When Mr Ho Kwon Ping (KP), SMU's Founding Chairman and Executive Chairman of Banyan Group, speaks about Singapore's future, rooms fall silent.

More than 230 students, friends from A*STAR, EDB and the alumni societies A*STAR Global Network and EDB Society gathered for our AGN Platinum Fireside Chat at SMU as KP—the visionary who built SMU from blueprint to bold reality 25 years ago—delivered a masterclass on leadership, purpose, and why Singapore must choose between greatness and "boiling frog mediocrity."

The Provocation: We're Living Through a Civilizational Reset

"We're going back to where the world was several centuries ago—when Western, Eastern, and Islamic civilizations all led in science, technology, and humanities, cooperating and competing side by side."

The opportunity? Singapore as the modern Alexandria—not a data center hub, but the global curator of multi-civilizational knowledge for the AI age.

"Asking Why" Changes Everything

"All leadership starts from thought leadership. Einstein and Newton asked why of the physical world. Mandela and Martin Luther King asked why of the social world. If you don't ask why, you can never be a leader—because only by asking why and having an answer can there be followers."

This isn't contrarianism. It's the critical inquiry that separates excellence from impact.

The Stakes Could Not Be Higher

KP's greatest fear isn't crisis—Singapore excels at those. It's the slow slide to comfortable irrelevance. The antidote? "Question these sacred cows. Question CPF. Question HDB. Question everything from an intelligent point of view."

Not to tear down, but to build stronger.

The Purpose Revolution Is Real

"Young people today are really different," KP observed. "They want more than just the five Cs. They want to be motivated. They want to find purpose—and they're going to find purpose."

The LKY Test of True Impact

KP's story about Lee Kuan Yew refusing building names and honorary degrees—but lending his name to a business plan competition—captures everything: "If it's going to have an impact, I'll do it."

And that's how @The Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition was born.

Building Alexandria 2.0: The Bridge Singapore Was Born to Build

This vision demands bridges—and that's exactly what's emerging from the SMU × A*STAR partnership.

President Lily Kong set our north star: "True breakthroughs occur at the intersections where social sciences, management and technology meet. We're challenging ourselves to look beyond excellence alone and focus on how our work shapes people, organizations and communities."

A*STAR CEO Beh Kian Teik crystallized why this matters: "Science becomes impactful when it meets human insight. Leadership isn't just about building things—it's about understanding people, embracing change, and finding meaning."

Together, we're building unprecedented bridges:

Between civilizations: Structuring 5,000 years of Asian wisdom for AI

Between disciplines: AI with empathy, science with soul

Between lab and life: Research that escapes ivory towers

Between "why" and "how": Critical inquiry meets practical impact

In a world fracturing into competing blocs, Singapore is the nation with the trust, capability, and multicultural DNA to be the bridge-builder. Where others see East vs West, we see East AND West. Where others choose sides, we connect worlds.

The Call to Action Is Clear

The future belongs to bridge-builders—those who can navigate multiple civilizations, speak multiple languages of innovation, and ask "why" fearlessly while building thoughtfully.

Whether you're a researcher translating science into solutions, an entrepreneur fusing technology with humanity, or a student refusing to choose between purpose and prosperity—this is your moment.

Because in a civilizational reset, the ultimate competitive advantage isn't picking the winning side.

It's being the bridge that connects all sides.

Let's build it together. 🚀

A*GN Platinum Fireside Chat co-organized by A*STAR Global Network and SMU Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

📍 Singapore Management University 

🚀 Where asking "why" meets building "how"