manage and direct.”

DEVELOPING LEADERS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Ms Zhong Lisha, a commodity sales and marketing professional at mining company Anglo American, is also a Nanyang Professional MBA candidate, specialising in international trading.

The first programme of its kind in Asia, the Nanyang Professional MBA (International Trading) is ranked third in the world by QS International Trade Rankings 2023. It is supported by industry leaders, Enterprise Singapore and NTU’s Centre of Excellence in International Trading, which ensure the programme’s content is relevant and that participants possess the business and technical knowledge needed to become leaders in international trading.

Participants receive a holistic education focusing on cross-cultural intelligence, emerging technologies, sustainability and regulatory issues, and the ability to manage opportunities and risks in a dynamic global trading environment.

Ms Zhong, who graduated with an engineering degree in 2015, decided to take up the Nanyang Professional MBA to build a more diverse professional network and develop a broader view from a cross-functional perspective.

“The programme provides both breadth of knowledge across various disciplines of commodity trading and in-depth views of emerging technologies and future global trends, which are useful to acquire in order to challenge and transform the status quo,” she said.

Ms Zhong found the Technology and E-Business module especially interesting: “It was thought-provoking as e-business transforms the way businesses operate and compete. The course equipped us with skills to manage key IT issues and understand the principles of e-business.”

The international trading track also features an overseas study segment at the University of Geneva, a knowledge centre for commodity trading. Ms Zhong found the experience immensely beneficial, with robust classroom discussions on globally significant topics such as corporate social responsibility, sustainable finance and ethics.

“We have had the privilege of hearing from the forefront of academia and industry practitioners,” she shared. “The visits to the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development were highlights that gave me a deeper appreciation of the founding principles of the international organisations and how trade policies can profoundly impact the commodities market.”

NETWORKING WITH FUTURE LEADERS

Ms Zhong has stepped up to serve as a class representative in the programme, organising activities and interest groups and enriching the learning journey for her classmates and herself.

“Women who want to take up leadership roles need to be bold in speaking out and sharing opinions, thoughts and ideas,” she said. “Don’t be shy in sharing your accomplishments.”

Similarly, Mr Ng appreciates the opportunity to share his learning from work in class, where he has made good friends among his cohort. “Apart from the knowledge and skills acquired, I am most thankful for my batchmates. These friendships mean very much to me, far more than from a networking perspective.”

To him, the programme is well worth the investment in time and effort. Said Mr Ng: “The business domain is inherently risky, but the personal and professional growth gained from the programme – not to mention the networks you acquire – all go a long way in mitigating that risk factor, allowing you to find more success than you otherwise would.”

Get on the leadership track with the Nanyang Professional MBA programme.