Founder of foodcourt employing people with disabilities is ST Singaporean of the Year

SINGAPORE – Mr Koh Seng Choon, who founded a foodcourt that has been employing people with disabilities since 2010, was named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2024 on Feb 24.

For Dignity Kitchen’s first four years of operation, Mr Koh did not take a salary as the foodcourt was making daily losses of $1,000. To make up for the shortfall and to support his two teenage sons, he juggled five jobs, including teaching, consultancy work and auditing.

The former management consultant, now 65, was inspired to give back to society after seeing the plight of the poor and those with disabilities during his work stints in Britain, China and India in 1984.

Speaking to ST after receiving the award at a ceremony at the Istana, Mr Koh said his journey started when he realised that homeless people and those with disabilities were not visible in Singapore.

“And I realised there is another part of Singapore that people don’t know, or don’t want to know.

“I want to create awareness, educate, engage, and mostly, hopefully I can inspire people to give back to society.”

Today, Dignity Kitchen employs nearly 200 people with disabilities and has trained more than 2,000 people – including disadvantaged single parents and former prison inmates – giving them the skills needed to secure jobs in the food and beverage, hospitality and retail sectors. 

On what he will do with the $20,000 cash prize, Mr Koh said: “I want to give it all to my people, the people that work with me. You must understand 2024 has been very tough, and we don’t have bonuses, we don’t have adjustment. I hope with this award, I can reach out to them – a simple way of saying ‘thank you’.”

Mr Koh was presented the ST Singaporean of the Year 2024 award by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, patron of the award, who was the guest of honour at the award ceremony.

Past winners and finalists, decked out in the evening’s dress code of batik and floral prints, were among more than 200 guests present. SPH Media Trust chairman Khaw Boon Wan and former ST editor Warren Fernandez also attended the dinner event.

Mr Tharman said: “The awards shine a light on Singaporeans who do something extraordinary in many different ways. The volunteers who bring hope or the entrepreneur who creates opportunities for the disadvantaged. Or the artist or sportsperson who put Singapore on the global stage – it gives us all pride.

“Each of this year’s finalists, like those before them, has something unusual in them, that unusual strength and conviction. But they also motivate everyone else to discover that strength and that purpose in our lives.”

He added: “But that is truly what our strength as a nation is about – the way we lend strength and purpose to each other’s lives.”

Organised by The Straits Times, the ST Singaporean of the Year award – now in its 10th year – honours a Singaporean individual or group that has made significant contributions to society. It also pays tribute to those who have put Singapore on the world map or have gone beyond the call of duty to selflessly improve the lives of others. 

UBS has been the presenting sponsor of the award since its inception. The other sponsors are Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Millennium Hotels and Resorts.

Besides the $20,000 cash prize, Mr Koh was presented with a trophy and a five-night stay at any of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global properties, and a pair of SIA business class tickets.

The finalists each received a certificate and a $5,000 cash prize, a three-night stay at any of Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ global properties, and a pair of SIA economy class tickets.

Mr Koh was nominated alongside

eight other finalists

– one of which is a joint submission – including community worker Marlina Yased, who opened a community fridge after hearing about her neighbours not having enough to eat, and Dr Lim Hong Huay, a former paediatrician who founded a non-profit organisation to support caregivers of people with special needs.

Past winners of the award included

second-hand car dealer Anson Ng,

who started a charity to give out monthly provisions and food to the less fortunate, and

Ms Ronita Paul and Ms Geraldine Lee,

who opened a daycare centre for children battling cancer and other critical illnesses.

Despite a devastating

fire that ravaged Dignity Kitchen’s Boon Keng Road premises

in February 2024, Mr Koh remained undeterred.

In October 2024, he

launched Dignity Kitchenette,

a chain of food kiosks dedicated to training and employing individuals with early dementia or mental health conditions, or those recovering from cancer, providing them with meaningful opportunities to reintegrate into the workforce. 

Mr Jaime Ho, editor of The Straits Times, said: “These remarkable individuals show us that the true measure of impact lies not in the resources we possess, but in the generosity of our spirit and our resolve to uplift others. I hope these stories will continue to inspire Singaporeans to reach out to others as we strive to always make Singapore a better, kinder and stronger society.”

He thanked Mr Fernandez and sponsors UBS, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, and SIA for their support of the award.

Mr Edmund Koh, chairman of UBS Asia-Pacific, recounted how he and Mr Fernandez came up with the idea for the award while at a gym together more than 10 years ago.

“Reflecting on the past decade, it is truly a collective effort led by our everyday heroes that inspires positive impact in our communities. This year, our finalists continue to do us proud, demonstrating the strength of the Singapore spirit with their courage and tenacity, some even placing Singapore on the global stage.”

He said Mr Koh Seng Choon’s astute observations and deep understanding of a social issue sparked the business of restoring dignity to people with disabilities through gainful employment.

“His story reminds us of the value and importance of making a positive systemic impact as we look to address the issues of today.”

The other finalists

Maximilian Maeder

Yip Pin Xiu

Nathania Ong

Narasimman Tivasiha Mani and Joshua Tay

Lim Hong Huay

Marlina Yased

Daniel Yap

Sam Shu Qin