"Art of Transformation"

Smiling Gecko is proud to host an exclusive masterclass with its founder, Dr. Hannes Schmid — a visionary whose lens has captured the essence of entire eras, with a career spanning decades of diverse work, from music and fashion to wildlife and social documentary.

In this session, participants will explore defining moments from Hannes’ global journey — from photographing legendary rock icons like Queen, AC/DC, and ABBA on and off stage, to documenting the lives of a remote cannibalistic tribe in Papua New Guinea, and exploring the spiritual rhythms of life along the Ganges River in India. These powerful experiences have shaped his perspective as a storyteller and his approach to photography as a form of social art.

Since 2012, Hannes has focused on humanitarian work through Smiling Gecko, a non-profit supporting children and families in Cambodia — one of the world’s poorest countries.

What makes this masterclass interesting is how Hannes shares his career shift from photography to Impact Creation —leading to the founding of Smiling Gecko, a non-profit transforming lives in rural Cambodia through education, vocational training, and sustainable development.

About Hannes Schmid

Born in Zurich, Hannes Schmid is today regarded as one of Switzerland’s most influential photo artists. His extensive travels around the world helped him cultivate a distinctive visual language developed through his work in advertising, fashion, and freelance photography marked by deep personal connections to his subjects.  

Hannes Schmid achieved worldwide fame with his staging of the iconic cowboy - the Marlboro Man. He toured with some of the world biggest rock stars such as Queen, AC/DC, ABBA, Status Quo or Boomtown Rats who he portraited in over 70,000 photos. He was also a leading creative force for the Formula One Racing Team of BAR Honda with whom he realised spectacular media stunts such as the land speed world record attempt at the Bonville Salt Flats. 

About the Smiling Gecko Community

Smiling Gecko Switzerland, Cambodia, and Singapore have a shared commitment to empowering rural communities in Cambodia through education, sustainable development, and social enterprise.

Smiling Gecko Singapore supports the mission from a local Singaporean perspective as a local nonprofit organisation. We focus on engaging the Singapore community by creating opportunities for youth and professionals to connect with global humanitarian issues through fundraising, events, skills-sharing, and school/corporate partnerships.

Smiling Gecko Cambodia is where impact is created on the ground, transforming lives through holistic, sustainable community development.

About the Event

This event is organized by Smiling Gecko Singapore, with sincere thanks to INSEAD for sponsoring the venue, and to our outreach partners, INSEAD and NUS Enterprise, for their valued support.

Smiling Gecko Singapore Limited (UEN 202452207M) is registered in Singapore as a Company Limited by Guarantee as a non profit organisation. It has applied for charity status and is pending approval from the Singapore Commissioner of Charities.