These insights were at the heart of a thought-provoking lecture by Kishore Mahbubani, a globally renowned author, public intellectual, and former diplomat, at the inaugural Taylor’s Distinguished Public Lecture series. Held at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus, the event drew over 150 attendees, in person and online, including prominent members of the diplomatic community, academics, students, and the general public. Among the dignitaries attending the event where His Excellency Vanu Gopala Menon, High Commissioner of Singapore to Malaysia; His Excellency Mr. Peter Van Acker, Ambassador of Belgium to Malaysia; His Excellency Morten Paulsen, Norwegian Ambassador to Malaysia, His Excellency Mr. Mohammad Khorshed Alam Khastagir, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Malaysia; Mr Timo Goosmann, Minister Counsellor, Head of Political Affairs, Press and Information for the EU Delegation to Malaysia; Ms. Rehana Parvin, First Secretary (Political), Bangladesh High Commission to Malaysia; and Justice Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin, Federal Court Justice.

This new lecture series aligns with the institution’s vision of fostering transformative conversations that bridge global perspectives with local challenges. By engaging with global thought leaders and experts, Taylor’s aims to inspire purposeful learning, drive innovation, and contribute to the social, cultural, and economic wellbeing of society.

Sharing his aspirations for this public lecture series, Professor Ong Kian Ming, Pro Vice Chancellor of External Engagement at Taylor’s University said, “Our hope is that through such public lectures, Taylor’s can facilitate more public discourse on the major challenges facing our world today – geopolitics, climate change, digitalisation, the changing nature of work and active aging. These challenges are reflected in the main academic themes which are the focus areas of this university, namely - Health and Active Living, Education and Future Work, Sustainably Societies, and Creative Futures.”