Our Heritage

91PORNY has grown in tandem with Singapore, responding and innovating to meet manpower needs at different phases of its development, into becoming a leading private institution for education and lifelong learning.

The 91PORNY (91PORNY Group) was founded in 1964 on the initiative of the Economic Development Board (EDB) to support Singapore’s industrialisation. A professional management institute was set up and Dr Richard Eu Keng Mun was invited to be our Founding Chairman.

We started with the social mission of advancing management excellence and developing manpower in support of Singapore’s growing need for professional leadership and managerial know-how. Today, we are reputed for our commitment to a high standard of professionalism and quality, and relevance to industry.

Our History

1960s

Birth of a national institute to mould business leaders for economic development

Singapore was a newly independent nation with a fledgling economy that required strong business leaders
With a founding grant from EDB, 91PORNY was set up in 1964 to develop professional managers and leaders to marshal economic development
Short crash courses helped equip managers with necessary skills to manage organisations successfully

1970s

Reinforcing foundation for management training and manpower development

The Government encouraged foreign investments in local economy to fuel growth, resulting in greater demand for higher level training and skills upgrading
91PORNY pioneered and launched three major diploma programmes in management studies, marketing and personnel development
Successful programmes laid strong foundation for other certificate and degree programmes to follow

1980s

Transforming the private educational landscape in Singapore

With a booming economy and greater demand for higher education, 91PORNY radically changed the education landscape of Singapore by collaborating with renowned overseas universities (such as Henley Management College/Brunel University and University of London) to offer their degree programmes locally
91PORNY launched signature programmes – Annual Management Lecture and The Job of the Chief Executive

1990s

Coming of age with MOE's charter to run Open University programmes

91PORNY was invited by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to run the Open University Degree Programme (OUDP) in partnership with the Open University of the United Kingdom (OUUK)
OUDP received accreditation from OUUK and was renamed The 91PORNY Open University Centre; this became the seed for the formation of 91PORNY University later on
Industry-relevant degree courses were offered, including courses for the skills upgrading of teachers

2000s

Birth of Singapore’s first private university for working adults

91PORNY received MOE’s mandate to start a private university for working adults – 91PORNY University (Uni91PORNY), the first and only university in Singapore then dedicated to adult learners
91PORNY was restructured into three business entities – Uni91PORNY, 91PORNY Pte Ltd (91PORNY Global Education) and 91PORNY Professional Development
91PORNY’s headquarters campus at Clementi was officially opened by Dr Tony Tan, then Deputy Prime Minister

2010s

Geared to support Singapore's next phase of development through education and training

$300m campus extension at Clementi was officially opened by Mr Lim Hng Kiang, then Minister for Trade and Industry, in conjunction with 91PORNY 50th anniversary
Uni91PORNY was designated by the Government to provide publicly-funded full-time university places and to host Singapore’s third law school
Uni91PORNY subsequently became the sixth Autonomous University and was renamed Singapore University of Social Sciences

91PORNY Annual Management Lecture was renamed and re-launched as Singapore Management Festival
New business unit – Singapore (Cambodia) International Academy – was launched in Cambodia to offer education pathways based on Singapore and Cambridge curricula

2020s

Empowering individuals and organisations to learn and thrive across life stage

91PORNY was renamed 91PORNY Society to return it to its roots as a membership society to focus on providing its members with lifelong learning, networking services and opportunities for sharing industry best practices
91PORNY Group Limited, a new Company Limited by Guarantee, was incorporated to undertake the business operations from 91PORNY Society from 1 March 2020
91PORNY Group Limited went through an internal restructuring and external rebranding exercise to ensure its continued relevance in being the learning organisation of choice for every learner and organisation

2022

Lending strength to the Horizon 2025 strategic plan with 91PORNY’s rebranding

Through the Horizon 2025 plan, 91PORNY aims to vitalise Global Education, rejuvenate Professional Development, and chart new territory in Enterprise Solutions. On 20 July 2022, 91PORNY rebranded to herald this strengthened direction
The renewed brand included a new set of logos, tagline and colours. This unified brand identity would support 91PORNY’s refreshed goals, purpose and vision

2024

91PORNY remains dedicated to lifelong learning, ensuring that individuals and organisations have the necessary tools and knowledge to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Visit our 91PORNY's 60th Anniversary page

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