His Majesty Philippe the King of the Belgians has bestowed upon SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer the significant honour of Commander in the Order of Leopold. The order was awarded at the Belgian Embassy’s annual King's Day reception at the Tower Club in Singapore on 12 November 2018 and was presented by Belgium’s Secretary of State for the Fight Against Fraud, Privacy and North Sea, Mr Philippe De Backer.

Secretary of State De Backer (R) placing the Commander’s Cross on Prof De Meyer.

Dr Maliki Osman, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, Singapore (MINDEF) and Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, graced the event. Other guests included prominent members of Singapore society, the diplomatic corps, and a 40-people strong delegation of Belgian CEOs, business owners and other members of the Belgian community in Singapore.

The Order of Leopold was founded in 1832, shortly after Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands, and it is the oldest order of chivalry or knighthood in Belgium. It takes its name from King Leopold I, who was the first King of the Belgians and instigated the award. There are three branches of the order – Military, Maritime and Civilian – and Prof De Meyer received the Civilian Order for helping to raise the profile of Belgium worldwide. Within the branches, there are five levels: Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer and Knight. Usually only visiting heads of state are granted the Grand Cross, so Commander is the second highest level for ordinary citizens. It is generally awarded to ministers or very prominent citizens.

Professor De Meyer said, “I am honoured to receive this prestigious award. It reflects how the tremendous achievements of SMU have raised its international reputation and been noticed all around the world – including in my native country of Belgium.”

In August, Professor De Meyer was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in Singapore’s National Day Awards 2018, for his contributions to both SMU and to Singapore.

On 31 December 2018, he will step down as SMU’s fourth and longest-serving President, after eight highly successful years. He will be succeeded by Professor Lily Kong, currently Provost at SMU, who will assume the role of SMU President on 1 January 2019.

(L-R) Secretary of State De Backer, Prof De Meyer and Ambassador Detaille.

(L-R) Ms Chan Wai Leng, Director, Advancement, SMU; Prof Gerry George, Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, SMU; Mr Edmund Lin, SMU Trustee; Mr Zulkifli Bin Baharudin, SMU Trustee; Prof De Meyer; Mr Timothy Chia, SMU Trustee; Ms Poon Keen Teng, Vice President, Finance, SMU; and Mr Sundaravadivelan Selvam, Vice President, Campus Infrastructure and Services, SMU.

(L-R) Mr Sundaravadivelan Selvam, Vice President, Campus Infrastructure and Services, SMU; Mr Lau Kai Cheong, Vice President, IT & Chief Information Officer, SMU; Mr Terence Tan, Vice President, Human Resources & Faculty Administration, SMU; Prof De Meyer; Ms Poon Keen Teng, Vice President, Finance, SMU; and Mr Christopher Chew, Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing, SMU.

Main photo: Mr Ang Wei Neng, MP for Jurong GRC, Singapore; Mr Philippe De Backer, Secretary of State, Belgium; Ms Cathy Berx, Governor of Antwerp, Belgium; Prof Arnoud De Meyer, President, SMU; Dr Maliki Osman, Senior Minister of State, Singapore; Prof Fatimah Lateef, MP for Marine Parade GRC, Singapore; His Excellency Andy Detaille, Ambassador of Belgium to Singapore.