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Student Leaders Summit 2026

  • 26 Jan 2026

On 16 January 2026, AAIS brought together students from various universities and polytechnics for the annual Student Leaders Summit. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural edition, the second edition of the summit, welcomed over 70 students and industry professionals passionate about leadership, innovation, and the future of aviation and aerospace. This year’s theme, “Navigating the Skies of Change,” focused on emerging developments and innovations across the aviation and aerospace industry, spanning airports, aerospace, air traffic management, and the space sector.

The morning session, held at Bombardier Aerospace Services Singapore, saw enthusiastic participation from students across various institutions, including Embry-Riddle Asia, NUS, NTU, SIT, TUM-Asia, Nanyang Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic. A The session kickstarted with a captivating keynote presentation from Mr Paul Tan, Programme Director (Airport) at International Centre for Aviation Innovation (ICAI) on “Navigating the Skies of Change: A Singapore Perspective by ICAI”, on the exciting developments happening at Singapore Changi Airport and opportunities in the aviation sector.

Keynote Presentation by Mr Paul Tan on the exciting developments in happening in Singapore.
Students interacting with each other during the networking breakfast before to the event.

A highlight of the morning was the executive panel discussion, which featured speakers and representatives from the aerospace, air traffic management, and space sector. The session offered participants a diverse and well-rounded industry perspective on the panel topic of “Navigating the Skies of Change: Charting Tomorrow’s Innovations Today”.

The panel featured Mr Iain Rodger, Managing Director at GE Aerospace; Ms Este Rosli, Head of Partnerships at AIR Lab; Mr Richard Lau, CCO at Addvalue Technologies and is moderated by Dr Jack Patel. Panellists and participants engaged in robust discussions exploring topics on innovation and change, as well as the critical role leadership plays in encouraging innovation in different organisations.

Photos of the panellists at the Student Leaders Summit. 

The morning programme then concluded with a networking lunch, where students had the chance to engage with speakers, fellow peers and various industry representatives.

Group Photo at the Student Leaders Summit 2026
Students interacting with Mr Iain Rodger of GE Aerospace during the networking lunch.

In the afternoon, a group of student leaders went on an exclusive visit to Bell Textron Asia’s facility in Seletar Aerospace Park, where they had the chance to tour the Bell Helicopters and Textron aircraft hangars. During the visit, the students gained insights on the various maintenance and operational processes that take place behind the scenes in an MRO facility, giving them a deeper understanding of the aviation and aerospace industry.

Students on a facility tour at Bell Textron Asia. 

Participating students also had the opportunity to connect and interact with senior leaders in Bell Textron Asia, who shared insights on the upcoming developments happening in the aviation and aerospace industry and encouraged the young student leaders to continue to pursue their passions and interests.

The day then wrapped up with a hands-on workshop, where student leaders from various universities came together to discuss and brainstorm potential opportunities for future cross-institutional partnerships and initiatives. 

Students interacting with senior leaders at Bell Textron Asia.
Students in discussions at the workshop.
Photos by AAIS

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