CASE STUDY
Claire Chiang, Banyan Tree Global Foundation
For Claire Chiang, philanthropy is about more than simply giving money to her favourite causes. She is
passionate about the need to engage with individual projects, and believes corporations can be a force for
good. Below she explains how these ideals work in practice at the Banyan Tree Global Foundation.
Q. Do you consider yourself a philanthropist?
Maybe, but I think as a term it’s a bit passé. Many people assume it’s all about handing over big cheques
to charity. But it’s much more than that. I want to change people’s mindsets about this. When you talk
to the man on the street about philanthropy they’ll say ‘that’s not me, because I can’t give big money’.
Yet these ordinary people are generous in their own way.
To me it’s about doing good, not just giving money. On a corporate level this means the company has to
set its foundation values about what it means to be a good company.
Q. How does this apply to the Banyan Tree?
We are a business and we are listed. We believe the role of our business is to take care of our
stakeholders, not just the shareholders. We want to connect the business with the larger community, and
we ensure all aspects of our business are embedded with the same values. For us, this includes
sustainability, embracing the environment and empowering the people. You need to be honest and act
with integrity and trust – that way this ethos will permeate down the supply chain.
Q. Can you tell me more about how you apply these principles?
The company does very little in terms of just signing cheques. There seems little point in me writing a
cheque and sending it to a remote place to which I’ve never been. It is not purposeful and not
meaningful. People need more than dollar donations, what they need is engagement. They need people
who give time, share skill sets, and train and facilitate in order to nurture leadership. This can have far
more impact and is, to my mind, a more progressive way of looking at philanthropy..
Q. Tell us about the Banyan Tree Global Foundation?
I set up the Global Foundation as a separate entity. We adopted a simple clarion call, what we call our 12-3-year plan. Each of our hotels [the company has about 37 worldwide] will have their own corporate
social responsibility team which will follow this 1-2-3-year plan each year. This means they will back one
new initiative, plant 2,000 trees and aim to help and support three children at risk as part of the
community outreach plan.
Q. How do you decide which causes to support?
We listen. It’s about mapping what people want in Mexico, in Koh Samui, in the five continents we
operate in. I can’t be controlling it all from some central headquarters. They are our experts, our
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Coutts Million Dollar Donors Report 2014
CASE STUDY: CLAIRE CHIANG
champions. They tell us what they want to do. We then set up a checklist and discuss the pros and cons
of supporting these different schemes. We want to know how helpful it is, how many people will benefit,
whether these projects can grow and what their final outcome will be. It is important for us to assess the
social and economic impact of our support programmes.
Q. Can you give me an example?
Some projects might improve literacy in children, others may teach them to swim so fewer children
drown. It can be about enhancing their understanding of herbs so they can plant them to make aromatic
oils – that’s what many families in Vietnam do. These plants are free so they pick them and compress
them into fantastic oils and skin creams to sell on the street. There might be the opportunity to set up a
cooperative, build a factory, develop a social enterprise, and export these oils overseas for example.
But we aren’t just looking to steer this from the outside. It has to be a local champion who can see this
possibility that we might look to nurture. It takes time though. This is what I mean by engagement and
combining for-profit ventures with non-profit goals.
Q. How do you measure success?
There have to be twin pillars for success: competition and care. I don’t just look at wealth creation in
terms of dollars, I look at value creation and I think this enables companies to sustain long-term success.
You don’t pour polluted water into the drain, for example, you build a proper sewerage facility. This
might cost in the short term, but it’s a longer-term investment for me because it is about sustainability.
Q. How do you encourage those in your business to follow these ideals?
It can’t be imposed from the top. This isn’t something we do in addition to our main job, it’s a central
part of the way we operate. It is part of people’s training. The values are embedded and everyone is
involved: hotel general managers, heads of departments, supervisors, trainers and so on.
We employ people in different countries, from different backgrounds, but what holds us together is a
shared ethos.
Q. How has your approach been influenced by your own experiences?
I grew up in Little India, Singapore with very little. I learnt to be resourceful with what you have – as we
used to say, ‘less is more’. My mother taught us to bring food to neighbours and they would then return
this kindness when it was needed.
There were other lessons: my father was an accountant and kept the books for neighbours who couldn’t
speak a word of Chinese or English. He taught me about accountability, responsibility, integrity and
honesty.
Doing good is really about having a set of values and ideas. I’m simply translating a set of values and
ideas that I grew up with. People ask me when I starting doing corporate social responsibility (CSR) at
the Banyan Tree. I tell them we didn’t used to call it this, but we’ve had these values from day one.
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CASE STUDY: CLAIRE CHIANG
Q. How did it all start?
We bought an abandoned tin mine. It was thought that it couldn’t be developed because the top soil was
toxic. But we persevered, got the scientists in, changed the top soil and converted it, until it was no
longer a blight on its local environment but a thriving integrated resort, the Laguna Phuket. In 1992 it
won the American Express environmental award. So we started doing good without knowing the
terminology of CSR, but the principles behind it were always there.
Q. Is collaboration important?
Yes, but it can be difficult. If people join forces with other corporate foundations, they can create a
bigger impact and reach out to more people. But sometimes others can get too concerned about which
corporate name appears on the banner. I think we can work with others who share our mindset, become
friends, partners and advocates of these causes.
Q. Do you work with many other organisations?
Yes, we worked with many local NGOs (non-governmental not-for-profit organisations). We have also
worked with the UN, building homes in the Maldives after the tsunami. There were a few companies
coming together and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was the co-ordinating
leader. We all contributed money and time. We had staff helping to build 77 houses. It helped build a
sense of togetherness and had a very positive impact.
Q. What are the challenges for philanthropic organisations in Singapore?
I think in Singapore we are very good at knowing the facts and spelling out the KPIs (key performance
indicators). But we aren’t always so good at guiding people from A to B. Nurturing, mentoring,
facilitating are an important part of this engagement. Unfortunately, we don’t often have the patience
for this, because it does take time. It takes a certain kind of charisma to take people from where they are
– which might be sceptical and resistant – and to try and change this mindset.
It takes a good coach and a lot of time, and we are not so good at that. We don’t coach people. We scold.
We mark people and judge them. We need to concentrate more on coaching and nurturing.
Q. What advice would you give to corporations looking to set up their own foundations?
Do it. Setting up a foundation is like continuing a legacy, it will enable your own values to live on.
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