The SMU Office of Industry Engagement (OIE) is the first stop for companies, government sectors and professional bodies to holistically explore the various partnership opportunities across SMU. Our team works closely with partners to understand their interests and needs to identify the best engagement opportunities that meet their requirements.
Whether it be the building of a talent pipeline, tapping on SMU's expertise, leveraging our networks and resources, or simply wanting to give back, OIE is committed to providing a seamless platform to connect our partners to the right parties in SMU (and beyond) to create meaningful partnerships that have a lasting impact. By partnering with SMU, businesses have the opportunity to gain access to a wealth of knowledge, resources, and networks, while making a positive impact on the future of education.
Catherine Chong
Director
Email: catherinec@smu.edu.sg | Connect on LinkedIn
Catherine leads the engagement with industry partners and government sectors with a shared vision for growth to holistically support their transformation journey through strategic access to the University’s talent, expertise, technologies, and resources. She is responsible for developing the University’s Industry Engagement Strategy and fostering meaningful partnerships that supports the University’s strategic ambitions in creating positive impact in the world.
Catherine has been in Business Development throughout her career, starting at the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) from 2007 to 2014, driving industry development in the Consumer Businesses Sector as well as attracting high-net-worth individuals to invest in Singapore before joining the Health Promotion Board (HPB), where she led in the development of healthier food policies and industry incentive schemes to promote food industries to develop healthier food products from 2014 to 2018. She was with Johnson and Johnson’s Human Performance Institute from 2018 to 2019 to promote wellness solutions to corporations in Asia Pacific before returning to public service in 2019 at the Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) as the Business Development Director to drive research investments from 2019 to 2022.
Catherine holds a Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science) with Honours, from the National University of Singapore (NUS), with a Minor in Technopreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania, USA (co awarded with NUS through the NUS Overseas College programme). She was also part of the University Scholar’s Programme (USP) at NUS.
Andrew Wilfred
Associate Director
Email: andreww@smu.edu.sg
Andrew leads SMU’s industry engagement strategy and planning efforts at SMU’s Office of Industry Engagement. He is responsible for the development and managaement of the university’s overall engagement strategy and go to market approach, to stregthen the university’s reputation as an engaged University. He is leading efforts to build a framework for the management of industry engagement activities across the university to more holistically engage a wide variety of industry partners.
Before joining SMU, Andrew co-led the sustainability program at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. In this role, he added to the institute’s strong foundation of transboundary environmental issues and introduced new strengths in carbon markets and the green transition, providing members a better understanding on the latest trends in the sustainability movement. He worked with a range of stakeholders from international multi-national companies as well as local and international government agencies.
Andrew had spent the last decade in the government, healthcare and non-profit sectors. In these roles he conducted strategic planning, organisational transformation, and workforce planning across different statutory boards and a hospital. In his roles in government, Andrew also has a background in climate change and climate related policies.
Andrew graduated with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Texas Christian University in 2007 and a Master’s Of Science in Economics from Singapore Management University in 2020.
Phoebe Pua
Manager
Email: phoebepua@smu.edu.sg | Connect on LinkedIn
Phoebe is responsible for engaging and supporting industry partners and government sectors interested to work with the University for its talent, expertise, and technologies. She is leading the development of the SMU Partnerships Concierge, a dedicated platform for external partners to access partnership opportunities and navigate and reach out to the relevant teams. Additionally, she supports the VP of Partnerships & Engagement to coordinate a wide range of strategic outreach initiatives with the aim of fostering meaningful connections between SMU and the world beyond.
Prior to joining SMU in 2023, Phoebe was an academic researcher of media and culture in Southeast Asia. She was the Mentor of the 2022 Singapore International Film Festival’s Youth Critics Program and Editor of the festival’s inaugural publication, Atlas. She continues sharing her love for independent cinema as a film programmer, most recently collaborating with Objectifs Film and Photography Centre in Singapore and the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan in South Korea.
Phoebe graduated with a Master of Philosophy in Film Studies from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Arts with honours in English Literature from the National University of Singapore.
Jenn Goh
Assistant Manager
Email: jenngoh@smu.edu.sg
Jenn supports the industry engagement efforts at OIE, facilitating partnership interests and broadening opportunities. Jenn developed and currently manages SMU’s internal partnership resource platform which allows OIE and colleagues across the university to coordinate and share engagement updates.
Driven by her passion for fostering connections between academic and industry, Jenn is committed to working with SMU’s industry partners to create and communicate the real-world impact through their collaborations with SMU. She brings with her diverse experiences in project management, marketing, communications, and event coordination to her role at OIE.
Jenn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from LASALLE College of The Arts, where she has contributed to the art community through exhibitions and curatorial programmes.
Nonie Thebez
Senior Assistant Manager
Email: lthebez@smu.edu.sg
Nonie is responsible for industry communications and outreach strategy at OIE. She supports OIE’s industry engagements and oversees the Partnership Concierge, SMU’s dedicated platform designed to facilitate external visitors and organisations in identifying the right collaboration opportunity within SMU.
Prior to SMU, Nonie helped small and independent businesses flourish through relationship-building and effective brand, marketing, and digital campaigns. She now applies her keen insights into trends, relationship-building acumen, and strategic communications skill to enhance SMU's industry outreach efforts and improve the partnership experience.
Nonie is an alumna of New York University, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health.
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Evelyn Cheok
Office Manager
Email: evelyncheok@smu.edu.sg
Evelyn manages the administration and operations at OIE and supports OIE’s industry engagement activities, such as outreach events and engagement coordination.
Evelyn has over two decades of expertise in finance and administration. Throughout her career, she has provided management support across various industries in the private sector.
Prior to joining the Office of Industry Engagement, she held a role at the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU, where she oversaw the grant management for government funded projects, budget management & reporting, as well as operations support to the team. In her leisure time, she enjoys keeping up with the latest fashion trends and unwinding with a good cup of aromatic coffee. She also loves travelling with her family and immersing herself in different cultures.