For 60 years, the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) has established itself as one of the country’s best and pioneering private education and lifelong learning institutions. Dedicated to developing high-skilled talents and leaders in the global workforce, they have evolved from offering only three diploma programs in the early ‘60s to driving innovation in Singapore’s education landscape. Today, SIM delivers learning solutions to empower Singaporean professionals through SIM Global Education and SIM Academy, transforming higher education and improving employability.
To support their commitment to advancing education excellence, SIM needed a tool to optimize their meetings and processes while seamlessly integrating with their current workflows. At the same time, they sought a solution that would enhance board collaboration and productivity and provide valuable insights for better decision-making.
Convene emerged as the ideal board management solution that effectively addressed the group’s administrative and security demands of their dynamic operations, specifically supporting their hybrid meeting setup.
Board Meetings and Collaboration Made Easy
When SIM first evaluated a solution to improve how they do their meetings, they were specific about what they wanted: a tool that offers a secure approach for distributing board packs and reviewing meeting minutes while also supporting hybrid meetings with the ability to add clickable Zoom hyperlinks.
Convene provided SIM with a comprehensive solution that meets these requirements – and goes above and beyond. Pre-meeting, Convene has simplified the distribution of board packs and meeting minutes with a single click of a button. “[This tool] supports pre-meeting deliberation by allowing board members and committees to access and interact with documents conveniently,” noted Jeffery Tan, SIM’s Head of Governance and Coordination. This has significantly improved meeting preparedness, as board members can review and annotate materials before the meeting begins.
During the meeting, SIM benefits from Convene Connect, a customer-favorite feature that allows participants to join hybrid meetings directly through clickable video conference links embedded in the meeting packs. Board members can also simultaneously annotate documents while on the call, ensuring no comments are missed or overlooked. As a result, board members can easily discuss business matters and make informed decisions in real-time, enhancing collaboration and reducing costs.
Post-meeting, Convene continues to be valuable for SIM. In stark contrast to their previous process, which required them to manually distribute printed copies of meeting minutes and other important documents, Convene now ensures that all documents are updated and available online and in real-time. “If document edits are required, we simply upload a revised version on Convene.” This feature guarantees all board members can access the most up-to-date information and minimizes the risk of confusion or delays.
Stronger Security, Better Storage
Document security was a top priority for SIM. So, they looked for a tool that could not only facilitate collaboration but also protect the confidential information of their students and staff. SIM found a solution in Convene’s role-based access controls and encrypted document storage.
Tan said, “[Being able] to track document downloads and ensure that only authorized individuals can access our sensitive materials was a major factor in our decision [to choose Convene].” As of writing, Convene is used quarterly across various board committees and locations, each with different administrators. With Convene, they benefit from a secure document library where all meeting materials are housed in one centralized location, accessible only to authorized users.
Convene’s built-in security measures meant that the organization no longer had to worry about the risks associated with paper-based processes, which could be easily misplaced or mishandled.
Seamless Integration for Hybrid Success
As part of its Horizon 2025 plan, SIM was gearing towards vitalizing global education and strengthening its brand on an enterprise level. Because of this new venture, hybrid and remote board meetings were increasingly frequent, and finding a solution that could facilitate communication across global workspaces was crucial.
The platform’s intuitive design is also highly praised by the organization. “We primarily utilize the basic functions of a board portal due to the fluidity of our board, as membership changes every year or two,” Tan shared. “But while there is a learning curve, board members have become familiar with the platform over time.” He highlighted Convene’s user-friendliness and ease of use, which allowed them to onboard new members effectively.
Ticking all the boxes off their list while also providing valuable support through training, progress check-ins, and issue resolution, SIM recognizes Convene as their go-to solution for board collaboration. As it helps bring more student professionals to the peak of their success, SIM will continue to find better tools and solutions to guide that path. As they always say, “Learn for life. Thrive for life.”
Book a demo with one of our product experts today to discover how Convene can help your organization save time and resources, streamline board processes, and enhance productivity.