CLASSNOTES

In SBS, he was responsible for the restructure and reorganisation of the bus company and served as its first general manager (later renamed executive director) for nearly five years. He was also at the helm of the Port of Singapore Authority from 1979 to 1987 and led it to become the world's busiest port.

His other portfolios include being on the board of directors of various organisations, among them, the Development Bank of Singapore, Health Corporation of Singapore and Toa Payoh Hospital. He is also chairman of Integrated Information.

1970 Leow Siak Fah (LLB), with more than 35 years of experience in insurance, is the chairman and group chief executive of Citystate Holdings, an international insurance establishment. He has helped found many insurance companies in Singapore, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Brunei and Thailand.

Both Mr Leow and his wife enjoy regional reputations in music. He is an opera singer, while she, a doctor, is a concert pianist. Their interest in music has led them to become the prime movers in the formation of the Singapore Lyric Theatre, Singapore's first professional opera company. He has been chairman of the company since 1990.

An accomplished tenor, Mr Leow has performed in various operas in Singapore and Malaysia. He has also produced and directed many operas for the National University of Singapore Society and the National Theatre Trust. Since 1988, he has been chairman of NUSS cultural sub-committee. He is also a member of the users' advisory group of the Singapore Arts Centre, the arts resource panel of the National Arts Council and the advisory committee of the LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts.

1976/1977 Ronnie Neo Soon Heng (BA/BSocSciHons) first sold life insurance to finance his university education; he graduated with an honours degree in political science. But, what began as a part-time job is now a life-long career. He runs his own company and specialises in business insurance and estate planning.

With a diploma in life insurance from the Australian Insurance Institute, Ronnie serves not only his clients but also the industry. He has had the honour of being the only agent to be appointed by the insurance commissioner to sit on the board of examiners of the then Insurance Institute of Singapore. Ronnie is now the zone chairman of the million-dollar round table for Singapore and Brunei.

The Rainbow Centre is where Ronnie devotes his volunteer services, working with children suffering from multiple handicaps.

1984 Christopher Yeong Chee Sum (Beng) began his career as an engineer with the Navy, where he was put in charge of some advanced electronic systems in the hi-tech fleet. "There is an old saying in the Navy, 'Join the navy and see the world'. Indeed, my career in the Navy has brought me to many parts of the world," he recalls.

Currently, he is a senior certification manager with SGS Yarsley International Services. His main responsibilities include certifying ISO 9000 and environmental management system (EMS). In addition, he conducts training courses. This year, he participated in the first Singapore Quality Award as an assessor.

He believes that as the world is getting more conscious of the environment, Singapore can get a headstart in this region by embarking on EMS certification. To prepare himself, he is currently pursuing a MSc degree in environmental engineering.

The job requires him to travel frequently in the region; and it dawns on him that Singapore has been highly regarded as a leader in the field of quality. "I believe Singapore is on the right track in emphasising quality management. As the Prime Minister has said, we need to produce quality products and services to compete with others, especially when Singapore joins the rank of developed countries next year. I believe my job can contribute in some way to this area."

1987/1992 Andrew Khoo Kian Ming (MB,BS/MMed) breezed through the five-year basic medical course. After a year as a house officer, he decided that he wanted to be a surgeon. It was during his basic surgical training for the MMed course that he fell in love with plastic surgery. "It is a field that is not confined to any part of the body and involves both detailed planning and execution. I have been working in this field since I obtained my MMed degree. I am still learning new things every day. Now, my interest has slowly gravitated towards maxillo and craniofacial surgery, with a keen interest in tumour reconstruction," he says.

He counts it among his blessings to be working in a unit that emphasises and supports research. Recently, he completed a study on tracheobronchial cytology in respiratory burns for which he won the SGH Young Investigator's Award for 1995.

"My parents have always balanced their career and leisure. I believe this is an important principle to uphold in life. My leisure interests are water-skiing and touch football. I also watch a fair amount of television and movies. My favourite director is Ridley Scott. I read novels, mostly bestsellers, and I have not missed a single John LeCarres' novel. I also try to travel twice a year, usually to scuba-dive. It is a different and strangely relaxing world down in the sea. For those of us with less than perfect eyesight, scuba-diving is the closest thing to doing a solo flight," shares Dr Khoo.

1988/1989/1993 Gan Seum-Lim (BSc/BScHons/MSc) is now a research officer with the Department of Physics in NUS.

As a member of the department's career guidance committee and the industrial liaison committee, he looks into the enhancement of the career opportunities for physics graduates and the strengthening of ties with industry.

He loves meeting people and enjoys working with the membership subcommittee of the National University of Singapore Society, discussing ways to attract more graduates to join the society and enhancing benefits for members.

He keeps himself up to date on international and local news. "Whatever goes on out there affects our lifestyles, government policies, financial systems and the environment. I love talking to people about current affairs," says Gan.

Photography is his best-loved hobby. An electronic wizard, he likes meddling with computer music, synthesizers, audio, video and electronics. His interest has also led him to set up the Physics World Wide Web Server (www.physics.nus.sg) in September last year.

Gan met his wife through his supervisor and got married in the Science Faculty Lounge on campus on 4 November 1992. He looks forward to fatherhood in January 1996.

1992 Mustafa Singaporewala (BBA) is currently pursuing a masters degree in business administration with an emphasis on finance at the University of San Francisco.

"Having been a science student till I went to the School of Management at NUS, I found the business programme to be extremely challenging and inspiring because of its wide scope and global focus. I learnt that there were no right or wrong answers to every problem. What is current today may not be current tomorrow," says Mustafa.

These were the very skills that aided him in his first job in a Singapore International Monetary Exchange (SIMEX) member company. The job entailed training would-be brokers to pass the futures trading test to get a SIMEX licence and educating clients on the financial futures market to generate new business. The job required him to keep abreast of world economic and political events that affect the financial markets. "It was no nine-to-five job and every day was a completely different day. I worked there for two years before coming to San Francisco to do my MBA."

After a year in San Francisco, he says, "I encourage graduates to do postgraduate studies in the United States, especially in San Francisco where there are many accredited schools and a globally diverse student population. This helps graduates manage diversity in Singapore and build important global connections for future business dealings."

Low Cheng Ann matriculated in 1983 in the Faculty of Accountancy. However, her health prevented her from completing the course. She left NUS in 1986 and lost contact with many of her classmates. It is her greatest wish now to get in touch with them. Former classmates of Cheng Ann can reach her at 72, Jln Aziz Kg Abdullah, Segamat 85000 Johore, Malaysia.