Rotary Club of Suntec City — History
Every meaningful institution begins with someone who believes something worth doing is worth doing together, and who has the conviction to ask others to join. Ours began in the year 2000, when Charter President Wong Kum Sek set out to build not just a network, but a community of genuine heart, and personally invited a small group of professionals to join him on that journey.
The following draws from a sharing by our Charter Member and Past President, Claire Chiang, at the Club's Chinese New Year Fellowship in February 2026.
Where It All Began
The Rotary Club of Suntec City was chartered on 23 May 2000, under the guidance of Charter President Wong Kum Sek (2000-01), who sadly passed away in March 2026. He gathered around him a small nucleus of professionals, drawn deliberately from across Singapore's four major ethnic communities, a founding choice that reflected the nation's own spirit of multiracial harmony from the very first handshake. That first meeting took place quietly, without fanfare, at a maritime club in Tanjong Pagar. It was an unassuming start to what would, over the next two and a half decades, grow into one of Singapore's largest Rotary clubs.
The Late Wong Kum Sek, Charter President (2000-01)
Three generations of connection: Rotarian Wong Wye Leng (left) and her daughter Claire Chan (centre), granddaughter of our late Charter President Wong Kum Sek, together with Charter Member and Past President Claire Chiang (right).
A Charter Member Remembers
Among those Charter President Wong Kum Sek personally invited was Charter Member and Past President (2002-03) Claire Chiang, co-founder of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, and a respected entrepreneur, author, and advocate for women's causes and sustainability. Despite having served as Social Service Director of her school's Interact Club, a junior branch of Rotary, her first impression of Rotary itself was of a club of successful, well-heeled businessmen. That changed after meeting Wong Kum Sek himself: not the smartest or most polished person in the room, but someone whose heart and intention shone through, earning her deep respect from that very first meeting.
Claire Chiang, Charter Member & Club President (2002-03)
Claire said yes, went on to serve as the Club's President in 2002-03, and remains one of its longest-standing members today. She remains grateful to every President since who has carried the Club's legacy forward.
Twenty-five years of leadership: the Club Presidents who have carried the Rotary Club of Suntec City's legacy forward, one term at a time.
(From Left) Past District Governor and Past President (2007-08) Joanne Kam, Past President Dr. Kimmis Pun (2003-04 & 2016-17); Past President Teresa Lim (2017-18); President Ruby Chong (2025-present); Charter Member and Past President Claire Chiang (2002-03); Past President Lim Swee Kim (2008-09).
(From Left) Past President Mark Goh (2011-12); Past President Bhaskar Rao (2018-19); Past President Lim Swee Kim (2008-09); Charter Member and Past President Claire Chiang (2002-03); Charter Member William Lim; Past President Richard Yap (2005-06).
To Claire, Rotary was never only about service to others. It was, just as much, a journey of self-discovery, a chance to grow simply by being part of something larger than yourself. Her advice to anyone still weighing whether to join is refreshingly simple: stop thinking, and join. Give what time you can, give what you're able to; it was never about how much, only about the heart behind it.
What matters most to her is the sense of belonging, something she calls the Rotary Village. It's a feeling of kinship she has experienced in Rotary clubs all over the world, and one she still describes as almost magical. Above all, she hopes the Club's younger members will take up this legacy and carry it forward.
She closed her sharing with a simple wish: for every member to have a productive, meaningful, and purposeful journey with Rotary. Even if you're not actively doing things, she said, simply being part of the network is already an opportunity for self-development. Becoming a good, honest, and responsible person through that process, she believes, is already good enough.
The Story Behind Our Name
Our Club's name carries its own quiet history. It traces back to the son of an honorary member, who served as Managing Director of Suntec City around the time of our founding, a connection close enough that the Club took its name from the building itself. Even Suntec City's own emblem carries meaning: its rays, like a sunrise, point toward the future, and the values beneath them speak to service to mankind. It's a spirit Claire distilled into three words during her own presidency, "Service with Honour," a tagline she still believes rings true today.
A Legacy, Passed On
Each year, the Rotary Club of Suntec City honours a member who has given exceptional service to the Club through our “Rotarian of the Year” award, presented on a trophy first donated by our late Charter President, Wong Kum Sek.
At our 27th Club Installation on 25th July 2026, his daughter, Rotarian Wong Wye Leng, herself a proud member of our Club, stood on stage to witness that year's presentation to Rotarian Eric Chang-Chien, representing her father in spirit, and carrying his legacy quietly, faithfully forward.
