ComChest chairman on twin loves of travel and books

Who: Mr Chew Sutat, 53, chairman of Community Chest (ComChest) since 2022. The former executive vice-president and senior managing director at SGX retired four years ago and has been active in fund raising for meaningful causes throughout his career.

- Ong Sor Fern

ComChest is the philanthropy and engagement arm of the National Council of Social Service. It was founded in 1983 and supports some 200 social service programmes.

One of its fund-raising events is the annual Heartstrings walk, first organised in 1988. The 2025 edition, co-organised with Marina Bay Sands, will be held at Marina Bay on Sept 6. Registration fee is $25 an adult and $20 a child. Registration closes on Sept 2. Go to hsw2025.com for more information.

"I am reading Shattered Lands by Sam Dalrymple, Island In The World by Simon Tay, and My Life And Travels by Wilfred Thesiger.

I have two major afflictions: wanderlust and tsundoku (the Japanese word for accumulating books at home without reading them).

The first has brought me barely back in one piece from Kyrgyzstan, where we and our Community Chest mascot Sharity visited the magical alpine lakes of Ala Kul, Song Kul and Izu Kul. No thanks to climate change, we encountered a snowstorm and an avalanche as part of our adventure in July.

The second crowds out my study with stacks of books in categories that are symbiotic. Travel and exploration intertwine with curiosity about how we got here through history, culture and current affairs. Existential philosophy or zen books also litter the genres. I buy books with great anticipation of reading them. They stack up.