The Afternoon Update with Lynlee Foo

SMU recently won for the 'Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year' category at the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia 2025. The accolade was awarded in recognition of SMU-X, the University's flagship industry project-based experiential learning framework that integrates academic knowledge with real-world industry projects. In a follow-up conversation, The Afternoon Update's Lynlee Foo speaks to Dr. Yuanto Kusnadi, Academic Director, SMU-X, Singapore Management University in order to find out how SMU measures the impact of its experiential framework and how they balance having a global vision and at the same time being relevant locally?

As the shipping industry faces pressure to cut emissions, hybrid-electric vessels are emerging as a practical step forward. On Industry Insight, Chris Cattermole, Head of Sustainability at AET — a global provider of maritime transportation and energy logistics solutions — joins The Afternoon Update's Lynlee Foo to break down how maritime players are navigating new emissions targets, infrastructure gaps, and the realities of ESG implementation. We dive into AET’s collaboration with Fleetzero, the strategic role of plug-in hybrid ships, and how Southeast Asia is contributing to global maritime decarbonisation. From transition risk to cross-sector lessons, tune in and discover what real progress looks like for an industry in flux.

What if everyday Singaporeans could help solve public challenges—using tech? On Good Tech, we spotlight Build for Good, a civic innovation initiative by GovTech Singapore's Open Government Products. Through hackathons, accelerators, and community engagement, Build for Good empowers citizens to co-create tech solutions that tackle real societal issues—from healthcare to caregiving to sustainability. We speak with Yi Han Liao and Jael Teh, Managers of Public Engagement, about how this grassroots movement is shifting mindsets—from waiting for change to building it. Tune in for inspiring stories of nurses, caregivers, and everyday citizens who’ve turned ideas into impactful solutions—and how you can be part of the next wave of civic innovation.

As Singapore’s ultra high net worth individuals look beyond borders, legacy real estate is emerging as a resilient wealth strategy. Charlie Walsh Head of Residential Sales for London's The OWO Residences by Raffles shares why historic, branded assets like The OWO (formerly known as Britain's Old War Office) are attracting Asia’s elite — and what this means for global property portfolios.  

Cybersecurity doesn’t have to read like a manual. On Industry Insight, we unpack real insights from Cisco’s 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Index with Koo Juan Huat, Director of Cybersecurity for Cisco ASEAN. Discover why only 8% of Southeast Asian organisations measure up—and what practical steps the rest can take across five key areas: Identity, Machine, Network, Cloud, and AI. The Afternoon Update's Lynlee Foo also finds out how AI is reshaping both attacks and defenses, and the strategies for working within tight budgets and talent gaps. Tune in for straightforward guidance that makes cybersecurity both understandable and actionable.

As industries evolve faster than ever, universities are being challenged to keep pace—and prepare graduates who are ready from day one. What if group projects actually helped a company solve a real problem? That’s not fiction—it’s happening. Fresh off SMU’s win at the Times Higher Education Awards Asia 2025, Dr. Yuanto Kusnadi, Academic Director of SMU-X and Associate Professor of Accounting (Education), shares how the award-winning SMU-X framework is helping students tackle real industry challenges —and what that means for the broader education landscape. From project-based learning and data literacy to the growing role of AI in the classroom, tune in to get insight into the future of learning for career-ready graduates.  

The role of HR has changed — and so has the technology behind it. On Industry Insight, we explore how modern HR platforms are reshaping the employee experience from the ground up. Danielle Magnusson, Director of Employee Workflow Solutions Consulting, APAC at workflow automation tech company ServiceNow, shares how organisations across Southeast Asia are moving beyond traditional systems to build agile, people-first workplaces. The conversation touched on the evolution of HR tech, from admin tools to strategic platforms to how AI and intelligent workflows are enhancing—not replacing—the human touch, and why personalisation, integration, data use and AI agents are now business imperatives. Whether you're in HR, tech, or business leadership, tune to find out what it really takes to create a workplace that works for people.

From port congestion and soaring freight rates to today’s push for sustainability and speed, the global ocean freight industry has been through turbulent waters. Asia-Pacific, home to nine of the world’s ten busiest ports remains at the center of it all. Ocean freight in 2025 isn’t just about moving goods — it’s about moving smarter. C.H. Robinson’s Lyndon McGrath, Director for Ocean Freight in Oceania joins us to talk geopolitics, green shipping, smart ports, and the surprising trends reshaping Asia’s supply chains. 

On Industry Insight, we uncover a startling new reality: for the first time in over a decade, automated bots outnumber human traffic—making up 51% of all global web requests in 2024, and 45% in Singapore alone. Join host Lynlee Foo and her guest Daniel Toh, Chief Solutions Architect for APJ at Thales, unpack the groundbreaking findings of the 2025 Imperva Bad Bot Report. We’ll dive into how generative AI is turbocharging bot attacks, which sectors are most at risk, and what cutting‑edge defenses organisations must deploy today to stay ahead of this rapidly evolving threat landscape.

Commercial real estate (CRE) investment in Asia Pacific jumped 20% in Q1 2025. But the recovery is more cautious than euphoric. Pamela Ambler, Head of Investor Intelligence at JLL Asia-Pacific, shares where the smart money is going, why data are reshaping strategies, and how investors are re-entering the market with a sharper lens.