This fellowship honours Nels Radley Friets — his enduring contributions to capital markets, and his tireless encouragement of young minds seeking to make their mark in finance and entrepreneurship, and his lasting legacy to Smartkarma.

Nels was not only a visionary in business, but also a prolific poet and faithful believer that laughter was the best medicine. This award reflects the full breadth of his character—sharp intellect, creative spirit, and the joy he brought into every room.

Nels retired from Singapore Exchange Limited, where he was Head of Securities and then an Advisor. He was formerly the Managing Director & Head of Equities (ASEAN) with Citigroup Global Markets, where he had responsibilities for all cash, derivatives, equity capital markets and prime brokerage activities in the ASEAN countries. Nels was earlier with CLSA, where his last role was Managing Director, Singapore/Malaysia. Prior to CLSA, he spent 11 years as a strategy consultant.Nels was on the Investment Committees for various entities including the Smartkarma Board, Singapore Tote Board, SUTD Venture Fund, and Bulldog Innovation Fund. He sat on the board of Fullerton Fund Management, where he chaired the Audit and Risk Committee for ten years. In addition to working with several startups, he was on the SUTD Finance Committee and advised Calm Collective Asia, a social enterprise focused on mental health awareness.Nels held a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from Yale University, USA.

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