CAA Singapore hosts largest and most diverse Asia Leader’s Weekend

• Donna MacPhee ‘89CC, P: ‘17CC President of Columbia Alumni Association and Vice President Alumni Affairs kicked off the weekend

• 125 Columbia alumni and leaders attended the Urban Technology and Planning in 21^st Century Asia panel discussion with keynote speakers and dinner at the Hilton Hotel Singapore 

• 14 Countries across Asia-Pacific, including Singapore were represented at the Asia Leader's Weekend 

• 70 total regional alumni club leaders participated in the weekend conference

• 4 Dine, Drink, Discover merchants showcased their food, wine and specialty cocktails

The Columbia Alumni Association, in collaboration with the Columbia Alumni Association of Singapore organized its first alumni Leadership Weekend Conference in Singapore comprised of a weekend filled with keynote speakers, panel discussions, special activities ranging from food and art tours, hikes, and local Singapore experiences across the city.

14 total countries across Asia-Pacific, including Singapore attended the weekend leadership conference with more than 70 regional alumni club leaders participating in various activities organized by the Singapore club. Among these experiences started with a panel discussion led by Professor Weiping Wu, Director of the Urban Planning Program at Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP). Professor Weiping Wu was accompanied by a stellar line-up of speakers and industry leaders that included: Chingyu Yao, ’03 SIPA, Director General of Secretariat at New Taipei City Government, Hui Min Chan, ‘00GSAPP, Director of DP Architects, John Powers, ’13 GSAPP, Research Fellow at The Lee Kuan Yew Centre of Innovative Cities, and Ken Lee, ‘07CC, Deputy Director (Research) Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development of Singapore.

After the panel discussion, both leaders and Singapore alumni members were treated to a buffet dinner specially prepared by the Hilton Hotel. The Singapore club also invited some of its partners from the alumni Dine, Drink and Discover program to showcase their fine wine, specialty cocktails, and food, namely Orgo, Deckers BBQ, Raison Wines, and Brass Lion Distillery. 

Throughout the weekend, alumni leaders were able to participate in city tours and unique Singapore experiences all organized by the CAA club of Singapore. CAA SG President, Michael Novielli stated, “we wanted to create a memorable experience for all the regional club leaders who came to Singapore and also provide a series of discussions that would allow for more clubs to be successful in their markets.”

CAA SG Vice President, Mark Clemente also expressed his deep appreciation to all the alumni and CAA leaders that attended the weekend saying, "I want to thank all the alumni leaders that came to participate in a fun-filled weekend in Singapore. It was a great pleasure to meet everyone from across the region and I'm glad we all learned a lot from each other. I look forward to the next Leaders Weekend in 2021" 

The weekend also included presentations from each club on their best practices and challenges in leading an alumni club. Former CAA SG President and current Senior Advisor and CAA NY Board Member, Mary Kuo said, “CAA Singapore was honored to host our regional alumni leaders and share some of the best practices in managing a successful alumni club….this weekend was especially important with having Donna MacPhee and her team from New York City share more insights into Columbia’s global alumni initiatives.”

To cap off the weekend, Donna MacPhee shared with each alumni leader with an official certificate of appreciation from Columbia University and shared these words, "A Columbia lion's roar to all of you for participating in this year’s leaders weekend and a special shout out to CAA Singapore – your hospitality and professionalism was amazing! Thank you! You have truly set a high bar and standard for all clubs worldwide and we appreciate all the efforts your board has done to make this conference so impactful."

Here are some photos from the weekend – please see below Photo Gallery links and remember to follow us on Instagram @cuinsg and like our Facebook page.

Day 1: https://myalbum.com/album/25BtejZnwjwJ
Day 2: https://myalbum.com/album/CM9r3KcwZgwx
Day 3: https://myalbum.com/album/iyfc2awC8SMW