The 2016/17 IBEAR MBA participants have 11 years of work experience and are 35 years of age. About 85 percent come from Pacific Rim economies (including the USA) and about 30 percent are company-sponsored.  IBEAR alumni are, or have been, senior leaders in such international firms as Astra International, Capital Securities (Taiwan), Central (Thailand), Coutts, Credit Suisse, Development Bank of Japan, Fubon Financial Group (Taiwan), Garuda Airlines, GE Capital, HP, Hite-Jinro, Ingersoll-Rand China, ITO-En, Korean Air, Microsoft, Mizuho Bank, PWC, Oi/Telemar (Brazil), Ottogi (Korea), Reliance (India), Singapore Telecommunications, Singapore’s Info-Communications Authority, Singapore’s Ministry for the Environment & Water Resources, Schroders, Standard Chartered Bank, Swiss Life (Singapore), TCC Steel (Korea), Tokio Marine Insurance, and the United Nations Development Program.

“One of the non-curricular highlights of the IBEAR MBA experience is its International Experiential Learning Program,” explains Drobnick. “This module is a ten day international field trip which enables participants to meet senior business executives and government officials to learn first-hand about business opportunities and challenges in different Pacific Rim economies.”

In October 2015, the IBEAR-38 Class visited Jakarta and Bangkok for its ‘Doing Business in Southeast Asia Program and in October 2016, the IBEAR-39 Class will visit Shanghai and Nanjing for its ‘Doing Business in China Program’.

“The University of Southern California has the largest number of international students in the United States, with 75 percent of the 10,300 international students coming from six Asian economies” says Drobnick. “USC has established six offices in Asia and, today, USC is eager to strengthen its ties with Singapore, where I had the privilege of being a Visiting Fellow at the National University of Singapore, in my role as the Managing Director of the APRU World Institute from 2006 to 2011”.

With the guiding philosophy that ‘today’s reality is that business success demands an understanding of the inner workings of the global marketplace’, USC Marshall will continue to provide powerful global learning experiences.

As the two countries mark 50 years of bilateral ties, what impact has U.S. investment had on the Singaporean economy? How closely tied are the two economies today?

Economic ties between the U.S. and Singapore are more relevant and symbiotic than ever. U.S. companies like our West Coast biotech clients find Singapore attractive as an Asian hub because of its meaningful emphases on innovation and foreign investment, the access it provides to Asian capital sources, and an attractive socio-economic environment.

Conversely, Singapore and regional companies are investing in the U.S. with increasing sophistication. We are also seeing a growing appetite from regional investors to navigate U.S. regulatory issues, such as securities law compliance, antitrust filings and national security approvals, to close transactions.

Morrison & Foerster stands out for its commitment to client service. How has the firm positioned itself in the increasingly competitive Singaporean legal services industry?

We set ourselves apart by focusing on core sectors in which we excel globally that are particularly in demand in Asia such as real estate/REITs, life sciences and technology, media and telecommunications, and FinTech. We have also purpose-built our Singapore offering for Asia, including U.S., English and Japan qualified partners with decades of on-the-ground experience. Finally, we have developed complementary practices that provide significant value to key clients, such as finance, funds and compliance.

These strategies have paid off. For example, Mergermarket ranked us the top international law firm by deal value across Southeast Asia for 2015.

What message would you like to share with our Singaporean and Southeast Asian readers regarding Morrison & Foerster’s continued commitment to providing interdisciplinary and cross-border transaction solutions across the region?

Our clients benefit from our interdisciplinary approach across matters ranging from M&A, convertible debt issuances, real estate private equity funds and high-tech joint ventures to dispute resolution. We pride ourselves on having full execution capability in Singapore, having led multi-office teams on billion-dollar transactions.

We also deliver unique expertise developed in our Singapore office, such as complex financial institutions transactions, which few firms offer in Southeast Asia. In addition, we are the leading regional advisors on warranty and indemnity insurance, having advised insurers on between 80-85% of policies written in Asia during the last 24 months.