Singapore, 12 November 2019 – SUTL Corporation Pte Ltd (“SUTL Corporation”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SUTL Global Pte Ltd (“SUTL Global” or together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”), has made a contribution of $252,000 to set up the SUTL Scholarship at the Singapore Management University (“SMU”). This is the first ever scholarship established exclusively for outstanding incoming undergraduates of Vietnamese nationality pursuing any degree programme at SMU and aims to motivate them to achieve academic excellence, as well as accord them recognition for their accomplishments.

SMU President Professor Lily Kong and Mr Arthur Tay, Chairman and CEO of the SUTL Group, officiated the scholarship presentation ceremony held at SMU today. The event was attended by SMU staff, faculty and students, as well as several members of the SUTL management team.

Mr Arthur Tay, Chairman and CEO of SUTL Global, and also a member of SMU’s International Advisory Council in Vietnam, said, “Our Group has been doing business in Vietnam for more than two decades. We were one of the first Singapore-owned companies to break into the Vietnam market and today we own and operate integrated family entertainment centres such as the Superbowl Vietnam Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City, consumer goods distribution company Alliance Distribution Joint Stock Company, as well as the KFC franchise in Vietnam, which has 137 restaurants across the country.

“Over the years, our Group has witnessed and benefitted from Vietnam’s economic growth and progress. By establishing this scholarship, we hope to play our part by giving the country’s youths the means to pursue their academic dreams and establish bright futures. The SUTL Scholarship will be awarded based on academic merits and it will be bond-free, but we hope to have worthy scholars join our Group and embark on exciting careers within our vast international network of businesses, which include the distribution of an extensive portfolio of fast moving consumer goods, sports retail as well as integrated marina management and development.”

SMU President Professor Lily Kong said, “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Mr Arthur Tay and SUTL Corporation for setting up this Scholarship at SMU. Recipients of the Scholarship will embark on a transformative educational journey that is holistic and meaningful, enabling them to achieve their education and career goals. This will be achieved through our broad-based, flexible and rigorous curriculum and an enriching student life experience which includes community service, overseas exposure and internships. We are deeply encouraged that SUTL Corporation shares SMU’s commitment to nurture graduates who have an independent mind, are dependable in deeds, think deeply and broadly, and who act to create value at home and abroad. We look forward to continuing this purposeful partnership.”

The Scholarship will be awarded annually commencing Academic Year 2019-20 till 2021-2022 to a student with demonstrated financial needs, offering financial support towards the recipient’s annual tuition fees. Each non-bonded scholarship of $84,000 is tenable for the recipient’s four years of study, provided that the student maintains good results and continues to demonstrate high standards of personal conduct and remains active in community service and co-curricular activities. The recipient may be offered internship and/or recruitment opportunities by the Group.

The inaugural recipient of the scholarship is Mr Nguyen Tung Lam, a first-year student with the SMU School of Economics. He said, "Growing up in a small town in Vietnam, it has never been easy for me to pursue my dream of an education abroad due to financial constraints. I burst into tears upon receiving the offer letter of the SUTL scholarship, which substantially alleviates my family’s financial burden and enables me to benefit more fully from SMU’s well-rounded education and distinctive pedagogy. Being inspired by SUTL’s community-minded spirit, I am committed to the vision of giving back to society by fostering investments that have positive social impacts, such as creating employment and improving the living standard in rural areas. In addition, I hope to establish a scholarship fund in the future like the one SUTL has offered, which makes tertiary education more accessible to outstanding individuals from low-income families.”

Caption: Mr Arthur Tay, Chairman and CEO of the SUTL Group (left), and SMU President Professor Lily Kong (right), with the inaugural recipient of the SUTL Scholarship Mr Nguyen Tung Lam (centre), a first-year student with the SMU School of Economics.