SUTD Chancellor, President Tharman,

SUTD Chairman, Mr Lee Tzu Yang,

Members of the Board of Trustees,

Faculty,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my honour and privilege to present to you today a world-renowned inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist who has transformed the field of design engineering through his innovations, educational initiatives and charitable contributions. He has also been recognised internationally with numerous honours, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and membership in the prestigious Order of Merit. He is none other than Sir James Dyson, and SUTD is pleased to confer the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering to him this afternoon.

In 2019, Sir James was instrumental in Dyson’s decision to establish its global headquarters in Singapore, a move that underscored his confidence in Singapore’s innovation and talent ecosystem. Since then, Dyson has established not only three campuses – St James Power Station, the Singapore Technology Centre, and its Advanced Manufacturing facility in Tuas – in Singapore but its leadership team is based in here, together with global functions such as supply chain, manufacturing, finance, IT, people and retail.

Singapore also serves as a vital hub powering Dyson’s research, innovation and advanced manufacturing activities. From here, Dyson’s research and development teams have contributed to the creation of cutting-edge technologies and products, such as the latest Dyson PencilVac and the Dyson Supersonic r™. Singapore is also the lead manufacturing site for Dyson’s patented Hyperdymium™ digital motors, which power most Dyson devices worldwide, and to-date, over 100 million of these high-performance motors have been manufactured locally since 2004.

A passionate advocate for engineering education, Sir James has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to nurturing future generations of inventors and engineers. In partnership with SUTD, he established the Dyson-SUTD Innovation Studios on our campus, an initiative expected to benefit over 13,000 students across tertiary and secondary levels. We are deeply honoured to be part of this partnership.

In 2022, the James Dyson Foundation committed another S$3 million to further support STEM education programmes across Singapore, which will reach more than 100,000 students from primary to tertiary levels.

In recognition of his remarkable contributions to Singapore’s STEM education and economy, Sir James was conferred the Public Service Star (Distinguished Friends of Singapore) by the Government of Singapore, a testament to his steadfast partnership and belief in Singapore’s potential.

Chancellor, in recognition of his outstanding achievements, visionary leadership and profound impact on Singapore’s innovation landscape, may it please you to confer upon Sir James the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Engineering.