INTO THE SWING

Private bank chairman ALBERT CHIU takes a hands-on approach to supporting golf and jazz talents in Singapore.

- JENNIFER CHEN

It's a lunch interview and Albert Chiu dismisses his colleague's suggestion to refer to the official fact sheet. "I know the details," the executive chairman of EFG Asia Pacific says. The minutiae are not of the private bank's services, operations or clients information that anyone who has devoted 24 years to one company would be confident in listing. On the contrary, the matter at hand is the five recipients of the EFG-Singapore Golf Association scholarship.

"This year, the scholars are Ryan Ang, Chen Xingtong, Brayden Lee, Inez Ng and Troy Storm," Chiu rattles off without missing a beat. Even more impressively, he keeps track of the players' movements - Ryan, for example, is playing in Western Australia PGA Championship this week. And Troy, Brayden and national golfer Justin Kuk are representing Singapore in the 34th Nomura Cup in Vietnam. "I don't have any special talent or memory training to recall all of this," admits Chiu. "My philosophy is that if you care about something, you will remember it."

It seems obvious once he explains it. To be sure, in the 15 years that Chiu has been supporting athletes and performing artistes in Hong Kong and Singapore, first through EFG Bank and then in his personal capacity, he's always had a hands-on approach to philanthropy. "I'm not the normal type of sponsor. When we find a talented young individual to support, we don't just give them money, then leave and only reappear to take a photo when they get a medal," he says. "I believe in building a relationship."

SEEDING THE GROUND