Singapore Briefing: Coffee and Stroll with a Local Expert

Imran Ahmed was born in Pakistan and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Occidental College, Los Angeles, in 1988, majoring in Diplomacy and World Affairs with a Minor in Philosophy. After graduation, he moved into the the world of finance which took him all over the world. He has lived and worked in Los Angeles, London, Dubai, Singapore and Karachi, moving to Singapore in 1997. Since leaving finance in 2009, he became a docent at the National Museum of Singapore. For the last 4 years he has been working as a Singapore based freelance tour guide specializing in culture, heritage and history. While not guiding, Imran can be found pursuing his other interests, including travelling (having visited almost 50 countries and counting) photography, reading (occasionally writing) and studying via online courses. He enjoys sharing stories pertaining to the historic way in which Singapore's diverse communities have blended to create the island's unique culture.

Jane Iyer’s love affair with Asia started on her arrival as a “wee lass” in Singapore (by boat!) in February 1963. A native Brit, life has ensured that she has boomeranged back to Asia - as a trailing teenager in 1970, followed by 2 stints as a trailing spouse from 1999, in the middle of which she sandwiched 6 years in New York City.  She’s grasped opportunities to get involved, and sees her volunteer work with Friends of the Museums (FOM) as nothing less than life changing. She served as its President in 2003/4,  has guided in 3 museums, coordinated the Explore Singapore! Team, led Study Tours to other parts of Asia and ran film and book groups. In 2015 she took the plunge to study to be a Singapore Tourist Guide and starting to set up regular tours following on from this. An excellent organiser and administrator, she’s a passionate ambassador for her adopted home of Singapore. Particularly interested in heritage and history, she is also a keen supporter of the performing arts.

Growing up in Czechoslovakia, Pavla set out to discover the world as soon as the Berlin wall collapsed, and at 22 she came to Singapore to study Mandarin. Her years living, studying and working in different countries plus her 2 “Third culture” children born to her and her Swiss / French husband, have given her a broad understanding and appreciation for diversity. After learning the art of tour guiding as a volunteer guide in the National Museum of Singapore and Malay Heritage Centre, Pavla chose to be a professional tour guide to share her passion for her Little Red Dot island of a home. With an interest in history, culture, architecture and languages, she loves connecting the cultural dots. Pavla’s caring and positive attitude ensures she easily relates to people with different backgrounds and walks of life.