In India alone they have funded close to 200,000 free eye surgeries. measles and 583 malnourished children brought to normal weight.
Growing his company and its social responsibility
Recently, Suvir has joined a branch of the company in Lagos, Nigeria. Along with manufacturing and distributing for other brands, the company has recently ventured into their own brands. Excited about the new venture, Suvir says, ”In exporting from Nigeria we are adding value by providing more jobs and building industry.”
by Brenda Whately
Planning to pursue his MBA in 2017, Suvir none-the-less says that the best learning for him has been out there in the market. “I’ve had the best headstart on my career that I could possibly have dreamed of.” He says that his uncle, Subodh realises the extent to which talented alumni from UWCSEA can help out and be helped out in this regard and they are both very keen to extend the opportunity to as many as possible. Suvir has offered to take on the responsibility for the internship programme at FMCL and says he will strive to ensure that interns are given responsibility and a real opportunity to add value, as he was.
In the July 2011 profile, Luke was reported to have evolved his company from a mobile technology start-up with three people in a sunroom in Sydney, to a global personal media company with 82 employees in five locations around the world. That growth has not slowed down since and today in 2015, Luke is Executive Chairman of a company that employs more than 220 people in eight offices worldwide, including an innovation lab and a product research division. The company has been listed in Deloitte’s Fast 50 for seven years running and in Forbes’ Top 100 Companies to Watch.
You may recall reading about Luke Janssen in the eighth issue of One°North. An extreme sports enthusiast, Luke has not only taken calculated risks in his leisure activities, but also in his career. After a degree in Computer Science with Management from King’s College, London and eight years as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, Luke made the decision to leave his job and set up a mobile technology company called Tigerspike.
Social mindedness is important to Luke and along with introducing a range of health and well-being initiatives for his employees, Luke and his company have become involved in a number of community initiatives. Tigerspike marked its tenth anniversary in 2013 by donating time and expertise to the World Food Programme (WFP), working to provide a number of solutions to make WFPs current registration and distribution processes faster and more secure through mobile technology in remote environments. Tigerspike has provided technology to mKopa, a company that provides solar lighting solutions to developing countries, and it is also currently working closely with the Melbourne government to use technology to address domestic violence. When I spoke to Luke in early 2011, he mentioned that one of his goals was to move back to Singapore and enrol his young daughter, Lucia into UWCSEA. By early 2012 his office was open and his family was in Singapore. In August 2014, his daughter Lucia started K1 at UWCSEA, and he is applying for his son Leo to start next year. Since his return to Singapore, Luke has been happy to support the College with his time and talent. He has participated in practise interview sessions for Grade 12 students, he has given talks to students at both campuses regarding entrepreneurship and careers, has offered internship opportunities to young alumni and was the keynote speaker at the student-run TechLife Conference last year. For more information about Luke and his company, please visit his website at www.tigerspike.com
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Their newest intern, Natacha, UWCSEA ’10, started an eight-month term at the beginning of July. She says, “When I was offered an internship in Ghana, I was truly thrilled. Back in 2010, I was a student at UWCSEA in Singapore where I loved the multicultural environment that allowed me to meet people from all over the world. Having completed a master’s degree in London I was very keen on moving to another continent once again and then came the opportunity to move to Accra. Africa is a fascinating continent, ready for a major economic upturn. I feel privileged to be able to observe this from the inside.”
Luke Janssen, UWCSEA 1990–1994, Class of 1994