Fock Siew Wah SMU Grace Scholarship

Established in 2025, the Fock Siew Wah SMU Grace Scholarship aims to motivate deserving undergraduates with demonstrated financial needs from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, spur them on to greater heights of academic excellence, and accord appropriate recognition to the recipients of the Scholarship for their accomplishments.

About Mr Fock Siew Wah 
Mr Fock Siew Wah (1940-2025) was more than a leader of organisations; he was a nation-builder, a source of inspiration, and a man of integrity whose influence extended far beyond the boardroom. With rare foresight and conviction, he built institutions that would serve Singapore for decades to come, guided people to lead with responsibility and humility, and upheld values that anchored decisions even in times of uncertainty.

Mr Fock’s distinguished career, which spans the banking, finance and transportation sectors, started with a 13 year stint at JP Morgan, where he rose to head the US bank’s regional investment banking presence in North and South East Asia and then the Asia-Pacific Treasury operations in 1984 before moving to helm Overseas Union Bank Ltd as President and CEO is 1988. He was also Special Advisor to the Singapore Minister of Finance for four years until 1995. In addition, he was Special Advisor to the Chairman of DBS Bank Ltd until the end of 2007 and Senior Advisor of Temasek International until the end of September 2015. Besides being a veteran in the banking and finance sector, Mr Fock also has a wealth of experience from the transport sector. He was Chairman of the Singapore MRT Ltd for nine years, followed by the Land Transport Authority for seven years.

Highly respected for his management experience and sound counsel, Mr Fock has served on many Boards. These included serving as the Chairman of Singapore Airlines Cargo Pte Ltd and East-West Bank in California, Deputy Chairman of Fraser & Neave Ltd. He was also the founding Chairman of Pavilion Capital Holdings Pte Ltd and Chairman of PSA International. He also held directorships in Temasek Holding (Pte) Ltd, Temasek Trust Ltd, ABC World Pte Ltd, Singapore Technologies Holdings Pte Ltd, Singapore Airlines, DBS Bank Ltd, Great Eastern Life Assurance Limited and Times Publishing Limited.

In recognition of his contribution to Singapore, he received the 1997 National Day Award’s “Meritorious Service Medal” and in 2008, he was bestowed the “Distinguished Contribution Award” by the Land Transport Authority. In 2009, he was conferred the “Distinguished Service Order” by the President of the Republic of Singapore on National Day and in 2012, he received the “Medal of Commendation (Gold)” from the National Trades Union Congress. Mr Fock was also conferred the national distinction ‘Commander of the Order of the Crown’ in 2014 from His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium for his merit, dedication and services rendered to the Kingdom of Belgium.

• Full-time undergraduates from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business
• Singapore Citizen
• Good academic achievements (minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00)
• Demonstrated evidence of family household income (with gross monthly household per capita income in accordance with prevailing guidelines to qualify for government bursaries)

• S$8,000 per annum (towards subsidised tuition fees)
• Tenable for one year of study

• May be in concurrent receipt of a government bursary, subject to fulfilment of its eligibility criteria
• The Recipient must not hold any other awards of similar nature during the tenure of the Award, except with the prior written approval of the University

Apply annually from 1 to 31 January via OASIS >All Apps - Financial Aid Application

Centre for Student Financial Assistance
Office of Admissions and Financial Assistance
Email: finasst@smu.edu.sg

With the blessings of the family of the late Mr Fock Siew Wah, the Fock Siew Wah SMU Grace Scholarship was established at SMU through the generosity of six founding donors: Pavilion Capital, PSA, Temasek, Mr Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, Mr Tan Chong Meng, and Mr Tow Heng Tan. These six donors are united not only by their deep respect for the late Mr Fock. Pavilion Capital, PSA and Temasek each carry the legacy of his steady hand and strategic foresight, which laid the foundations for their enduring success. The three individual donors were themselves nurtured by his counsel, experiencing first-hand his wisdom, clarity of purpose, and unwavering commitment to principled leadership. 

This collective gift stands as a living tribute to Mr Fock’s extraordinary influence. It affirms the values he embodied - excellence, stewardship, and service - and channels them into the education of young people who will carry those same ideals into the future. Through this scholarship, Mr Fock’s impact endures: in the organisations he strengthened, the leaders he formed, and now, in the lives of students whose horizons will be expanded through his name, in perpetuity.