Imperial College London hosts Asia Convocation in Singapore

Special Centenary ceremony draws graduands from around the world - News Release

For immediate use
Friday 30 November 2007

Strong links between Imperial College London and Asia are celebrated today with a special graduation ceremony at Singapore's University Cultural Centre.

The one-off event, held to mark the College's Centenary year, offers a rare opportunity for students to graduate outside the UK. Attending the Asia Convocation 2007 are 61 graduands with their guests from around the world including Australia, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Netherlands, Thailand, UK, Malaysia and Singapore. Imperial is currently home to around 2,500 students from countries across Asia.

The ceremony is part of a ten day tour of Asia led by Imperial's Rector, Sir Richard Sykes. The tour, which enables Sir Richard to meet alumni associations and Imperial's Asian research collaborators, also includes visits to Malaysia, India and Thailand.

Welcoming graduands and their families to the Convocation, Sir Richard, an honorary citizen of Singapore, said: "Imperial College's graduation ceremonies do not usually take place outside of London. But our Centenary celebrations would have been incomplete without recognising the historical importance of Asia, which has provided Imperial with so many of its high-achieving students."

Five honorary degrees will be awarded to key Asian figures judged to be people of conspicuous merit, who are outstanding in their field or who have given exceptional service to the university.

The honorary degrees will be awarded to Sir Michael Kadoorie, a well known business leader and philanthropist; Mr Walter Kwok, Chairman and Chief Executive of SHKP, Hong Kong's largest property group; Dr Richard Lee who gained his first degree and PhD at Imperial and is now Chairman of TAL Apparel; Sir David Li Kwok-po, a key figure in world finance and Chairman and Chief Executive of the Bank of East Asia; Mr Philip Yeo, who is widely-regarded as one of the pioneers of Singapore's economic development.

Congratulating the new honorary graduates and commenting on their success, Sir Richard said: "All are giants in the world of business and use their influence to advance science and technology, by supporting research and generously providing funding for the next generation of students."

Imperial's tour of Asia will also see the launch of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Mumbai on Monday 3 December. Established by Imperial's Tanaka Business School, this new centre aims to encourage and support innovation management in UK and Indian companies.

Other projects set up between Imperial College and colleagues in Asia include research with the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, where work to develop greener aircraft engines has been recognised with an India Education and Research Initiative Major Award.

In addition, there is a Malaysia-Imperial Doctoral Programme, which enables PhD students to study at both Imperial and a Malaysian university, and a joint PhD programme with Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

Joining Sir Richard on Imperial's Centenary tour of Asia are Professor Mary Ritter, Pro Rector for International Affairs; Dr Tidu Maini, Pro Rector Emeritus; Dr Piers Baker, Director, International and External Academic Affairs; Mrs Fiona Kirk, Director of Development; Professor Richard Kitney, Director of the Graduate School of Engineering and Physical Sciences; and Professor Dorothy Griffiths, Deputy Director of Tanaka Business School.

For further information please contact:

Naomi Weston
Imperial College London Press Office
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 6704
Email: n.weston@imperial.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie

The Hon. Sir Michael Kadoorie is a member of an prominent family in Asia which owns major electricity, real estate and hotel businesses in the region. Sir Michael is Chairman of CLP Holdings Limited, a utility company providing electricity to 75 per cent of Hong Kong, built up by his family since 1902. He is also Chairman of the family's second largest listed group, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, owners and operators of the prestigious Peninsula Hotel Group.

The Kadoorie family is noted for its philanthropy and has funded the construction of dams, bridges, agricultural projects and schools in Hong Kong and Nepal, as well as poverty alleviation in Asia.

Sir Michael was a long standing member of the Council of the University of Hong Kong. Sir Michael was awarded a knighthood in June 2005 for his charitable work in the UK and overseas. He is a Commandeur de l'Ordre de Léopold II (Belgium), and Officier de la Legion d'Honneur (France) and a Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (France). He received Hong Kong's Gold Bauhinia Star in 2003.

Mr Walter Kwok

Mr Walter Kwok has an impressive portfolio in both property and philanthropy in Hong Kong. He is the eldest of the three Kwok brothers who have a substantial stake in Hong Kong's largest property group, Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), founded by their father in the 1960s.

Walter Kwok is Chairman and Chief Executive of SHKP, which has been named best company in Hong Kong by Euromoney magazine since 2005. He also holds directorships at other businesses including SUNeVision Holdings, Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings, Wilson Parking and Hung Cheong Import and Export.

The Kwok brothers are world-renowned for their philanthropy, mostly through the SHKP-Kwoks' Foundation. The Foundation is committed to cultivating talent and building a strong China by providing training, sponsorship and awards in education, culture and archaeology.

Walter Kwok graduated from Imperial with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in civil engineering.

Dr Richard Lee

Dr Richard Lee is well-known on the world stage for his leadership of TAL Apparel where he is currently Chairman. He is also director of Hongkong Land (Jardines Group), Shanghai Commercial Bank, Jardine Matheson Holdings and Mandarin Oriental International (Jardines Group).

In 2003, Dr Lee creating the Lee Scholarship, with funding of £2 million. The scholarships are designed to enable Chinese postgraduates to study at Imperial.

Dr Richard Lee studied at Imperial from 1957 and 1964, receiving a Bachelor's degree in engineering and PhD in chemical engineering. One of his sons, Dr Delman Lee, is an electrical engineering alumnus and his other son, Dr Derek Lee, is currently a lecturer in condensed matter theory here. Dr Lee's cousin, Dr Harry Lee, is also an alumnus of the College (gaining a BSc in electrical engineering in 1964) and is Chairman of the Hong Kong Alumni Association.

Dr The Hon. Sir David Li Kwok-po

Dr The Hon. Sir David Li Kwok-po is a key figure in world finance and is Chairman and Chief Executive of the Bank of East Asia.

Sir David serves as a member of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and is a member of the Banking Advisory Committee.

Sir David is Chairman of the Salvation Army, the Hong Kong and Macau Command Advisory Board, St James' Settlement and the Hong Kong Management Association. He is also Chairman of the East Asian History of Science Foundation.

He is currently Pro-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the British Computer Society and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Sir David studied mathematics at Imperial College. He was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2007 and was knighted for his services to British education in 2005.

Mr Philip Yeo

< p>Mr Philip Yeo is widely-regarded as one of Singapore's true pioneers of economic development. He is credited with harnessing the country's skills in industries such as semiconductors, aerospace and speciality chemicals, and has recently been appointed a government advisor on economic development, science and technology.

He joined Singapore's Administrative Service in 1970 and served in various roles in the Ministry of Defence before being appointed Chairman of Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB) in 1986.

From 1980-87, Philip Yeo chaired the National Computer Board, where he championed Singapore's first national computerisation plan.

In April this year, he stepped down from his influential role as Chairman of A*STAR (the Singapore government agency for science, technology and research) to become Chairman of SPRING Singapore, (the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) and a special government advisor.

For his outstanding contribution to Singapore's economic growth, Philip Yeo has received one of the country's most prestigious National Day awards, the Order of Nila Utama (First Class).

Biography of Sir Richard Sykes:

Sir Richard Sykes became Rector of Imperial College London in January 2001. He was awarded a BSc in Microbiology from Queen Elizabeth College, University of London, a PhD in Microbial Biochemistry from Bristol University, and a DSc from the University of London. He received a knighthood in the 1994 New Year's Honours list for services to the pharmaceutical industry.

Before joining Imperial, Sir Richard had a thirty year career in pharmaceutical research and industry with Glaxo, subsequently Glaxo Wellcome, where he was Chairman and Chief Executive, and then GlaxoSmithKline, which he left as Chairman in 2002.

He is Chairman of the Singapore Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council, Director of Bio*One Capital, the investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board, and a member of the International Advisory Panel of Temasek which owns and manages the Singapore Government's direct investments.

In 2004 he was awarded Honorary Citizenship of Singapore for his contribution to the development of the country's biomedical sciences industry.

About Imperial College London

Rated as the world's fifth best university in the 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts over 12,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

With 66 Fellows of the Royal Society among our current academic staff and distinguished past members of the College including 14 Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medallists, Imperial's contribution to society has been immense. Inventions and innovations include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of our research for the benefit of all continues today with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle climate change and mathematical modelling to predict and control the spread of infectious diseases.

The College's 100 years of living science will be celebrated throughout 2007 with a range of events to mark the Centenary of the signing of Imperial's founding charter on 8 July 1907.
Website: www.imperial.ac.uk