A Towering Gift
SIT’s administrative building, the tallest in its future campus in Punggol, is named the Kwek Leng Beng University Tower, in recognition of a $24 million endowed gift from Mr Kwek Leng Beng and City Developments Limited
(From left) Emeritus Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong, CDL Group Chief Executive Officer Mr Sherman Kwek, Hong Leong Group Executive Chairman Mr Kwek Leng Beng, SIT President Professor Chua Kee Chaing, and SIT
Institute Professor Tan Thiam Soon at the launch of Mr Kwek’s biography (Photo: Hong Leong Group Singapore)
The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) recently received one of its largest gifts – an endowed donation of $24 million to support students and academic activities from Mr Kwek Leng Beng and City Developments Limited (CDL). The gift was announced on 9 November 2023 at the launch of Mr Kwek’s biography, Strictly Business: The Kwek Leng Beng Story.
In recognition of this generous gift, SIT has named its University Tower housing academic and administrative staff offices (in both its future Punggol campus as well as interim campus at Dover) the Kwek Leng Beng University Tower.
Said Mr Kwek, who is Executive Chairman of CDL: “My passion for hospitality was ignited over five decades ago when I was tasked by my late father to develop the Group’s first hotel – King’s Hotel. Today, the Group has a global network of over 155 hotels, including eight properties we own or operate in Singapore. Through this SIT donation, I am privileged to play a part in building future generations of talents and professionals for Singapore, especially in hospitality. With CDL celebrating its 60thanniversary this year, the timing of the endowed gift is even more meaningful.”
Professor Chua Kee Chaing, President, SIT, said, “We deeply appreciate Mr Kwek’s philanthropic leadership since 2016, which has also made possible a range of scholarships, bursaries and prizes for SIT students. These include two scholarships, two bursaries, a gold medal and a book prize he established earlier this year for Hospitality Business undergraduate students at SIT. Mr Kwek’s farsighted philanthropy will nurture future generations of hospitality talents and raise the bar of excellence in the hospitality industry in the years to come.”
For more information, please go to SIT’s Digital Newsroom.