President's Award for the Environment 2025

Singapore, 2 October 2025 – The President’s Award for the Environment (PAE) 2025 was conferred by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Associate Professor Simon Tay, Dr Leong Chee Chiew (posthumous), CapitaLand Group, Mandai Wildlife Group and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, at the awards ceremony on 2 October.

2. The PAE is Singapore’s highest environmental accolade honouring individuals, organisations and education institutions across the People, Private and Public sectors that have made significant contributions towards environmental sustainability and resilience. It aims to inspire greater collective action towards tackling our environmental and sustainability challenges.

3. As Singapore celebrates SG60, PAE 2025 commemorates our nation’s sustainability journey and recognises PAE recipients who collaborate with partners to nurture a green citizenry, demonstrate care for our shared environment, and contribute towards a sustainable and climate-resilient future. More information on PAE 2025 and composition of the Judging Panel are in Annex A.

4. A total of 58 nominations were received for PAE 2025. The nominations were submitted by parties with direct knowledge of the nominees’ achievements, with the consent of the nominees. The breakdown of PAE 2025 nominations is as follows:

• Individual category: 18 nominations

• Organisation category: 26 nominations

• Education Institution category: 14 nominations

5. Amongst the five PAE recipients this year, two are from the Individual category, two from the Organisation category and one from the Education Institution category. More information on the five award recipients can be found in Annex B. Past PAE award recipients are listed in Annex C.

PAE 2025 Recipients 

Individual Category

6. Associate Professor Simon Tay (PAE 2025 recipient in the Individual category), said, “Transboundary haze is a special problem that signals wider challenges for Singapore. It reminds us that our environment is interconnected, and that Singapore is small and vulnerable. To address the environmental challenges, we need to work across borders and across sectors involving governments, companies, experts, and civil society. This is not only on haze, but on many global and regional issues including climate change and green power. As Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, I have been seeking to address the issue holistically and as a long-term commitment, looking not only at risks but in terms of opportunities for responsible stakeholders.”

7. The family of Dr Leong Chee Chiew (PAE 2025 recipient in the Individual category – Posthumous Conferment), said, “Our beloved late-husband and father dedicated 40 years of his life to countless environmental causes, fuelled by his love for nature and the passion to create a Singapore where everyone could contribute to, and benefit from her unique greenery. Despite his rank, he was the happiest when working quietly on the ground, never seeking attention or recognition for his work. It is, therefore, incredibly fitting to his character that he cannot receive this award in person. We are certain that whilst he would be deeply honoured, he would have told everyone ‘Don’t waste time on me la’ and gently nudged all credit to the trusted people working around him. They were his greatest love in his time at NParks — his equally passionate colleagues and community of volunteers behind the greenery we enjoy. He may no longer be able to continue the work he started, but with all the seeds he planted and nurtured in the lives of staff and volunteers alike, we are confident that our City in Nature is in amazing hands, and his legacy will continue for a long time to come.”

Organisation Category

8. Mr Jonathan Yap, CEO of CapitaLand Development and Executive Director of CapitaLand Group, who received the award on behalf of CapitaLand Group (PAE 2025 recipient in the Organisation category), said, “This recognition affirms CapitaLand’s long-standing commitment to sustainability across the entire real estate value chain. Our holistic approach, from design and development to asset management and operations, enables us to drive meaningful impact by investing in and creating solutions that contribute to a sustainable future. We continue to build portfolio resilience, scale innovations, and deliver value to our stakeholders and the communities we are present in, paving the way for a more sustainable future.”

9. Mr Bennett Neo, Group CEO of Mandai Wildlife Group (PAE 2025 recipient in the Organisation category), said, “Every day, our teams make a real difference protecting wildlife, inspiring people through education, and reducing our environmental footprint. The President’s Award for the Environment recognises these efforts and the progress we are making to embed conservation, sustainability, and education into everything we do. From reducing emissions and adopting responsible practices like sustainable sourcing, we are committed to doing even more. Looking ahead, we will continue to challenge ourselves to go further to deepen our impact for wildlife and the communities we serve.”

Education Institution Category

10. Ms Tan Aik Na, Senior Vice-President (Administration) of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (PAE 2025 recipient in the Education Institution category), said, “NTU is deeply honoured to receive the President’s Award for the Environment. This recognition from the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment affirms our unwavering commitment to sustainability and innovation. A living testbed for tomorrow's technologies and a beacon of sustainability, NTU is a trailblazer in pioneering solutions for a greener future, from our zero-energy buildings to our campus-wide solar panel system. This award further strengthens NTU’s resolve to lead by example in the sustainability space, and we hope our efforts will inspire communities across Asia and beyond to embrace environmental responsibility and adopt sustainable practices.”

Sustainable Features of PAE 2025 Awards Ceremony

11. To champion food security, the PAE 2025 Awards Ceremony dinner featured a farm-to-table local menu curated from locally sourced produce from eight farms, detailed in Annex D. Sustainable table centrepieces featuring terrariums created by beneficiaries with special needs from the APSN Centre for Adults. These terrariums were made using recycled plastics from SG Eco Fund grant recipient, Semula, further reinforced the importance of environmental sustainability. More information on the sustainable centrepieces can be found in Annex E.

12. Closing the PAE 2025 Awards Ceremony, undergraduates from winning education institution, NTU, performed jazz renditions of local tunes.