BT’s World Cup CEO challenge nets S$26,000 for Budding Artists Fund
A TOTAL of S$26,000 has been raised for charity, thanks to the generosity of a group of 16 business leaders in Singapore who took part in The Business Times-World Cup 2022 CEO Challenge, which ended on Monday (Dec 19).
When the World Cup in Qatar reached the Round of 16 on the weekend of Dec 3, each of them “adopted” one of the 16 teams still in contention and had to back them for the rest of the tournament.
The rules of the CEO Challenge were: If a person’s team won, he or she would progress to the next round. However, if his team was eliminated, he or she would make a S$1,000 donation to The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF).
BT BAF is an arts training fund that reaches out to financially disadvantaged children and youths to discover their talents and help them develop their confidence through the arts.
The World Cup final on Sunday night saw Argentina defeat France in what was widely regarded as the best final in the tournament’s 92-year history.
In front of nearly 89,000 fans at the Lusail Stadium, Lionel Messi’s Argentina squared off against Kylian Mbappe’s France in a rip-roaring showdown that ended 3-3 after extra time, with the South Americans finally triumphing at the end of a gripping penalty shootout.
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Prudential Singapore’s chief executive officer Dennis Tan, who was randomly paired with Argentina, emerged the overall winner of the CEO Challenge. Although he did not have to make a donation as his team won the trophy, the insurer still went ahead with a contribution to BT BAF.
“I’m delighted to be a part of The Business Times World Cup 2022 CEO Challenge which is not just about joining in the fun of the World Cup fever, but raising funds for a worthy cause as well. This is indeed a meaningful way to celebrate the season of giving and sharing, and do our part for the community,” said Tan.
The runner-up in the CEO Challenge was Koh Ching Ching, the head of group brand and communications at OCBC Bank. She had backed France, which won the World Cup four years ago in 2018 and were looking to be the first nation in 60 years to successfully defend the crown. OCBC Bank will donate the largest amount of S$10,000 to BT BAF.
“France fought valiantly in the match despite having to come back from the brink each time. It was instead the Argentinian king of football, Messi, who took football’s highest honours, who finally realised his dream,” said Koh.
“We wish to empower others to realise their dreams too. Our contribution to BT BAF will go towards nurturing young art talent, giving more artists the opportunity to reach their potential and live their dreams,” she said.
Together with the contributions from the 14 other executives, the total amount raised came up to S$26,000.
Among the participants this year were Timbre Group founder and CEO Danny Loong and Reddentes Sports co-founder and managing director Mark Chew.
Loong’s team, Croatia, were runners-up in 2018 and they took home the bronze medal this year after they beat Morocco in the third-place playoff on Dec 17. Chew’s team, Morocco, made history as the first team from Africa to reach the final four of the World Cup, having beaten the likes of Portugal and Belgium in what was a memorable tournament for them.
The last time BT organised a similar CEO Challenge in conjunction with a major international football tournament was for the delayed Euro 2020 championships last year, which raised S$27,000 for BT BAF.
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