Yale-NUS College Governing Board Biographies

Yale-NUS College Governing Board Biographies

Kay Kuok Oon Kwong

Chair, Yale-NUS College Governing Board

Executive Chair, Shangri-La Hotel Limited Singapore

Kay Kuok is a barrister-at-law from Gray’s Inn, London and works full-time in her family business, the Kuok Group of Companies, which is involved in trading, manufacturing, property and shipping, and the Shangri-La Group of hotels. In 1986 she was appointed company secretary of Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, where she handled its corporate and legal affairs, and its hotel operations. In 1998 she joined the board of Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore and currently holds the position of executive chairman.

Kuok is the managing director of Shangri-La Hotels (M) Berhad and director of Allgreen Properties Limited. She is also the chairman of the board of National Healthcare Group, president of the Singapore Hotel Association, and director of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund, and sits on the National Youth Achievement Award Council. She has served on several community service and statutory boards, including the Singapore Tourism Board, South West CDC, National Arts Council, Singapore Environment Council, and National Environment Agency. Kuok has been a member of the National University of Singapore (NUS) board of trustees since April 1, 2008.

Kuok received several honors and awards including the Public Service Medal in 1998 and the Public Service Star in 2005.

Gautam Banerjee

Executive Chair

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Singapore

Gautam Banerjee is the executive chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Singapore. He is also the chief operating officer for PwC Eastern Cluster, which includes China, Australia, Japan, Korea, and South East Asia, and is a member of the global firm’s strategy council. Banerjee served as the interim chair of PwC India in 2009/2010.

Banerjee joined PwC Singapore in April 1982 after qualifying as a chartered accountant in London and was admitted to the partnership on July 1, 1989. He has led various business units in the firm, including its largest business unit, the Assurance practice. Banerjee was elected executive chair of PwC Singapore, beginning his term in Jan. 1, 2004.

During his 29 years with the firm, he has been responsible for some of its largest clients, such as Temasek and Singapore Telecom. He has also contributed significantly to the development of PwC Singapore from a predominantly audit and tax practice to a multidisciplinary professional services firm with capabilities in risk management, corporate finance and other business advisory services in banking and capital markets, telecommunications and technology.

Banerjee is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Singapore. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (honors) degree in accounting and financial analysis from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.

Banerjee’s current roles outside the firm include serving as vice chair of the Singapore Business Federation and serving on the boards of the Economic Development Board, the National Heritage Board and the APEC Business Advisory Council. He is also a member of the Corporate Governance Council of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Companies Act Reform Steering Committee in Singapore.

Banerjee was a nominated member of Parliament in Singapore from 2007 to 2009. He served as a member of the Economic Strategies Committee chaired by the finance minister of Singapore from 2009 to 2010.

Roland Betts

Founder and Chair

Chelsea Piers, L.P. USA

Roland W. Betts is founder and chair of Chelsea Piers, L.P., which developed and operates the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment complex in New York City. Chelsea Piers is one of the most-visited sites in New York City, attracting over 4 million people yearly.

Betts is also founder and president of Silver Screen Management, Inc., which raised more than $1 billion in four limited partnerships from 140,000 investors to finance and produce over 75 films with the Walt Disney Company. These include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Pretty Woman,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Three Men and a Baby.” Betts is also the president of International Film Investors, Inc., which produced and financed numerous films, including “Gandhi” and “The Killing Fields.” All told, Betts is responsible for the financing of approximately 100 feature films.

In 1968, after graduating from Yale, Betts taught public school in Harlem and trained teachers as part of a not-for-profit corporation called The Teachers Incorporated. Betts remained in public education as a teacher and assistant principal until 1975. He wrote “Acting Out: Coping with Big City Schools,” a book published by Little Brown in 1978 that explores his experiences in the public school system. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1978 and practiced law for several years in the entertainment department at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Betts recently completed a term as senior fellow of the Yale Corporation, a post he held since 2003. He served as alumni fellow of the Corporation from 1999 to 2003 and has served as a trustee of numerous organizations, including the American Museum of Natural History, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Columbia University Law School, the National Park Foundation, and the United States Olympic Committee. He also served as treasurer of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As a director of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation from 2001 to 2006, Betts assumed a leadership role in the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site.

For nine years, Betts was lead owner of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. The Texas Rangers were purchased in 1989 by a group of investors assembled by Betts and President George W. Bush.

Chong Siak Ching

President and CEO

Ascendas Pte Ltd Singapore

Chong Siak Ching is the president and CEO of Ascendas Pte Ltd. She sits on the boards of Ascendas Pte Ltd and its subsidiaries. Ascendas pioneered Singapore’s first business space trust, Ascendas REIT, in November 2002, and Singapore’s first India-based properties business trust, Ascendas India Trust, in August 2007.

Most recently appointed as independent director on the board of Singapore Press Holdings, she is also the deputy chair of Spring Singapore, the enterprise development agency of Singapore, and chair of IE Singapore’s Network India Steering Committee. She is also a board director of Singapore Press Holdings and a board member of Jurong Health Services. Previously Jurong Town Corporation’s deputy chief executive officer, she has extensive experience in business space management.

Chong studied estate management at NUS, where she graduated with honors in 1981 and was awarded a Gold Medal by the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers. In 1991, Chong obtained a Master in Business Administration degree from the same university. She completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1998. In recognition of her unwavering commitment and service to her alma mater, Chong was conferred the NUS Distinguished Alumni Award by the Faculty of Architecture and Building Management in 1999 and the NUS Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2009. In March 2009, she was recognized as the “Outstanding CEO of the Year” in the Singapore Business Awards for her steadfast leadership and dynamism in establishing Ascendas as the leading provider of business space across Asia.

Chong has been a member of the NUS board of trustees since April 2011.

Catharine Bond Hill

President

Vassar College

Catharine Bond Hill has been a leader of two of the leading liberal arts colleges in the United States. She is a noted economist whose work focuses on higher education affordability and access, as well as on economic development and reform in Africa.

Hill became the 10th president of Vassar College in July 2006. For the previous seven years, she was provost of Williams College, a post that included chief academic and financial officer responsibilities. Hill originally joined the economics faculty at Williams in 1985. She and her family lived from 1994 to 1997 in the Republic of Zambia, where she was the fiscal/trade adviser and then chief-of-party for the Harvard Institute for International Development’s Project on Macroeconomic Reform. She has drawn widely from her experiences in Africa in her writing, including co-editing the books “Promoting and Sustaining Economic Reform in Zambia” (2004) and “Public Expenditure in Africa” (1996). Earlier in her career, she worked for the World Bank and the Fiscal Analysis Division of the U.S. Congressional Budget Office.

Hill’s publications include the studies “Access to the Most Selective Private Colleges by High-Ability, Low-Income Students: Are They Out There?” (with Gordon C. Winston) in “College Access: Opportunities or Privilege?” 2006 ; and “Affordability: Family Incomes and Net Prices at Highly Selective Private Colleges and Universities” (with Winston and Stephanie Boyd) in the Journal of Human Resources, 2005. She has also authored opinion pieces appearing in The Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

She has received numerous scholarly awards, grants, and fellowships from organizations including the American Council of Learned Societies, Brookings Institution, National Science Foundation, and Social Science Research Council. The work of Hill and her colleagues on the economics and affordability of higher education was primarily supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. She is a member of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council and a trustee of The College Board.

She graduated summa cum laude from Williams College, and also earned B.A. and M.A. degrees at Brasenose College, Oxford University, with first class honors in politics, philosophy, and economics. She completed her Ph.D. in economics at Yale University.

Richard C. Levin

President

Yale University

Richard C. Levin is the president of Yale University, where he is also the Frederick William Beinecke Professor of Economics. He has served as Yale’s president since 1993. He received his B.A. from Stanford University in 1968 and studied politics and philosophy at Oxford University, where he earned a B.Litt. degree. In 1974 he received his Ph.D. from Yale and joined the Yale faculty. Before becoming president, he chaired the economics department and served as dean of Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The internationalization of Yale has been one of Levin’s top priorities. Under his leadership, Yale completed in 2011 a $3.9 billion fundraising campaign, and has invested $4 billion in a campus renovation and building program. Levin is recognized as an advocate and leader of the emerging role of higher education in responding to the challenge of sustainable development locally and globally. He has developed a partnership with the City of New Haven to expand commercial activity near the campus and increase the number of new local companies based on Yale research.

Prior to assuming the presidency, Levin’s chief research interest was industrial organization, and his research activity focused on the competitiveness of American manufacturing industries.

Two years ago, Levin was appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology; the members — all from outside the federal government — provide advice on matters of science and technology policy. He is a director of American Express, ClimateWorks, and the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations, and he is a trustee of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the United States. He served on presidential commissions reviewing the U.S. Postal Service and the effectiveness of U.S. intelligence operations. As a member of the board on Science, Technology and Economic Policy at the National Academy of Science, Levin co-chaired a committee that examined the effects of intellectual property rights policies on economic and scientific progress and made recommendations for reform of the patent system that are currently under active consideration by the U.S. Congress. In addition, he served on the Blue Ribbon Panel on Baseball Economics. He has been awarded honorary degrees from Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, Peking, Tokyo, and Waseda universities.

Linda K. Lorimer

Vice President and University Secretary

Yale University

Since returning to Yale in 1993, Linda Koch Lorimer has served as the senior counselor to the president and the leader of major strategic initiatives for the University. For five years she was responsible for Yale’s efforts to contribute to the revitalization of the City of New Haven. In recent years, she has developed an ambitious strategy and numerous programs for internationalizing Yale. She currently is guiding Yale’s use of digital technology to disseminate the University’s intellectual treasury much more extensively in the United States and around the world. She assumed oversight of Yale’s sustainability initiative in 2009, which aims to underscore Yale’s aspirations to be a model of best practice for universities worldwide.

Lorimer also serves as secretary of the Yale Corporation, and she is the officer responsible for Yale’s public relations, alumni affairs, corporate governance, licensing, emergency management, and university press.

A graduate of Norfolk Academy, Hollins University, and Yale Law School, Lorimer practiced law in New York City at Davis Polk & Wardwell, and then held a series of administrative positions at Yale between 1978 and 1986, including service as the youngest associate provost in the University’s history. From 1986 to 1993, she served as president of Randolph–Macon Woman’s College in her home state of Virginia. During this period, she was elected as a fellow of the Yale Corporation.

Lorimer has been a leader of numerous non-profit and corporate enterprises. She was president of the board of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, vice chair of the board of the Center for Creative Leadership, chair of the board of the Women’s College Coalition, vice chair of the National Association of Methodist Colleges and Universities, and a member of the boards of a dozen regional community or arts organizations. She has given board service to all of her alma maters as well as four public corporations. She currently serves on the board of the McGraw-Hill Companies, having served as the lead director for five years.

Lorimer was awarded the Order of Merit by the Government of Argentina for advancing international education (2003), the Sandra Day O’Connor Award by the American Bar Association for board excellence (2008), and the Yale Medal for conspicuous service to Yale (2008). She has received four honorary degrees for her efforts to advance women.

Ng Cher Pong

Deputy Secretary (Policy)

Ministry of Education Singapore

Ng Cher Pong was appointed as deputy secretary (policy) of the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) in May 2010. His responsibilities include overseeing the formulation and implementation of educational strategies and policies for the entire education system, spanning pre-school to the higher education sectors, as well as spearheading the organization development, information technology, and corporate communication functions in the ministry. Prior to this, Ng had held the position of deputy secretary (services) after being posted to MOE in November 2009.

Ng joined the administrative service of the Singapore Civil Service in 1996. Between 1996 and 2002, he served in various capacities in the Ministry of National Development, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the former Ministry of Communications and IT, as well as the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.

In January 2004, he was posted to the Singapore Ministry of Manpower, where he held the position of director, Foreign Manpower Management (Policy). In May 2005, he was appointed as the divisional director of the Foreign Manpower Management Division, and in May 2006, he became the divisional director of the Workplace Policy and Strategy Division. In October 2008, he assumed the appointment of director of the Defense Finance Organization in the Singapore Ministry of Defense.

Ng is currently the deputy chair of the Singapore Institute of Technology board of trustees. He is also a member of the National Arts Council; Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School governing board; Singapore University of Technology and Design board of trustees; Singapore- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alliance governing board; Singapore University of Technology and Design-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Collaboration governing board; the Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research board; Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine pro-tem governing board; and MOE’s Education Fund and PS21 Excel Committee. Ng has previously served on the Charity Council, Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee, and Singapore Management University board of trustees.

Ng holds a Master in Business Administration degree (with Distinction) from INSEAD and a Bachelor of Arts degree (First Class Honors) from the University of Cambridge.

Clark T. Randt Jr.

President

Randt & Co. LLC

Clark T. Randt Jr., is the longest-serving United States ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. He is a diplomat, attorney, and businessman with more than 30 years of direct experience in Asia. He was nominated by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the Senate, and sworn into office as ambassador in July 2001. He served in the post until January 2009. Currently, he is president of Randt & Co. LLC and is based in Hong Kong. His company advises firms with interests in China.

From 1968 to 1972, Randt served in the U.S. Air Force Security Service. In 1974, he was the China representative of the National Council for United States-China Trade.

From 1982 through 1984, Randt was resident in Beijing where he served as first secretary and commercial attache at the U.S. Embassy. From 1994 to 2001, he was a partner resident in the Hong Kong office of the international law firm Shearman & Sterling, where he headed the firm’s substantial China practice.

Randt is a member of the New York bar and was admitted to the Hong Kong bar; he is also a recognized expert on Chinese law. He is a former governor and first vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Randt graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 1968 and received his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1975. He also attended Harvard Law School, where he was awarded the East Asia Legal Studies Traveling Fellowship to China. Randt serves on the boards of UPS and Valmont Industries, Inc., and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a director of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Tan Chorh Chuan

President

National University of Singapore

Tan Chorh Chuan was appointed president of the National University of Singapore in December 2008. He concurrently serves as the chair of the board of the National University Health System. Tan’s other appointments include deputy chair of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research and senior adviser to the governing board of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

A renal physician, he obtained his medical training at NUS, and research training at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford. He was dean of the NUS Faculty of Medicine from 1997 to 2000. He served as the director of medical services, Ministry of Health, from 2000 to 2004, in which capacity he was responsible for leading the public health response to the 2003 SARS epidemic. He held the positions of NUS provost, then senior deputy president from 2004 to 2008. He also played a key role in setting up the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, in his capacity as deputy chair of the governing board from 2004 to 2007. As the inaugural chief executive of the National University Health System in 2008, he brought the NUS Medical and Dental Schools and the National University Hospital under single governance.

Tan is a key leader in Singapore’s Biomedical Sciences Initiative since its inception in 2000, for which he was awarded the National Science and Technology Medal in 2008. He also received the Public Service Star in 2003 for outstanding contributions to overcoming SARS in Singapore, and the Public Administration Gold Medal in 2004 for his work as director of medical services in the Ministry of Health. His other awards include the Albert Schweitzer Gold Medal from the Polish Academy of Medicine; an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Duke University; an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Loughborough University; the Achievement Medal from the Singapore Society of Nephrology; and the 1996 Singapore Youth Award.

Tan has been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global University Leaders Forum since 2008, and sits on the World Economic Forum’s Science advisory committee. He is also currently chair of the International Alliance of Research Universities, a consortium of 10 leading research-intensive universities.

Tan was previously a Commonwealth Medical Fellow, a Wellcome Fellow at the University of Oxford, and a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, Oxford. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Royal College of Physicians of London, Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the American College of Physicians. He was elected  a fellow of the Polish Academy of Medicine and of the Royal Geographical Society, United Kingdom.