OUTSTANDING 'old boys' from St Joseph's Institution (SJI) who play significant roles in Singapore will share their leadership insights in a lecture series this year.

Foreign Minister George Yeo kicks off the talks next Friday at The Fullerton Hotel, according to an SJI statement released yesterday.

The hotel, sponsor of the Fullerton-SJI Leadership Lectures, will donate $500,000 to charity.

Schoolchildren will benefit from the largesse: $250,000 each will go to the SJI Scholarships Fund and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

Mr Victor Lye, chairman of the organising committee, said: 'SJI's holistic,

value-centric education has produced for Singapore many outstanding leaders in politics, the public sector, business, the professions, the arts and entertainment, sports and civil society.'

The SJI dialogues will underline how strong, effective leadership contributed to Singapore's success, added Mr Lye, general manager of The Specialist Healthcare Insurer.

The choice of speakers reflects SJI's ethos of all-round education, which has produced luminaries in very diverse realms.

The other three speakers are Spring Singapore chairman Philip Yeo, who has developed the biomedical and other high-tech industries; SingBridge International chairman Lim Chee Onn, a former Cabinet minister; and Cultural Medallion winner Dick Lee, a popular composer, singer and Singapore Idol judge.

All four speakers will share their experience on the art and practice of leadership.

They will reflect on how their values and background shaped their leadership.

Lessons on their exercise of leadership at 'critical moments' will be highlighted.

SJI hopes to publish a coffee-table book on leadership, based on the lectures.

SJI alumnus Warren Fernandez will moderate the talks, which include a question-and-answer segment. He is the regional director (Asia Pacific) of Shell's global communications network and a former Straits Times deputy editor.

For each talk, there will be 150 guests from schools and groups from the community, business and professions.

Notable SJI alumni include Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Singapore Press Holdings chairman Tony Tan, and Economic Development Board chairman Leo Yip.

Other top achievers are National University of Singapore president Tan Chorh Chuan, SC Global chairman Simon Cheong, jazz musician Jeremy Monteiro and food guru K.F. Seetoh.

The Straits Times, media partner of the lectures, started the School Pocket Money Fund in 2000 to heighten awareness and help needy children who go to school without proper breakfasts or pocket money.

The SJI Scholarships Fund, set up in 2007, benefits outstanding Primary 6 boys who are admitted into SJI, a Catholic secondary school. Each scholarship is worth up to $3,000 per year.

Have a cause you are passionate about? Tell us about it at stlocal@sph.com.sg with the subject heading: 'Causes'. Or have you made a difference overseas? Send us a photo.