-    Mapletree expands support for tertiary education to Hong Kong SAR with the Group’s first endowed donation to overseas university  

Hong Kong, 19 July 2019 – Mapletree Investments (“Mapletree” or “the Group”) has donated HK$2 million (~S$350,000) to City University of Hong Kong (“CityU”) to establish the Mapletree Endowed Fund. The Fund will support two CityU scholarship schemes, which are named as the Mapletree Scholarships and the Mapletree Exchange Scholarships, to recognise CityU students with outstanding academic achievements, as well as support qualified students to participate in exchange programmes. 

This endowment is the first endowed donation to an overseas university by Mapletree and is in line with the Group’s Mapletree Academic Achievement Programme (MAAP) launched in September 2015. MAAP sponsors selected graduation book prizes and recognises students’ academic excellence in fields relevant to Mapletree’s business.

Mr Hiew Yoon-khong, Mapletree Group Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are grateful that Hong Kong is one of our key markets in Asia, and it is opportune to give back to the community there. In this regard, we are happy to kick start the programme with CityU as it is directly connected to Festival Walk at Kowloon Tong, which is one of Mapletree’s landmark properties in Hong Kong SAR. It is our wish that the scholarships will encourage the recipients to explore their horizons, especially under the Mapletree Exchange Scholarships.”

Professor Matthew Lee Kwok-on, CityU Vice-President (Development and External Relations) expressed his heartfelt thanks to the generous donation made by Mapletree. “The donations will provide significant resources for supporting our students who have brilliant academic results as well as providing staunch financial support for students in joining outbound exchange activities,” Professor Lee said.

A donation ceremony was held on 18 July at CityU. Guests attending the ceremony included Mr Chua Tiow-chye, Mapletree Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer; Mr Wan Kwong-weng, Mapletree Group Chief Corporate Officer; Ms Wendy Lee, Head of Lease Management & Tenant Relations, Festival Walk; Professor Lee and Mr Gavin Kwok Man-kit, Director (Development Office) of CityU.

Commencing Academic Year 2020, a maximum of eight scholarships will be given out per annum. Out of the eight scholarships, four will be designated to students who have joined the University’s student exchange programme and the other four will be awarded to students who have achieved excellent academic performance. Students with qualified financial needs will be given priority.  

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About Mapletree Investments 
Mapletree is a leading real estate development, investment, capital and property management company headquartered in Singapore. Its strategic focus is to invest in markets and real estate sectors with good growth potential. By combining its key strengths, the Group has established a track record of award-winning projects, and delivers consistent and high returns across real estate asset classes.

Mapletree currently manages four Singapore-listed real estate investment trusts (REITs) and six private equity real estate funds, which hold a diverse portfolio of assets in Asia Pacific, Europe, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).

As at 31 March 2019, Mapletree owns and manages S$55.7 billion of office, retail, logistics, industrial, residential and lodging properties.

The Group’s assets are located across 12 markets globally, namely Singapore, Australia, China, Europe, Hong Kong SAR, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, the UK, the US and Vietnam. To support its global operations, Mapletree has established an extensive network of offices in these countries.

For more information, please visit www.mapletree.com.sg

About City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is a dynamic and fast-growing university. With an emphasis on professional education and research, CityU produces graduates with the ability to anticipate and precipitate change in a quickly evolving, globalised world. Our unique Discovery-enriched Curriculum puts discovery and innovation at the forefront of our professional programmes in science and engineering, business, creative media, data science, law, the humanities and social sciences, energy and environment, and veterinary medicine and life sciences. For more information about CityU, please visit: www.jvrhmfr.xyz.

Media contacts

Mapletree
Eileen Lee
Manager, Corporate Communications
Tel: (65) 6659 3669
Email: Eileen.Lee@mapletree.com.sg 

Dorothy Siok
Assistant Manager, Corporate Communications
Tel: (65) 6377 6376
Email: Dorothy.Siok@mapletree.com.sg

City University of Hong Kong
Donna Wong
Assistant Communications Manager,
Communications and Public Relations Office
Tel: (852) 3442 6819
Email: donna.wong@cityu.edu.hk