Gates Foundation to open office in Singapore – its 12th worldwide
Co-founder Bill Gates notes the rising interest in philanthropy among high-net-worth individuals and family offices in the region
[SINGAPORE] The Gates Foundation – one of the world’s largest private philanthropic organisations – will be opening an office in Singapore, said Bill Gates on Monday (May 5).
“The Gates Foundation is putting an office here to access the science and to partner with the philanthropic community… to partner with research being done here,” said Gates, who was speaking at a conference organised by Temasek Trust, the philanthropic arm of state investor Temasek.
In response to queries from The Business Times on its plans for staffing and operations for its Singapore office, the Gates Foundation said that it is currently working through the legal and regulatory aspects of its presence in the city-state.
“Further details on staffing and operational plans will be shared once timelines are finalised,” read the statement.
The foundation’s presence in Singapore will be aimed at strengthening partnerships across South-east Asia that are focused on health and development, enhancing cross-border collaboration, and reinforcing the Republic’s important role in innovation and philanthropy in the region, it added.
“This approach is aligned with our broader global strategy and reflects our long-term commitment to partner with governments, philanthropies and technical partners across Asia to drive progress towards global health and development goals,” said a spokesperson.
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Hari Menon, director for South and South-east Asia at the Gates Foundation, said that Singapore’s leadership in innovation and philanthropy makes it an ideal hub to help scale solutions that improve lives across the region and beyond.
Since it was founded in 2000 by Gates and his former wife Melinda French Gates, the Gates Foundation has deployed more than US$77.6 billion in grants until end-2023 to support initiatives in global health, education, gender equality and poverty alleviation.
The Singapore office, which is supported by the city-state’s Economic Development Board, will be the foundation’s 12th. It is headquartered in Seattle in the United States, with another US office in Washington, DC. Its nine other offices are in the United Kingdom, India, China, Ethiopia, Germany, South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya.
Gates, who was speaking at a panel alongside Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, said that he is in the Republic for two days to meet some of the city-state’s leaders, including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Both statesmen had posted about their meeting with Gates on their Facebook pages on Monday.
The billionaire and co-founder of software giant Microsoft will also meet with climate tech innovators participating in a programme under a climate-focused organisation which he also founded, called Breakthrough Energy.
Gates noted the growing interest in philanthropy among high-net-worth individuals and family offices in Singapore and the wider Asia region.
“I think people are very family-oriented and so, having something... beyond the family business, having the family philanthropy, getting the family members working together and (being) proud about what they’re able to achieve – I think we’re seeing a big increase in that. So we’re excited to be here and learn together,” he added.
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