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Speech By Ms Katie McClintock At The Singapore University Of Social Sciences Convocation 2018

Date: 10 Oct 2018

Media Resource Type: Speeches

School/Dept: S R Nathan School of Human Development, School of Business, School of Humanities & Behavioural Sciences, School of Law, School of Science & Technology

Speech By Ms Katie McClintock,Chief Executive Officer, Insights Division, Kantar, At The Singapore University Of Social Sciences Convocation 2018 On Oct 10 2018, 2.30 p.m., The Grand Hall, Block A, Level 4, SUSS

Mr. Stephen Lee, Chancellor, Singapore University of Social Sciences;
Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, President of the Singapore University of Social Sciences; 
Graduands, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Welcome and Congratulations

  1. Good afternoon.
  1. What a pleasure it is to be here today to join you all at your Convocation Session – the finale of your time here at Singapore University of Social Sciences.
  1. I remember my own graduation, more than 20 years ago, from City University Business School in London, held at St Paul’s Cathedral followed by a graduation ceremony in London’s guildhall. I remember feeling that a chapter of formal education was closing and a host of new opportunities were opening up. I was finally close to being a financially independent adult. I think my parents were a mix of proud and definitely relieved that I was graduating and would finally be able to support myself!
  1. I would like to thank the Chancellor Mr Stephen and Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, the President of the University, for inviting me here to talk to you on such an important day.
  1. Congratulations to all the Graduands in the room – all 725 of you - well done on successfully completing your studies at the School of Business. Together, you have covered a wide variety of subjects in your time at the School, ranging from the traditional topics such as Marketing Management and Financial Accounting to more contemporary modules such as Internet and Social Media Marketing and Blockchain and Smart contract for Finance. The sheer number of topics highlights just how fast the world is changing, and the pace of business innovations today.
  1. And I would also like to congratulate some other people here today, – professors, mentors, family, friends and organisations. Your support is critical to this amazing success we are celebrating here today, whether thanks to your encouragement and backing or through the many partnerships and programmes designed to further enhance the learning of the students here.
What's Important For The Future?

  1. As you embark on this new chapter of your lives, you are no doubt reflecting on the skills you have mastered, and how you intend to nurture them further. After all, a degree is not the end of something, it marks the start of a new journey of discovery and on-going learning.
  1. It is clear that continuous learning is becoming increasingly critical, we all know that many of the jobs which exist today will not exist in two decades time. I was reminded of this in a conversation with my 12 year old son last month in the car. We were talking about his transition to senior school and the subjects he’d like tostudy, soon the conversation turned to what he’d like to do when he grew up. A You Tube Parkour athlete came the ready response, well to be frank it’s probably a perfectly sensible choice in today’s world, but it definitely was not a career choice open to me 20 years ago – there was no internet and Parkour had not yet been invented!
  1. As a result, educating around mindset and values that can be applied to many diverse challenges and opportunities is becoming increasingly critical in the workplace. I thought it would be helpful to reflect on some of the skills and mindsets that I observe again and again in the high performers and leaders in our business as you embark on your own journeys – and I have also taken the liberty todo a little internet research and find some examples of much more successful and famous business leaders advice on what advice they would have given their 20 something year old self as they graduated into the workplace.
  1. The first quality I observe in our business is curiosity. In a world where everything is changing fast, the ability to remain open and receptive to new ideas and strategies is essential for success. I urge you to maintain the curiosity that you’ve nurtured throughout your studies here as you go into the world of work. Be the person who asks why and why again. Allow yourself to understand issues and situations at a deeper level, and in doing so, identifying opportunities or possibilities that many others may have overlooked. This value is probably best expressed by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings who has built his successful culture around an ethos of people over process where curiosity and creativity are nurtured and celebrated.
  1. The second is open mindedness. In today’s work this is often described as agile thinking and decision-making. For me, it’s the ability to focus on a problem in front of you, and develop creative solutions. By which I mean, not necessarily taking the most obvious route, but being prepared to suspend your agenda and take a different path to answer a question; about learning from your mistakes and collaborating with others to reach a great outcome. I loved the advice Richard Branson, Virgin CEO and entrepreneur, said he’d give his 22 year old self, “Be the person who embraces the possibility of change, learn from your mistakes and let others learn from theirs.”
  1. The third is resilience, to keep going and persist. Sometimes, things take an unexpected turn, but those who are resilient and resourceful again find fresh solutions and energy to propel them through life. “If you are willing to dream and then work hard and execute well, you can achieve more than you ever imagined." That's what the Yahoo chairman Maynard Webb wished he'd known at 22. He worked his way through college because his father died and started his career as a security guard at IBM.
  1. I believe you have been very fortunate at SUSS, thanks to the mix of theoretical,practical training and industry experience, you are now well aware of just how unpredictable the business world can be – and will have experienced the need for curiosity, open-mindedness and resilience.
  1. Now is a moment to take stock and feel proud of your accomplishments at graduation – in finance, accounting or management. But don’t forget that you possess these other qualities. These qualities are sure to propel you to success in the unpredictable business environments of today and tomorrow.
Business Challenges In A Changing World

  1. Now I may be painting a somewhat daunting picture of an unpredictable future, but I don’t mean to unnerve you. From what I have seen, it’s incredibly exhilarating.
  1. In my role as CEO of Kantar’s Insights Division in Singapore, my teams work with businesses to gain an in-depth understanding of how people think, act, behave and buy. Using this insight, we advise on how brands can grow, both in the short and long term. In other words, we help brands understand the now, so that they are better prepared for the future.
  1. And what am I seeing? The pace of change is fantastic. New forms of technology are delivering fresh new business models. The way things will look in five years’ time is going to be drastically different to the five years that have come before – new business models enabled by technology are disrupting existing business models. Look at ride sharing with Grab, the competition in the travel sector being created by Air BnB, or the transformation of the retail sector with online merchants such as Lazada and Shoppee.
  1. As a consequence, the challenges facing businesses are more varied and the solutions more complex. Brands that have continued working within the status quo have quickly become obsolete; retailers such as Toys R Us who did not embrace online retail fast enough are bankrupt. New players and local entrants are challenging established businesses and institutionalized thinking to build fresh and different success stories in business.
Leadership is Therefore Evolving To Meet These Challenges

  1. In such an environment, it’s strong leaders that will really make the difference, and leadership is evolving to meet these challenges.
  1. You are tomorrow’s business leaders. You have the talent and the experience to succeed in this new world. My advice to you is to do something that interests you, join a company that has values you admire, that you are inspired by. Enter the workforce open minded - flexible and adaptable in your approach. Be curious and creative in your problem solving and agile in your thinking.
  1. And a final piece of advice - be humble, realise that you’re not always going to solve the problem by yourself, so being able to draw and learn from others will help you to grow and grow others around you. Lean on each other and support each other in your growth.
  1. You are all perfectly poised to take advantage of one of the most exciting times be in business.
  1. Congratulations on arriving at this important milestone, and I look forward to following many of your success stories in the coming years.
​​

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Speech By Ms Katie McClintock,Chief Executive Officer, Insights Division, Kantar, At The Singapore University Of Social Sciences Convocation 2018 On Oct 10 2018, 2.30 p.m., The Grand Hall, Block A, Level 4, SUSS

Mr. Stephen Lee, Chancellor, Singapore University of Social Sciences;
Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, President of the Singapore University of Social Sciences; 
Graduands, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

Welcome and Congratulations

  1. Good afternoon.
  1. What a pleasure it is to be here today to join you all at your Convocation Session – the finale of your time here at Singapore University of Social Sciences.
  1. I remember my own graduation, more than 20 years ago, from City University Business School in London, held at St Paul’s Cathedral followed by a graduation ceremony in London’s guildhall. I remember feeling that a chapter of formal education was closing and a host of new opportunities were opening up. I was finally close to being a financially independent adult. I think my parents were a mix of proud and definitely relieved that I was graduating and would finally be able to support myself!
  1. I would like to thank the Chancellor Mr Stephen and Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, the President of the University, for inviting me here to talk to you on such an important day.
  1. Congratulations to all the Graduands in the room – all 725 of you - well done on successfully completing your studies at the School of Business. Together, you have covered a wide variety of subjects in your time at the School, ranging from the traditional topics such as Marketing Management and Financial Accounting to more contemporary modules such as Internet and Social Media Marketing and Blockchain and Smart contract for Finance. The sheer number of topics highlights just how fast the world is changing, and the pace of business innovations today.
  1. And I would also like to congratulate some other people here today, – professors, mentors, family, friends and organisations. Your support is critical to this amazing success we are celebrating here today, whether thanks to your encouragement and backing or through the many partnerships and programmes designed to further enhance the learning of the students here.
What's Important For The Future?

  1. As you embark on this new chapter of your lives, you are no doubt reflecting on the skills you have mastered, and how you intend to nurture them further. After all, a degree is not the end of something, it marks the start of a new journey of discovery and on-going learning.
  1. It is clear that continuous learning is becoming increasingly critical, we all know that many of the jobs which exist today will not exist in two decades time. I was reminded of this in a conversation with my 12 year old son last month in the car. We were talking about his transition to senior school and the subjects he’d like tostudy, soon the conversation turned to what he’d like to do when he grew up. A You Tube Parkour athlete came the ready response, well to be frank it’s probably a perfectly sensible choice in today’s world, but it definitely was not a career choice open to me 20 years ago – there was no internet and Parkour had not yet been invented!
  1. As a result, educating around mindset and values that can be applied to many diverse challenges and opportunities is becoming increasingly critical in the workplace. I thought it would be helpful to reflect on some of the skills and mindsets that I observe again and again in the high performers and leaders in our business as you embark on your own journeys – and I have also taken the liberty todo a little internet research and find some examples of much more successful and famous business leaders advice on what advice they would have given their 20 something year old self as they graduated into the workplace.
  1. The first quality I observe in our business is curiosity. In a world where everything is changing fast, the ability to remain open and receptive to new ideas and strategies is essential for success. I urge you to maintain the curiosity that you’ve nurtured throughout your studies here as you go into the world of work. Be the person who asks why and why again. Allow yourself to understand issues and situations at a deeper level, and in doing so, identifying opportunities or possibilities that many others may have overlooked. This value is probably best expressed by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings who has built his successful culture around an ethos of people over process where curiosity and creativity are nurtured and celebrated.
  1. The second is open mindedness. In today’s work this is often described as agile thinking and decision-making. For me, it’s the ability to focus on a problem in front of you, and develop creative solutions. By which I mean, not necessarily taking the most obvious route, but being prepared to suspend your agenda and take a different path to answer a question; about learning from your mistakes and collaborating with others to reach a great outcome. I loved the advice Richard Branson, Virgin CEO and entrepreneur, said he’d give his 22 year old self, “Be the person who embraces the possibility of change, learn from your mistakes and let others learn from theirs.”
  1. The third is resilience, to keep going and persist. Sometimes, things take an unexpected turn, but those who are resilient and resourceful again find fresh solutions and energy to propel them through life. “If you are willing to dream and then work hard and execute well, you can achieve more than you ever imagined." That's what the Yahoo chairman Maynard Webb wished he'd known at 22. He worked his way through college because his father died and started his career as a security guard at IBM.
  1. I believe you have been very fortunate at SUSS, thanks to the mix of theoretical,practical training and industry experience, you are now well aware of just how unpredictable the business world can be – and will have experienced the need for curiosity, open-mindedness and resilience.
  1. Now is a moment to take stock and feel proud of your accomplishments at graduation – in finance, accounting or management. But don’t forget that you possess these other qualities. These qualities are sure to propel you to success in the unpredictable business environments of today and tomorrow.
Business Challenges In A Changing World

  1. Now I may be painting a somewhat daunting picture of an unpredictable future, but I don’t mean to unnerve you. From what I have seen, it’s incredibly exhilarating.
  1. In my role as CEO of Kantar’s Insights Division in Singapore, my teams work with businesses to gain an in-depth understanding of how people think, act, behave and buy. Using this insight, we advise on how brands can grow, both in the short and long term. In other words, we help brands understand the now, so that they are better prepared for the future.
  1. And what am I seeing? The pace of change is fantastic. New forms of technology are delivering fresh new business models. The way things will look in five years’ time is going to be drastically different to the five years that have come before – new business models enabled by technology are disrupting existing business models. Look at ride sharing with Grab, the competition in the travel sector being created by Air BnB, or the transformation of the retail sector with online merchants such as Lazada and Shoppee.
  1. As a consequence, the challenges facing businesses are more varied and the solutions more complex. Brands that have continued working within the status quo have quickly become obsolete; retailers such as Toys R Us who did not embrace online retail fast enough are bankrupt. New players and local entrants are challenging established businesses and institutionalized thinking to build fresh and different success stories in business.
Leadership is Therefore Evolving To Meet These Challenges

  1. In such an environment, it’s strong leaders that will really make the difference, and leadership is evolving to meet these challenges.
  1. You are tomorrow’s business leaders. You have the talent and the experience to succeed in this new world. My advice to you is to do something that interests you, join a company that has values you admire, that you are inspired by. Enter the workforce open minded - flexible and adaptable in your approach. Be curious and creative in your problem solving and agile in your thinking.
  1. And a final piece of advice - be humble, realise that you’re not always going to solve the problem by yourself, so being able to draw and learn from others will help you to grow and grow others around you. Lean on each other and support each other in your growth.
  1. You are all perfectly poised to take advantage of one of the most exciting times be in business.
  1. Congratulations on arriving at this important milestone, and I look forward to following many of your success stories in the coming years.
​​
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