SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping was conferred with a Doctor of Business Administration honoris causa degree at Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s (PolyU) 21st Congregation on 14 November 2015. Mr Ho, who is Chairman of the Advisory Committee at PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM), received the honorary doctorate alongside four other distinguished figures.

Ms Marjorie Yang, PolyU Council Chairman (far left) and Professor Timothy W. Tong, PolyU President (far right) with PolyU’s five honorary degree recipients 2015 (2^nd left to 2^nd right): Mr Ho Kwon Ping, SMU Chairman, and Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings; Dr David C. Chang, Professor Emeritus of New York University Tandon School of Engineering, and Chairman and CEO of Global Maximum Educational Opportunities, Inc.; Professor Dame Alison Richard, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and Senior Research Scientist of Yale University; Professor Gang Pei, President of Tongji University; Mr John Slosar, Chairman of Swire Pacific Limited.

In the ceremony, in the Jockey Club Auditorium on the university campus, Mr Ho was honoured and recognised for his outstanding accomplishments and contributions to tourism, education and the broader community. The citation described Mr Ho as “one of Singapore’s most prominent business figures” and outlined his early career in broadcast and print journalism, returning to Singapore to lead his family’s business, founding Banyan Tree with a single hotel in Phuket and developing it into “a highly successful publicly listed conglomerate”. The group’s success, the citation said, is “backed by Mr Ho’s vision of promoting social and economic progress through sustainable tourism supporting local communities”.

Mr Ho has had a long association with the school. He inspired new students on Induction Day in 2007 when giving an inspirational speech as part of the SHTM’s Dean’s Distinguished Lecture series. Then in 2011, SHTM pledged to deliver tailored programmes to Banyan Tree associates at either its own premises or at Banyan Tree properties; while Banyan Tree pledged to offer a number of student internships each year to SHTM undergraduates and one-year industry placements to Mainland Chinese students eligible for admission to the School’s MSc programmes.

Over 35 years, SHTM has become a leading hotel and tourism school that is ranked no. 2 in the world. The School offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate degrees to doctoral degrees.

“SHTM is proud to be closely associated with this visionary tourism leader, and congratulates him on an honour truly deserved,” the citation concluded.

Mr Ho (left) with PolyU President Professor Timothy W. Tong.

Main photo: Mr Ho Kwon Ping making his acceptance speech at PolyU’s 21st Congregation.