
Why Skills-First Leadership Is Replacing the Ivy League Playbook in the C-Suite
The old prestige pyramid—where Ivy League degrees and blue-chip consulting backgrounds paved the way to the CEO seat—is cracking.
July 4, 2023: The Monetary Authority of Singapore, the city-state’s financial regulator and central bank, has called Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as chairman of its board of directors effective July 8.
The release said that Wong, the nation’s finance minister, will replace Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who held the role for 12 years since May 2011.
Shanmugaratnam announced last month that he would be running for presidential elections in Singapore, which must be held by mid-September. The president’s position is mainly symbolic and ceremonial.
According to the press release, Wong, who was deputy chairman of MAS since June 2021, will serve as chairman until May 31, 2026. He previously served as a partner of the MAS Board from June 2011 to August 2016.
Minister of Singapore for Trade and Industry, Gan Kim Yong, will be appointed associate chairman of the MAS Board for the same period, from July 8 to May 31, 2026.
Speaking to CNBC in February, he expressed Singapore faces a challenge of a “delicate balancing act” when setting its state budget for the year as the economy grapples with global slowdown and weakened demand.
Market watchers closely monitor if Singapore could enter a technical recession following its economy contracted in the first quarter.
Barclays senior regional economist Brian Tan said, “Our tracking estimate implies a 0.3% quarter-on-quarter decline in Q2, extending Q1′s 0.4% contraction, implying a shallow technical recession.”
Singapore’s industrial production declined for a second month in May by 3.9% month-on-month after seeing a decline of 1.6% in April.
Despite the slowdown, Barclays does not expect the central bank to change its monetary policy shortly, the economist said in a June 26 note.
“Our long-standing view remains that the Monetary Authority of Singapore is unlikely to further narrow its FX policy settings this year — including through unscheduled inter-meeting adjustments in the near term,” Tan wrote.
Singapore’s Straits Times index bounced soon after the announcement, paring earlier losses, and last traded 0.33% higher.
The old prestige pyramid—where Ivy League degrees and blue-chip consulting backgrounds paved the way to the CEO seat—is cracking.
Loud leaders once ruled the boardroom. Charisma was currency. Big talk drove big valuations.
But the CEOs who make history in downturns aren’t the ones with the deepest cuts
Companies invest millions in leadership development, yet many of their best executives leave within a few years. Why?
The most successful business leaders don’t just identify gaps in the market; they anticipate future needs before anyone else.
With technological advancements, shifting consumer expectations, and global interconnectedness, the role of business leaders
May 28, 2025: SpaceX’s latest Starship test flight, conducted on May 27, 2025, ended in failure when the spacecraft’s upper stage broke apart during its descent over the Indian Ocean.
May 27, 2025: Greek Coastguards Charged Over 2023 Pylos Migrant Shipwreck That Killed Hundreds
May 27, 2025: Volvo to Cut 3,000 Jobs in Europe as Part of $1.9B Restructuring Amid EV Slowdown and Tariff Pressures.
The old prestige pyramid—where Ivy League degrees and blue-chip consulting backgrounds paved the way to the CEO seat—is cracking.
Leave us a message
Subscribe
Fill the form our team will contact you
Advertise with us
Fill the form our team will contact you