Cultivating Progress: Jay and Marilyn Ng's S$3.85M Contribution Boosts Social Mobility and Innovation at SMU
Jay Ng Jen Wei, the Chief Financial Officer and Head of Strategic Business Development for Vitol Asia Pte Ltd, and his wife Marilyn Tay Yue Koon have made a generous donation of S$3.85 million to Singapore Management University (SMU). This donation, made in celebration of their silver wedding anniversary, reflects their belief that financial circumstances should not hinder talent or aspiration.
The couple's gift supports a range of initiatives aligned with SMU’s vision to drive innovation, transcend boundaries, and transform lives. The focus is on fostering social mobility, nurturing change agents, and promoting entrepreneurship in Singapore and beyond.
One of the key impacts of the gift is the renaming of SMU Connexion's Greenhouse as the Jay and Marilyn Ng Greenhouse: Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This vibrant space will serve as a dynamic hub where students, alumni, and faculty collaborate with global changemakers to catalyse ideas into ventures with real-world impact. It will host workshops, mixers, demo days, and pitch nights to support a strong ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship.
The donation also provides a full four-year scholarship for one outstanding Malaysian student and study awards for students with demonstrated financial needs from SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business or School of Accountancy. Furthermore, it supports the SMU Financial Literacy, Inclusion and Technology Club (SMU FinLIT Club), which aims to advance financial literacy and inclusion among young adults and underserved communities.
In addition, the donation offers Global Innovation Immersion Awards, enabling students to immerse themselves in global start-up ecosystems. Jay Ng is also a member of the Advisory Board of Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University.
Jay Ng, who is also a director of Vitol Group's board and member of Vitol Group's Executive Advisory Committee, and Marilyn Tay, who has extensive experience in audit, risk management, and advisory services having worked for various top companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Keppel Corporation, and OCBC Bank, have demonstrated their commitment to advancing public good and sparking lasting change through purpose-led philanthropy.
SMU, established in 2000, is a premier university in Asia, internationally recognised for its world-class research and distinguished teaching. It offers a wide range of bachelors', masters', and PhD degree programmes in the disciplinary areas associated with its schools, as well as in multidisciplinary combinations of these areas. The university's education is known for its highly interactive, collaborative, and project-based approach to learning.
SMU's mission is to generate leading-edge research with global impact and to produce broad-based, creative, and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. This generous donation underscores how personal generosity, rooted in lived experience, can advance public good and spark lasting change.
References:
- SMU Press Release
- TODAY Online
- Business Times
- Straits Times
- SMU Connexion
- Jay Ng and his wife, Marilyn Tay, have demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting entrepreneurship by donating S$3.85 million to Singapore Management University (SMU), with a focus on fostering innovation and nurturing change agents in fields such as science, education, and technology.
- The donation also supports initiatives aimed at advancing financial literacy and inclusion among young adults and underserved communities, reflecting their belief that economic circumstances should not hinder talent or aspiration.
- The Jay and Marilyn Ng Greenhouse: Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, newly renamed through the couple's generous donation, will serve as a dynamic center for collaboration between students, alumni, faculty, and global changemakers, with the aim of turning ideas into ventures with real-world impact.
- In alignment with SMU's mission to produce broad-based, creative, and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy, the donation provides a full four-year scholarship for one outstanding Malaysian student, as well as study awards for students with demonstrated financial needs from SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business or School of Accountancy.
- Furthermore, the donation supports SMU's Financial Literacy, Inclusion, and Technology Club, which aims to enhance financial literacy and inclusion among various communities, embodying the Ng family's values of public good and lasting change.
