Overview
Designed to empower high-potential professionals from across Asia to step confidently into larger leadership roles, participants will develop the mindset, skill set, and network needed to lead with clarity and purpose in an increasingly complex, fast-changing world.
Blending academic insight from Singapore Management University with the practical wisdom of regional company leaders, the SMU Emerging Asian Leaders (SEAL) Programme immerses participants in an experiential journey that integrates learning, reflection, and real-world application.
The programme unfolds over two in-person workshops, complemented by webinars, mentoring, and an Action Learning Project addressing a live organizational challenge. SEAL nurtures future leaders who can navigate complexity, build trust across cultures, innovate with purpose, and harness technology responsibly — while staying anchored in their values and vision for positive change.
- Next Course Starts On 6 April 2026 (Monday)See Full Schedule
- Duration6, 7, 8, 9, 10 April 2026, 13, 14, 15 May 2026 (8 days)
- LevelAdvanced
- VenueSingapore Management University
Learning Objectives
- Lead with Purpose and Resilience: Stay grounded in personal and organizational values while efficiently managing change and ambiguity.
- Think in Systems: Understand how actions ripple across teams, organizations, and ecosystems.
- Influence Across Boundaries: Build trust, credibility, and collaboration across functions, generations, and cultures.
- Innovate Responsibly: Connect creativity and design thinking with ethical, human-centered innovation.
- Embrace Human + AI Synergy: Learn to leverage technology thoughtfully, amplifying what truly matters.
- Build a Regional Leadership Identity: Strengthen cross-cultural and cros-industry savviness.
- Deliver Measurable Impact: Apply learning through a company sponsored Action Learning Project that creates tangible value for your organization.
- Join a Vibrant Associate Alumni Community*: Form long-term professional networks across Asia and ASEAN.
*At the end of the programme, SEAL participants will be invited to join the SMU Associate Alumni Community and to join an annual SEAL Alumni event, as well as dedicated online events.
Topics/Structure
Find direction and balance in a world that feels brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible (BANI).
Clarify your personal values and purpose as anchors for decision-making. Learn how to sustain wellbeing and impact through mindful productivity and balance.
Develop a systems mindset to see patterns and interdependencies across teams, organisations, and ecosystems.
Use systems-thinking tools to diagnose complex challenges and identify leverage points for sustainable impact.
Strengthen your ability to lead through influence, not hierarchy. Practise strategies to build credibility and trust upwards, sideways, and downwards.
Adapt your communication and influencing styles to engage diverse stakeholders effectively.
Learn to innovate with curiosity and purpose. Apply design thinking to turn insights into practical solutions that serve people, organizations, and society.
Discover how experimentation and iteration fuel progress.
Demystify AI and explore how technology can extend human intelligence and empathy.
Understand the ethical and societal implications of AI and develop strategies for responsible adoption that aligns with human values.
Site visits and fireside chats with senior Singaporean leaders on AI leadership and regional trends.
Participants will work in cross-company teams to address a real, organization-sponsored challenge that they face. Each project provides the opportunity to apply systems thinking, collaboration, and innovation to a tangible business issue.
Teams of five act as peer consultants, guided by faculty mentors, and deliver a final 20-minute pitch presenting their proposed solution and leadership insights.
Celebrating connection and purpose-driven leadership.
Final Pitch Presentations to a panel of senior leaders and faculty, followed by Graduation Ceremony.
- Is Sustainability Still a Business Imperative?
- Is Diversity Still an Organizational Priority?
- How to Pitch with Impact
Who Should Attend
This programme is ideal for:
- Emerging and high-potential leaders, such as first-time managers, preparing to take on broader managerial or strategic responsibilities within 12–18 months.
- Next-generation family business owners seeking to lead with confidence and purpose.
- Top-performing individual contributors identified for accelerated leadership growth.
- Regional professionals seeking to expand their network and influence across ASEAN and Asia at large.
Takeaways
Experiential Learning Methods
The SEAL journey integrates diverse, high-impact learning experiences:
- Interactive Lectures and Group Discussions
- Case studies and Regional Simulations
- Role plays and Scenario-based Learning
- Mentoring and Peer Reflection
- Real-time Application through Action Learning Projects
- Reflective Essays
- Supervisor Learning Conversations
Fees and Funding
SGD 10,355
(inclusive of 9% GST)*
SGD 9,500
(excluding 9% GST)*
IAC Members Rate
$8,284 (incl. 9% GST)*
$7,600 (excl. 9% GST)**
*Fee is subject to change. GST applies to individuals and Singapore-registered companies.
** Fee is subject to change. GST is not applicable to foreign based companies.
For more information, please contact Dr Flocy Joseph at
Tel: +65 6808 7921
Email: flocyjoseph@smu.edu.sg
Schedule
Start Date(s):
Intake Information :Workshop 1: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 April 2026 (5 days); Workshop 2: 13, 14, 15 May 2026 (3 days)
