Shaping Futures:
The Global Council and ASEAN Regional Council
Launching a global fundraising campaign is all about rallying your friends and celebrating your successes, so when we were preparing for the launch of our Shaping Futures Campaign in 2024, we were excited to gather our supporters, alumni, and achievers to help us reach this momentous milestone. This group of external volunteer leaders—the Campaign Global Council—convened in 2024 and, since then, has been leading from the front.
The Campaign Global Council is chaired by Professor Dame Heather McGregor, Provost and Vice-Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai. The Council is, she explains, an opportunity for our “global, enlightened alumni community, industry partners, and friends of equal ambition and resonant purpose to join us as we step forward into the Shaping Futures campaign” so as to “make education more inclusive, mitigate climate change, advance healthcare, and help to transform business and industry.”
The ASEAN Regional Council
With Heriot-Watt University Malaysia thriving and increasing engagement across neighbouring countries, it became clear that a dedicated presence was needed to support our ambitions in Southeast Asia. Enter the Campaign ASEAN Regional Council, a sister council made up of leaders, alumni, and friends from across Southeast Asia, all working together to guide our efforts, champion our mission, and connect us with opportunities to make a meaningful difference in the region.
The idea of a Southeast Asian council began to take shape at the two inaugural ASEAN Shaping Futures dinners held in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in January 2025. At each dinner, our alumni and friends were joined by Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard A. Williams CBE, who inspired pride in our global institution by sharing our recent successes.
In Malaysia, Professor Mushtak Al-Atabi, Provost and CEO of Heriot-Watt Malaysia, shared powerful stories of the Heriot-Watt Malaysia student experience and explained how our graduates are entering the world of work, ready to the shape the future. The group’s membership will be announced during the Council’s launch event, planned for later this year.
While the Campaign ASEAN Regional Council will predominantly be focused on aiding, advocating, and advising on regional matters and opportunities, its members are also well placed to facilitate the regional expansion of various Shaping Futures projects. These include the GRID ASEAN Entrepreneurs’ Hub (a new ideas incubator space at our Malaysia campus for student and staff inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs), the iNetZ+ ASEAN (a new global research institute designed to help tackle the global climate emergency), the Lyell Centre ASEAN (which brings together experts in earth and marine sciences to address global challenges), and the Global Research Institute in Heath and Care Technologies ASEAN (which is working to expand our expertise across healthcare technologies and develop market-ready solutions to global health challenges).
“Shaping Futures is our bold and ambitious campaign to transform lives and communities through education, research, and innovation.”
Campaign Director Ruth O'Hanlon
ASEAN Regional Council members discuss plans over dinner in Singapore.
Global and ASEAN Regional Council members assemble at Heriot-Watt University Malaysia.
The New Chair: Datuk Seri Dr Michael Yam
Datuk Seri Dr Michael Yam, who sits on the Global Council and has been named as the Chair of the ASEAN Regional Council, had this to say about his new role and about the upcoming launch: “I am honoured to have been appointed to chair the ASEAN Regional Council for the Shaping Futures campaign at Heriot-Watt University.
“Together with the other eminent members of the Regional Council, we aspire to provide support and vision to the University and inspire its students to be the best that they can be, not only in achieving all-round academic excellence but also in gaining experiential and practical enrichment.
“Such gains will be enabled by the various Shaping Futures programmes planned for ASEAN by the Regional Council, which will work in tandem with the Global Council.”
“Together with the other eminent members of the Regional Council, we aspire to provide support and vision to the University and inspire its students to be the best that they can be.”
Datuk Seri Dr Michael Yam
Shaping Futures
Campaign Director Ruth O’Hanlon reinforced Datuk Seri Dr Yam’s sentiments, describing the upcoming launch of the Shaping Futures ASEAN Regional Council in the context of Shaping Futures more broadly: “Shaping Futures is our bold and ambitious campaign to transform lives and communities through education, research, and innovation.
“As Heriot-Watt deepens engagement across Southeast Asia, the ASEAN Regional Council will play a pivotal role in guiding our efforts, championing our mission, and connecting us with opportunities to make a meaningful difference in the region.”
“As Heriot-Watt deepens engagement across Southeast Asia, the ASEAN Regional Council will play a pivotal role in guiding our efforts.”
Campaign Director Ruth O'Hanlon
Alumni and friends in the ASEAN regions can find out more about supporting Shaping Futures by contacting giving@hw.ac.uk.
