Overview
The Steward Leadership Advantage — Driving Profitable Growth in the AI Era
Universal connectivity coupled with powerful AI is making everything transparent and everyone naked. Geoeconomics is once again fragmenting our world into rival power blocks. We’re at the mercy of extreme weather events. Social inequality is worse than ever.
Against this backdrop, three urgent questions emerge:
- How can companies still ensure profitable growth and business longevity?
- How can we save planet Earth and humanity without sacrificing profit or material self-interest?
- How can individuals maximise financial success and find deep happiness?
Status Quo is Not Working
Let’s face it, the world order as we know it is ending. Until now, we have deployed either Milton Friedman’s doctrine of maximising profits at any cost, or the ESG philosophy of addressing environmental and social sustainability mostly through regulatory compliance. Both approaches have failed. The Friedman doctrine has led to uneven economic growth and unchecked exploitation of the environment.
In today’s naked era, where every action is visible, traceable, and digitally recorded, maximising profits at the expense of people or planet is untenable. Many companies are learning this the hard way. On the other hand, ESG as practised currently has increased costs, created a heavy regulatory compliance burden, but has failed to make meaningful progress on environmental or social challenges.
THE SOLUTION: "DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD"
Sustainable Profitability ⇌ Profitable Sustainability
Whether the goal is to simply maximise profitable growth (sustainable profitability) or to viably address environmental and social challenges (profitable sustainability), we need bold new ways of thinking and acting. The winning strategy for both objectives is Steward Leadership, which is doing well by doing good.
Sustainable Profitability: In the 21st century, only those businesses that can earn and retain customer trust will generate sustainable profitability. But who will earn and retain trust? Research at Stewardship Asia Centre shows customers will trust only those businesses that make their returns by genuinely solving pressing human problems, i.e. doing well by doing good.
Profitable Sustainability: To make meaningful progress against environmental and social challenges, sustainability itself must be profitable. Here again, the answer is to do well by doing good—creating innovative, profitable solutions for today’s challenges.
The Steward Leadership Advantage Programme shows how "doing well by doing good" is not only possible but the only way to succeed in an environment where everything can be fact-checked and nothing is hidden.
The Steward Leadership Advantage Programme is jointly developed by the Singapore Management University and the Stewardship Asia Centre.
- Next Course Starts On 1 September 2026 (Tuesday)See Full Schedule
- Duration1, 2, 3 September 2026 (3 days)
- LevelAdvanced
- VenueSingapore Management University
Learning Objectives
As a result of attending this programme, participants will be better able to:
- Enable enterprise-wide innovation to drive profitable growth and business longevity in an AI-enabled future
- Design profitable solutions to address environmental and social sustainability
- Uncover the leadership energy© required to remain resilient against all odds
- Refine governance models to suit today’s fundamentally different landscape
- Explore the challenges and opportunities of responsible and ethical use of data and AI
- Recognise the current direction and future capital flow trends in sustainable finance
Topics/Structure
Who Should Attend
- Senior executives and board directors who want to drive both business and personal success
- CXOs looking to maximise profitable growth in today’s turbulence
- Sustainability enthusiasts looking to address today’s existential challenges in a profitable way
- Anyone looking to shape a legacy
If you are open to challenging conventional thinking and leading rather than living life, this programme is for you.
Delivered on campus at SMU and at the iconic Temasek Shophouse, the programme comprises interactive exercises, case studies, external visits, fireside chats with business leaders, and simulations to dive deep into various aspects of steward leadership.
TESTIMONIALS
Over the past 4 years, each run of this programme has earned an overall satisfaction rating of 4.8 out of 5. Many have described it as a life-changing experience.
The Steward Leadership Advantage Program at SMU Executive Development (ExD) was a transformative experience that deepened my understanding of leadership’s vital role in creating a sustainable future. It emphasised the necessity of aligning financial goals with social and environmental impact, proving that companies can achieve success while benefiting society. Discussions on impact investing and the lessons from both exemplary organisations and cautionary tales enriched my perspective.
I left inspired to continue embedding steward leadership values—such as interdependence, ownership mentality, long-term view, and creative resilience—into my work and teams’ culture. This programme is essential for anyone committed to making a positive difference in the world.
The programme is a fantastic take on how professionals can embed stewardship principles with leadership skills. The speakers and case studies were highly relevant, and the exchange of views was mentally stimulating. I ended the session with a refreshed outlook, armed with a toolkit of practical frameworks that can be applied to my work.
Ms Tsvetelina Müller
Integrated Disease Value Lead - Breast Cancer & Hematology, Roche Thailand Ltd.
The programme is a fantastic take on how professionals can embed stewardship principles with leadership skills. The speakers and case studies were highly relevant, and the exchange of views was mentally stimulating. I ended the session with a refreshed outlook, armed with a toolkit of practical frameworks that can be applied to my work.
Mr Dexter Tay
Executive Director, Consumers Association of Singapore.
Fees and Funding
SGD 5,450
(inclusive of 9% GST)*
SGD 5,000
(excluding 9% GST)*
* Fee is subject to change. GST is not applicable to foreign based companies.
* SkillsFuture base-tier Credit can be used for this programme. Please click here for more details. Eligible for Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above.
** Fee is subject to change. GST applies to individuals and Singapore-registered companies.
For More Information:
Tel: +65 6808 5393 (Desmond Ng)
Email: desmondngjj@smu.edu.sg
Schedule
Start Date(s):
Intake Information :1, 2, 3 Sep 2026 (3 days)