Honouring Mr Lee Kuan Yew
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MARCH 2015 TRIBUTE EDITION www.kepcorp.com/ekeppelite Honouring Mr Lee Kuan Yew MCI (P) 133/02/2015 6 36 12 Contents Remembering Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister 3 EMPOWERING LIVES Groomed for success 26 SUSTAINING GROWTH Keppel FELS delivers its 100th jackup rig 11 Developing the workforce Achieving the milestone 12 Nurturing business skills 27 Insights on disruptive strategy Striking start 14 Greeting the Year of the Goat 28 Runcorn Phase 1 commences commercial operations 15 Honouring loyal service 30 New biomedical facility at Sino-Singapore Eco-City 16 Keppelites Around the World Staying vigilant 17 Making connections in Shanghai 31 Close collaboration Paddling to victory 32 Stellar start 18 Bountiful feast 33 Marks of agility 19 Show time Safety stewards 20 NURTURING COMMUNITIES New Year blessings 34 New appointments 21 Viva La Fiesta Strong support for workplace wellness 22 Touching lives 35 Top of the game 23 Going green 36 Safe at work 24 Goals for a cause 38 Conserving water to beat the dry spell Keppel Volunteers Spurring Innovations A gift of love 39 Innovating to reduce safety risks 25 BACK PAGE Keppel REIT tops out Old Treasury Building 40 Cover image: Over 600 Keppelites across the Group paid tribute to Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, in a ceremony held at Keppel Island on 25 March 2015. Published for people in the Keppel Group by the Group Corporate Communications Division, Keppel Corporation Limited, 1 HarbourFront Ave, #18-01 Keppel Bay Tower, Singapore 098632. Printed by Image Printers Pte Ltd, Blk 1002, Redhill Industrial Estate, Jalan Bukit Merah, #03-12, Singapore 159456. Editorial Advisor Wang Look Fung Editor Jayne Yeo Editorial Committee Aaron Bay, Ang Lai Lee, Brian Higgs, Candice Low, Carol Huang, Cheryl Goh, Chew Chong Peng, Donald Sng, Eileen Tan, Elizabeth Widjaja, Eva Ho, Frances Teh, Gabriela Hott Soares, Grace Chia, Hayley Teo, Hoo Yao Lin, Ivana Chua, Kevin Ho, Lee Wan Jun, Maria Kozhanova, Mia Liu, Priscilla Chong, Razali Maulod, Roy Tan, Sam Neo, Say Huan Yuan, Serena Toh, Song Jia Jia, Sue Ann Huang, Tang Yi Bing, Teri Liew, Tracy Pham, Woon Pek Yong, Yolanda Guo Keppelite I March 2015 CO REG NO: 196800351N Remembering Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister Keppelite reproduces a tribute to Founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew by Dr Lee Boon Yang, Chairman of Keppel Corporation, at the memorial event held by the Keppel Group on 25 March 2015. Mr Lee Kuan Yew 1923 – 2015 Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission. Fellow Keppelites, We are gathered here this evening Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his visionary who devoted his entire life to pay our respects to our Founding family on the passing of his beloved to Singapore. We and generations Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. father. of Singaporeans to come will remain indebted to Mr Lee for laying the On behalf of the boards, management Founding Prime Minister Mr Lee strong foundations to make our small and staff of the Keppel Group, I offer Kuan Yew was both the architect country great. our deepest condolences to Prime and builder of Singapore. He was a Continues on page 4... Keppelite I March 2015 4 ...continued from page 3. Without him at the helm for the first do the flowers last? And many more was the fourth largest port in the 31 years, Singapore could not have details. We have Mr Lee to thank world then. Mr Lee said there was achieved the transformation, in his for this beautiful garden city we no reason why Singapore could not own words, “from third world to call home. take full advantage of its geographical first” in one generation. His integrity location and build a marine industry and single-minded determination to This evening we stand at the birthplace to service the ships that call at our engineer Singapore’s progress and of Keppel. Surrounding us are the port regularly. success is legendary. He crafted the beautiful and iconic condominiums key policies to attract multinational built by Keppel Land, our award- Keppel and other shipyards rose corporations (MNCs) to Singapore winning property development arm. to the challenge. Initially it was and create jobs for Singaporeans. Where we stand is also where the not at all plain sailing. There was He would personally meet and world sailed in. This was where a major oil shock which sparked a exchange ideas with CEOs of leading the Singapore port has its origins worldwide recession. Undaunted, MNCs to learn how Singapore could and today, it still contributes to the Mr Lee urged shipyards to examine help them to do better with their lifeblood of our country. We are their costs and control their prices to investments here. I have sat in privileged to be part of the Singapore compete with more advanced and on some of these meetings and I story under the visionary leadership of comparably located competitors. He know how carefully he went into Mr Lee Kuan Yew. urged shipyards to raise productivity such discussions to extract the best with more skilled workers who could possible idea to improve Singapore’s In 1968, when the British announced then enjoy higher wages. Mr Lee competitiveness. the withdrawal of their troops from initiated government-supported Singapore, it put our security and and sponsored training programmes Mr Lee took personal interest in economy under tremendous threat. to meet the need for more skilled many critical details. For example, Far from being discouraged, Mr workers. as Prime Minister he attended Lee and his Pioneer Generation every Tree Planting Day on 2 colleagues launched major initiatives Many people in the industry will also November and continued to do so to secure the economic future of remember his remark during the after stepping down when he was Singapore. Later that same year, doldrums in the 1980s that the ship Senior Minister and then Minister the Dockyard and Engineering repair business was a sunset industry. Mentor. When I was serving in the department of the Singapore Again, our Founding Prime Minister Ministry of National Development, it Harbour Board was spun off to was demonstrating his uncanny was my privilege to attend some of form Keppel Shipyard, marking the ability to anticipate changes. At these events with Mr Lee. I noticed beginning of the Keppel Story. Keppel, this remark galvanised the his passion for the greening of company to venture beyond ship Singapore. He wanted to know Mr Lee was a great visionary who repair into the higher value-added everything about the trees being was always exploring opportunities offshore and marine industry. Thanks planted. Where does it come from? for Singapore. In 1970, he challenged to Mr Lee’s vision and anticipation of How high will it grow when it is the shipyards to make Singapore the future challenges, the re-engineering fully mature? Does it flower all year biggest ship repair centre between of our business led to Keppel’s round? When it flowers, how long the Persian Gulf and Japan. Singapore present day success. Keppelite I March 2015 A Special Tribute 5 In 1998, Mr Lee graciously noted that Eco-City. Today, China is an important rig construction with proprietary Singapore shipyards had successfully market for Keppel Land. designs serving the global market. coped with competition and had not Keppel has also grown into a multi- suffered the fate of a sunset industry, Very often, Mr Lee painted the harsh national conglomerate with strategic as he had earlier expected. The reality of global competition without businesses in meeting the world’s offshore and marine industry had then holding back any punches. He was a needs for energy, homes, connectivity contributed more than $3.3 billion a very forthright man who would call and a clean and sustainable year to the economy and provided a spade a spade. He did so to inspire environment. jobs for 26,000 people, with spin-offs Singaporeans to make the special for the retail, hotel and transportation effort needed to overcome adversities Our Founding Prime Minister has sectors of our economy. It was, and geographical limitations. left us indelible values: integrity, he added, a significant foreign Thanks to his constant emphasis courage, discipline and tenacity. exchange earner. However, cautious on excellence and effort, Singapore These values are burnt into Keppel’s as he always was, he again warned has succeeded beyond expectations. DNA and we will continue to shipyards not to be complacent. Today, Singaporeans from all walks of practice these values. These values He called on shipyard workers and life regardless of race and creed are will continue to drive and inspire management to be ready to change, able to enjoy the benefits of economic current and future generations of adapt and improve in order to seize growth and prosperity. We not only Keppelites. opportunities. survived but can look forward to a bright future. We mourn the loss of our Founding Thanks to his encouragement and Prime Minister. He has touched our support, the offshore and marine The growth of Keppel parallels lives and that of every Singaporean. To industry continued to grow. Last our nation’s story of success. Like honour his legacy, we must constantly year, Keppel Offshore & Marine alone Singapore, Keppel has succeeded remind ourselves to remain hungry grossed revenue of $8.5 billion and is against huge odds to achieve global and to not be complacent. We must one of Singapore’s largest employers leadership and recognition. Like all not be content with just survival. We with a 16,000-strong workforce in our of Singapore, we have benefitted must continue to make the effort to yards in Singapore.