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Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Prudential Singapore commits S$880,000 to support vulnerable families and sustainability efforts
[SINGAPORE] Prudential Singapore will commit a sum of S$880,000 to celebrate Singapore's 60th birthday this year, as well as the insurer's move of its office to Labrador Tower. In a news release on Wednesday (Jun 18), Prudential said the investment will go towards distributing hampers to over 1,100 ComLink+ families residing in the vicinity of the new office. These hampers include items such as hygiene and household cleaning items. There will also be a cash donation to the Prudential Longevity Pledge, a fundraising programme established in partnership with Community Chest in 2021 to support vulnerable groups in the community. The donation will go towards the Healthy with KidSTART programme, which was launched in 2020 as a collaboration between Prudential and KidSTART to promote healthy eating habits among children aged six and under. The investment will also help establish community edible gardens with the launch of a new initiative called Healthy Harvest later in the year. Prudential said these gardens serve as social green spaces, encouraging sustainable gardening activities and healthy eating through the distribution of fresh produce grown there. 'As Singapore marks its 60th year of independence and Prudential moves to its new office at Labrador Tower, we want to celebrate by investing in the wellbeing of our community,' said Prudential Singapore chief executive officer Chan San San. The move to the new office was completed in May this year. Located along Pasir Panjang Road, the company occupies over 170,000 square feet and eight-and-a-half floors to house 1,200 employees and 5,400 financial representatives. An event was held on Tuesday to open the office, where chief executive officer Anil Wadhwani and representatives from the insurer's key business partners and community partners were in attendance.
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Prudential announces $880,000 community investment to celebrate SG60 and its move to Labrador Tower
The investment includes household essentials hampers for over 1,100 ComLink+ families, a cash donation to the Prudential Longevity Pledge, and community edible gardens From left to right: Eugene Tay, Senior Assistant Director, Sustainability Partnerships Office, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment; Chan San San, CEO, Prudential Singapore; Joel Tan, CEO, KidSTART Singapore; Anil Wadhwani, CEO, Prudential plc; Jack Lim, Managing Director, Community Chest; Elizabeth Aw, Second General Manager, Social Service Office @ Kreta Ayer and Bukit Merah, Ministry of Social and Family Development. They were at an event to celebrate Prudential's move to its new office at Labrador Tower. During the event, Prudential also announced a $880,000 community investment which includes household essentials hampers for over 1,100 ComLink+ families residing in the vicinity of Prudential's new office at Labrador Tower, a cash donation to the Prudential Longevity Pledge, and the establishment of community edible gardens later this year. Bringing corporate and agency teams under one roof at Labrador Tower Prudential's $880,000 community investment, please refer to Annex A. Annex A - Prudential's SG60 community investment Household essentials hampers for ComLink+ families Cash donation to the Prudential Longevity Pledge Establishment of community edible gardens [1] Prudential volunteers comprise Prudential employees, agency force, partners, and friends and family. SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 18 June 2025 - Prudential Singapore ("Prudential") has unveiled a special $880,000 SG60 community investment to celebrate Singapore's 60birthday and its office move to Labrador with the SG60 theme of "Building Our Singapore Together", Prudential's community initiatives focus on uplifting and connecting Singapore residents to build a resilient and inclusive society for generations to come. They include household essentials hampers for over 1,100 ComLink+ families residing in the vicinity of Prudential's new office at Labrador Tower. In addition, the company will make a donation to the Prudential Longevity Pledge to further support KidSTART families through an ongoing fresh food produce programme, as well as establish community edible gardens later this year to nurture community bonds.: "With over 90 years of history in Singapore, Prudential has a deep connection with the country and its people. As Singapore marks its 60year of independence and Prudential moves to its new office at Labrador Tower, we want to celebrate by investing in the wellbeing of our community."In May 2025, Prudential completed its move to Labrador Tower, occupying a floor area of over 170,000 square feet in total. The extensive space houses both its corporate office which spans two and a half floors, and its agency offices which occupy five floors. The insurer has also incorporated an additional shared floor into the layout where corporate and agency teams can interact more easily. This will strengthen the synergy between Prudential's 1,200-strong corporate employees and 5,400-strong financial representatives in its agency."The move to Labrador Tower strategically unites our corporate and agency teams under one roof. We anticipate that the shared spaces and increased interactions will foster deeper collaboration, facilitate greater knowledge exchanges, and promote a more seamless approach to serving our customers."Prudential's existing distribution channels also include strategic bancassurance partners, United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Standard Chartered. This year marks the 15anniversary of working with UOB, while 2024 was the 25anniversary with Standard Chartered. Together with Prudential's tied agency and financial advisory arm, Prudential Financial Advisers Singapore, they serve the financial needs of more than one million new office supports hybrid work with a variety of spaces to cater to different work requirements and greater collaboration between corporate and agency teams. These include libraries for focused tasks, different types of meeting areas for both informal and formal discussions, and convenient phone booths to take calls. Combined with Prudential's flexible work arrangements, the new office encourages both planned and spontaneous interactions to support knowledge sharing, enabling the corporate and agency teams to work together more effectively to better meet customers' more information onThe $880,000 community investment comprises:Prudential volunteers will be packing and distributing household essentials hampers to over 1,100 ComLink+ families residing in the vicinity of Prudential's new office at Labrador Tower. Items in the hamper include household essentials such as hand soap and dishwashing liquid to support families in maintaining their wellbeing through access to essential personal hygiene and household cleaning items for a clean and healthy home SG60 community investment includes a cash donation to the Prudential Longevity Pledge, a fundraising programme established in partnership with Community Chest in 2021 to provide support to vulnerable groups in the community. This collaboration ensures sustained financial support, and is bolstered by Prudential's annual SG60 cash donation will go towards supporting KidSTART Singapore ("KidSTART") families through its community programme, Healthy with KidSTART, which was launched in 2020 as a collaboration between Prudential and KidSTART. Aimed at promoting healthy eating habits among children aged 0-6 years old, Prudential contributes by funding the packing and delivery of monthly fresh produce packs to families, holding interactive and educational events, and producing resources such as live online cooking shows and recipe cards with tips on how to engage young children in the kitchen during meal preparation. Prudential[1] and KidSTART volunteers have clocked almost 20,000 volunteering hours since the inception of the programme, packing and delivering the fresh produce packs at least three times a year to benefit more than 3,000 KidSTART foster community resilience for a more sustainable future, Prudential will be launching a new initiative called Heathy Harvest later this year. With this initiative, the company aims to drive environmental responsibility and enhance wellbeing by setting up community edible gardens. These gardens will serve as social and therapeutic green spaces that enable connection with nature, encourage sustainable gardening activities and promote healthy eating through the distribution of fresh produce grown at the details on the community gardens will be shared at a later #Prudential The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd (Prudential Singapore) Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd is one of the top life and health insurance companies in Singapore, serving the financial and protection needs of the country's citizens for 94 years. The company has an AA- Financial Strength Rating from leading credit rating agency Standard & Poor's, with S$57.7 billion funds under management as at 31 December 2024. It delivers a suite of well-rounded product offerings in Protection, Savings and Investment through multiple distribution channels including a network of more than 5,400 financial representatives. About ComLink+ ComLink+ aims to uplift lower-income families with children towards stability, self-reliance and social mobility (3S). These lower-income families face additional challenges and often have to stretch limited resources to meet various needs. Through ComLink+, MSF partners and supports families over the longer term as they work towards achieving their aspirations and goals. Under ComLink+: Family coaches and volunteer befrienders journey with ComLink+ families on their customised action plans to support their needs and aspirations. Government and the community work together to provide Comprehensive, Convenient, and Coordinated (3C) support. Government and the community give additional longer-term support to ComLink+ families who do their part to secure a better future. As the hallmark of care and share, Community Chest has been uniting the community to mobilise resources and raise funds to serve those in need since 1983. Community Chest supports more than 200 critical programmes to meet underserved and critical social needs. As our fundraising and operating costs are covered mainly by Tote Board, 100% of your contributions goes towards empowering the lives of adults with disabilities, children with special needs and youth-at-risk, persons with mental health conditions, and families and seniors in need of more information about Community Chest, visit KidSTART Singapore Ltd (KidSTART SG) is a non-profit organisation specialising in supporting families in early childhood partner the government, the hospitals and the community to empower families with less resources in building strong foundations for their children under 6 years old. Our team of highly trained KidSTART practitioners support caregivers with evidence-based guidance on pregnancy, child development and assessments on the developmental progress of children from birth onwards. Our vision is to give children a good start in SG is a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) and registered as a charity with Institution of a Public Character (IPC).Click here to check eligibility and for more information on KidSTART with KidSTART is an early childhood nutrition programme, launched in 2020 as a collaboration between KidSTART Singapore ("KidSTART") and Prudential Singapore. The initiative is aimed at promoting healthy eating habits among children aged 0-6 years old, recognising that good nutrition during this stage is crucial to their the programme, families receive monthly deliveries of fresh vegetables and fruits. They also gain access to recipe cards that teach them how to make healthy meals via simple and affordable recipes with the items they receive.
Business Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Community Chest has had to evolve to meet society's increasingly complex needs: Chew Sutat
[SINGAPORE] More companies, family offices and individuals now have clear ideas about the causes they want to support, so the business of giving has become democratised, said Community Chest chairman Chew Sutat. But this 'democratising' may not lead to the best outcomes for all the causes out there that need help, added the 52-year-old, who formerly held senior executive roles at the Singapore Exchange. This is because donors also have their own views on which causes or agencies to support and why, and how to go about giving that aid. To meet such changes and society's increasingly complex needs, Community Chest has had to evolve, he said. The organisation was set up in 1983 as a centralised fundraising body for Singapore's social service agencies, and is the philanthropic and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). Chew drew a contrast between the situation in the Republic and the far-larger philanthropic market in the US, where 'anybody who has a lot of wealth can set up a foundation'. There, the wealthy philanthropists are the ones who influence the direction society takes in terms of which causes to support. Inevitably, funding gaps arise because of the lack of centralised information and government organisation. Over here, the Community Chest on its own cannot support all needs, Chew said. What it can do, however, is 'provide and channel the resources to where the greater needs are because we have the data… We can provide the resources to build the capabilities of organisations'. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up And companies have gone beyond holding charity events and writing cheques to their chosen causes – they now want to give back in more sustainable ways. 'Therefore, we are transitioning our own model at Community Chest, from just fundraising to adopting a long-term resourcing approach for the sector,' Chew said. More complex innovation, change and transformative solutions are needed in philanthropy now, he added. Programmes such as the 4ST Partnership Fund have sprung up, pooling resources from various sources to enable contributions to larger projects. For Chew, collaboration between the public, private and people sectors is key. This is so the Community Chest can complement the NCSS as a developer of the social service sector. He added that the various organisations in the social services ecosystem work together under the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework, which was launched in 2024 to help companies measure, monitor and benchmark their efforts in three areas: giving, volunteering, and socially responsible business practices. Chew Sutat, chairman of Community Chest, says: 'If we ever go down that path where we depend on the government for everything, we must expect taxes to go up. That would affect us as a society in terms of having a sustainable, healthy economy in the long term.' PHOTO: COMMUNITY CHEST NCSS developed the framework in partnership with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise, the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and the SG Cares Office. Chew said there is no need to worry about an overlap between these agencies because 'it is really whole-of-government'. 'This framework creates not just a common language, but also a platform to channel corporate resources to create this innovative transformation mentioned earlier,' he added. 'Doing good is good business' Community Chest's annual report shows companies how their donations were used and the impact they made. Chew urged organisations to consider institutionalising the practice of giving back to society, as 'you cannot be certain about the business cycle – whether you are going to be profitable or not – and you do not want to have an argument about the CSR (corporate social responsibility) budget every year'. Although many social service programmes are funded mainly by the government, budgets are still limited, so people, private and public collaborations remain important, he added. 'If we ever go down that path where we depend on the government for everything, we must expect taxes to go up,' he said. 'That would affect us as a society in terms of having a sustainable, healthy economy in the long term.' He cited how the private sector does its part for those with special needs. For such children, schools can provide them with support for the 10 to 12 years they are in education – but their paths often become uncertain once they become adults. Companies such as UOB have stepped up and changed their work arrangements to enable the hiring of these individuals. By working with such partners, Community Chest has moved beyond fundraising to developing transformative programmes that require innovation and multiyear experimentation. Chew said: 'The Sustainable Philanthropy Framework is therefore essential in that we have a corporate language and platform to guide those who are already established in giving, and bring in new partners who say: 'I do not have the resources of the top 10 STI (Straits Times Index) companies, but I can help in areas such as talent and digitalisation.'' Ultimately, it is about 'working collectively and collaboratively to make this society a better space, and doing good is good business', he said.
Business Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Chew Sutat on Community Chest evolving with the business of giving back
[SINGAPORE] More companies, family offices and individuals now have clear ideas about the causes they want to support, so the business of giving has become democratised, said Community Chest chairman Chew Sutat. But this 'democratising' may not lead to the best outcomes for all the causes out there that need help, added the 52-year-old, who formerly held senior executive roles at the Singapore Exchange. This is because donors also have their own views on which causes or agencies to support and why, and how to go about giving that aid. To meet such changes and society's increasingly complex needs, Community Chest has had to evolve, he said. The organisation was set up in 1983 as a centralised fundraising body for Singapore's social service agencies, and is the philanthropic and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). Chew drew a contrast between the situation in the Republic and the far-larger philanthropic market in the US, where 'anybody who has a lot of wealth can set up a foundation'. There, the wealthy philanthropists are the ones who influence the direction society takes in terms of which causes to support. Inevitably, funding gaps arise because of the lack of centralised information and government organisation. Over here, the Community Chest on its own cannot support all needs, Chew said. What it can do, however, is 'provide and channel the resources to where the greater needs are because we have the data… We can provide the resources to build the capabilities of organisations'. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up And companies have gone beyond holding charity events and writing cheques to their chosen causes – they now want to give back in more sustainable ways. 'Therefore, we are transitioning our own model at Community Chest, from just fundraising to adopting a long-term resourcing approach for the sector,' Chew said. More complex innovation, change and transformative solutions are needed in philanthropy now, he added. Programmes such as the 4ST Partnership Fund have sprung up, pooling resources from various sources to enable contributions to larger projects. For Chew, collaboration between the public, private and people sectors is key. This is so the Community Chest can complement the NCSS as a developer of the social service sector. He added that the various organisations in the social services ecosystem work together under the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework, which was launched in 2024 to help companies measure, monitor and benchmark their efforts in three areas: giving, volunteering, and socially responsible business practices. Chew Sutat, chairman of Community Chest, says: 'If we ever go down that path where we depend on the government for everything, we must expect taxes to go up. That would affect us as a society in terms of having a sustainable, healthy economy in the long term.' PHOTO: COMMUNITY CHEST NCSS developed the framework in partnership with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise, the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and the SG Cares Office. Chew said there is no need to worry about an overlap between these agencies because 'it is really whole-of-government'. 'This framework creates not just a common language, but also a platform to channel corporate resources to create this innovative transformation mentioned earlier,' he added. 'Doing good is good business' Community Chest's annual report shows companies how their donations were used and the impact they made. Chew urged organisations to consider institutionalising the practice of giving back to society, as 'you cannot be certain about the business cycle – whether you are going to be profitable or not – and you do not want to have an argument about the CSR (corporate social responsibility) budget every year'. Although many social service programmes are funded mainly by the government, budgets are still limited, so people, private and public collaborations remain important, he added. 'If we ever go down that path where we depend on the government for everything, we must expect taxes to go up,' he said. 'That would affect us as a society in terms of having a sustainable, healthy economy in the long term.' He cited how the private sector does its part for those with special needs. For such children, schools can provide them with support for the 10 to 12 years they are in education – but their paths often become uncertain once they become adults. Companies such as UOB have stepped up and changed their work arrangements to enable the hiring of these individuals. By working with such partners, Community Chest has moved beyond fundraising to developing transformative programmes that require innovation and multiyear experimentation. Chew said: 'The Sustainable Philanthropy Framework is therefore essential in that we have a corporate language and platform to guide those who are already established in giving, and bring in new partners who say: 'I do not have the resources of the top 10 STI (Straits Times Index) companies, but I can help in areas such as talent and digitalisation.'' Ultimately, it is about 'working collectively and collaboratively to make this society a better space, and doing good is good business', he said.
The Citizen
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Runner aims to finish Comrades Marathon in daytime
VINAY Lakhraj of Durban Athletic Club will be running his second Comrades Marathon this year. 'My second comrades, my first down run. I've been running for a total of three years. In that time, I have completed races successfully,' said Lakhraj. Apart from the Comrades, Lakhraj has completed two Two Oceans Marathons as well as the Cape Town Marathon twice. 'My father-in-law, Vis Padayachy, has a double green number in Comrades and has been a driving force in getting me to participate in the ultimate human race. 'However, my true inspiration is my wife and children. As a parent, I would like my children to see the sacrifice and hard work that goes into the preparation to conquer this challenge and for them to know that anything is possible with hard work and determination,' he added. Also read: 26 DUT staff, students, alumni to take on Comrades Marathon 'It's my second year running in support of the Community Chest. The Community Chest has done an excellent job in supporting early childhood development. If we can make a difference to one child's life, we can change the direction of society. Using the Comrades is an ideal time to create awareness for such a noble cause. My legacy that I can leave for my children is that I advocated to make a difference, and no matter who they are, they can make a difference too.' Lakhraj's diet and way of life are pretty simple. He believes that if one expects their body to perform at its best, one has to consume the best. 'A balanced diet, trying to keep it clean, with a cheat now and then.' Being a newcomer in the down run, his wish is to finish the race within the cut-off time, and even better would be to finish in the daytime. For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
