Southeast Asia launch of Challenge Accepted

On 28 November 2025, we were deeply honoured to welcome a full house of distinguished alumni, partners, and friends of the University at the official Southeast Asia launch of Challenge Accepted, The University of Manchester’s first global philanthropy and volunteering campaign. Hosted in partnership with the British High Commission to Singapore at the historic Eden Hall, the evening was a meaningful celebration of purpose, community, and shared ambition. We were privileged to have our President & Vice-Chancellor, Professor Duncan Ivison, who shared the bold vision behind Challenge Accepted and recognised the extraordinary contributions of our nearly 20,000-strong alumni community across Southeast Asia.

The event was further honoured by the presence of H.E. Nik Mehta OBE, British High Commissioner to Singapore; Mr Teo Chee Hean, Senior Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office, Chairman of Temasek Holdings, and Patron of the UoM Alumni Association Singapore; Mr Desmond Tan, Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy

Secretary-General of NTUC; Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Konstantin Novoselov; and Datuk Seri Lim Chong Keat, the distinguished architect whose legacy spans Singapore and Malaysia.

At its core, Challenge Accepted calls on our global community to drive meaningful impact across four key pillars – Student Inclusion & Success, Research with Purpose, Innovation & Enterprise, and Culture & Community – and our guests had the opportunity to learn how their leadership, mentorship, and generosity can help transform ideas into real-world outcomes. We extend our deepest appreciation to everyone who joined us and helped shape this memorable occasion.

Special thanks go to Hian Seng Tang, who anchored the evening with exceptional professionalism; to the teams at the UoM Alumni Association Singapore and AMBS Alumni Association Singapore – including Roch Tay, Teo Teck Loon, Steven Poh, Lock See Lai and Misui Elizabeth Hayashi – for their steadfast support; and to the University delegation Professor Stephen Flint, Professor John Holden, Richard Cotton, Dr Clara Cheung, Kate Cambden, and Osama Bhutta, whose participation made the launch especially meaningful.

We also extend our sincere gratitude to Richard Screaton, Markus Karlsson-Jones, Owen Jones, Georgia Davies, Anthony Chan and Rob Smailes, whose dedication and

behind-the-scenes contributions were instrumental in bringing this milestone launch to life.

Together, we accept the challenge—and together, we will shape a future of meaningful, lasting impact.