In a landmark collaboration between a leading public policy think tank and the apex business chamber, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) at the National University of Singapore, and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) are jointly organising the IPS-SBF Conference “Global-City Singapore: SG60 and Beyond” on Tuesday, 29 July 2025, with pre-conference events spanning from 22 July to 25 July 2025. We are honoured to have Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong deliver the opening address and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong for the closing dialogue of the main event.

 

This unprecedented partnership underscores the shared commitment of both institutions to shape meaningful discourse at the intersection of policy and enterprise. The conference, comprising three plenary sessions, is expected to see 1200 top-level representatives from industry, government and business sectors (i.e. global thought leaders, policymakers, corporate heads and academics) as they come together to analyse and deliberate on the interaction of mega-trends that are currently reshaping the global economy. The discussion topics would include the fragmentation of the liberal multilateral order towards more mercantilist orientations in economic strategy, the shifting policy accent from multilateralism to “minilateralism” resulting in a realignment of global value chains, and the mainstreaming of environmental sustainability, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, among other trends.

 

As Singapore marks SG60 this year, the conference will also engage in bold thinking on Singapore’s economic competitiveness in a shifting global landscape as we recommit to a sustainable, inclusive and innovative future for Singapore. It will reflect the strategic responses of Singapore businesses on economic and technological trends and the level of public policy support needed for these businesses to thrive in this evolving landscape.

 

Other prominent Singaporean and international speakers include Dr Indermit Gill, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics at the World Bank Group, Dr Muhamad Chatib Basri, Chairman of the PT Bank Mandiri Tbk. and the PT XL-Axiata Tbk, Mr Bob Sternfels, Global Managing Partner at the McKinsey & Company, Ms Tan Su Shan, Chief Executive Officer at DBS Group and Mr Ravi Menon, Ambassador for Climate Action and Senior Adviser to the National Climate Change Secretariat at the Prime Minister's Office. A special keynote address will be delivered by Mr John Denton, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce.

 

Pre-conference events include a half-day forum featuring new academic research on Singapore companies’ responses to economic and technological trends. A special segment – the “Future-Ready Businesses Spotlight” has been included, where participants get to visit future-ready companies in Singapore and gain valuable insights on how these companies are resetting their corporate strategies to address the global and regional megatrends; such topics which will also be discussed during the conference. The list of specially curated site visits includes MasterCard Experience Centre, Jurong Port, Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Centre Singapore, and JTC Punggol Digital District.

 

Mr Kok Ping Soon, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Business Federation said, “As we mark Singapore’s 60th year of independence, this landmark conference jointly organised by Singapore’s leading public policy think tank and the apex business chamber is an opportunity for policy makers, academics and businesses to reflect, re-energise and re-invent Singapore amidst significant disruptions to the global economic order.  Fortune favours the bold and this forum will set the stage to fuel the writing of Singapore’s next chapter beyond SG60 as we strive to be a globally competitive and sustainable economy.”

 

By drawing on both global expertise and local insights, the IPS-SBF Conference aspires to spark new cycles of innovation, economic dynamism, and collaborative action – charting Singapore’s next chapter beyond SG60.

 

The event is supported by the Economic Development Board, Enterprise Singapore and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.