Kaplan Higher Education Academy triumphs at Singapore Business Review International Business Awards 2026

The institution earned an accolade for driving measurable impact through strategic digital and AI transformation.

Kaplan Higher Education Academy (Kaplan) was recognised at the Singapore Business Review International Business Awards 2026 with the Educational Management award. Earning this honour for the company is the strong progress of its multi-year Digital and AI Transformation.

Kaplan committed a significant multi-million-dollar-investment to re-platform its end-to-end operations spanning recruitment, admissions, enrolment, learning, and alumni engagement. Instead of pursuing a disruptive overhaul, the institution opted to adopt a phased and modular strategy. This strategy allows systems and processes to evolve steadily over time, which enables Kaplan to introduce improvements without interrupting day-to-day operations. When the transformation matured, Kaplan then introduced a formal AI Framework in 2025.

Amongst the notable initiatives in this strategy is the AI Contact Centre, powered by “AI James Tan,” which has successfully re-engaged previously inactive leads and generated several million dollars in incremental revenue. In parallel, the re-platforming of admissions has streamlined application workflows and reduced processing time by 74%. Finance operations have also been transformed through automation, with digital expense management reducing processing time by 70%.

When it comes to internal operations, Kaplan has introduced HR chatbot KAI, which provides staff with instant access to policy information. It reduced routine enquiries by 25% within just three months. 

The benefit extends to academic teams through the Student Outcomes Dashboard, which delivers real-time visibility into performance and progression. Moreover, enhancements to attendance management systems have further improved tracking.

Kaplan also built a culture of innovation by implementing internal hackathons. This encourages staff to identify business challenges and develop AI-enabled solutions. 

As it heads to the future, Kaplan is set to scale its capabilities by establishing a Data Lakehouse. This will serve as a single foundation for analytics and AI-driven insights. 

The institution is also expanding the use of OCR within its admissions platform to further reduce admissions processing time whilst also strengthening fraud detection. 

On top of these, student-facing AI chatbots are being developed to deliver more responsive support. Hackathon initiatives, meanwhile, will evolve into a structured innovation pipeline.

With Kaplan’s Digital and AI Transformation, it not only modernises its systems but also redefines what it means to be a future-ready education provider.

The Singapore Business Review International Business Awards is a prestigious programme that celebrates the outstanding achievements of foreign companies in Singapore. The awards recognise transformative business initiatives, innovative strategies, and impactful projects that have enabled these companies to establish a robust presence in the competitive landscape of the Lion City.

The Singapore Business Review International Business Awards is presented by Singapore Business Review Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's outstanding contributions in Singapore's vibrant business landscape, please contact Danica Avila at [email protected].