upGrad forms advisory board to scale upGrad Institute in Singapore
The advisory board, the company said, will provide insights to help accelerate upGrad’s mission of building a robust government-approved learning institute.
Ronnie Screwvala-led edtech firm has formed an advisory board comprising seven industry leaders to scale upGrad Institute, a government-approved private education institution in Singapore.
The advisory board, the company said, will provide insights to help accelerate upGrad’s mission of building a robust government-approved learning institute that will empower the global workforce with an industry-ready experiential curriculum backed by top university credentials.
“We are on a mission to make lifelong learning a global mindset, and with such profound leadership onboard, we've just got a few more steps closer," said Ronnie Screwvala, Co-founder and Chairperson, upGrad.
"We see this as an opportune time to strengthen our international footprints and build a stronger camaraderie between academia and industry. These latest appointments not just reassure our commitment but also power our ambition of rewriting the global skilling landscape,” he added.
The board comprises Professor Arnoud De Meyer, Ex-President of Singapore Management University, who will join as chairman; Prof S Sadagopan, Chairman, BoG, IIITDM-Kancheepuram and Founder Director, IIIT-Bangalore; and Magdalene Ew, Head of Content – Entertainment, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, Warner Bros. Discovery, who will contribute her expertise in global media and marketing.
Jeremy Williams, Managing Director of PropertyGuru Marketplaces, also joins the board, bringing insights from the property technology company in Southeast Asia.
Laura Parsons, Vice President, Human Resources, BBC Studios, will share her people and culture experience at the globally recognised brand, while Larry Bradley, CEO of SolasAI, Inc, brings expertise on responsible AI.
Mohit Nayyar, Vice President – Human Resources, Global Skin and Personal Care, P&G, will add insights from driving HR development at the multinational consumer goods corporation.
“The opportunity to provide job-ready education delivered flexibly and affordably through upGrad Institute’s proprietary content and accomplished faculty is exciting and I am pleased to support this endeavour," said Prof Arnoud De Meyer, Chair of the Advisory Board at upGrad Institute.
The skilling company has invested $5 million to establish and scale upGrad Institute and is inviting active enrolments for its debut doctorate programmes, along with select skilling courses in data science and management with top global universities. The first batch is expected to commence in the next 60 days.
Earlier this month, goods and services tax (GST) officials visited an office of the edtech firm for a routine survey.
“It’s a routine survey and we are fully compliant and cooperating with the GST department,” said Koell Hemdev, Head of Legal at upGrad, in a statement, without sharing additional details.