SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - City Developments Limited (CDL) marked its 60th anniversary with an event to celebrate its diamond jubilee held at Orchard Hotel Singapore on Sept 5. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong was the guest of honour, commemorating the company’s growth since its establishment in 1963 with just eight employees.

CDL today is a global real estate company with $31 billion in assets and over 8,000 employees worldwide. Its hospitality arm, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, has grown from one hotel to over 155 hotels today.

CDL’s executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng spoke at the event, reflecting on the group’s growth since he and his late father and Hong Leong Group founder Kwek Hong Png bought a block of CDL shares in 1969. “From a home-based group, we grew beyond Singapore’s shores to the region and further onto the global stage, operating businesses across five continents,” he says.

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CDL group CEO Sherman Kwek also took to the stage to deliver his tribute message to past and present CDL leaders. In addition, he spoke on CDL’s core values of collaboration, integrity and innovation. “People are the most important asset in any organisation, and I would like to thank all my colleagues for their passion, dedication and support that has given us so much to be proud of,” he adds.

In celebration of its 60th anniversary, CDL has been working with the National Council of Social Service to set up a new wellness centre for children and families housed at City Square Mall and raising funds for Community Chest. It has also expanded its partnership with the National Parks Board on the CDL Green Gallery and Garden City Fund, partnered with MigrantWell Singapore to enhance the well-being of its migrant workers and is building a new annexe for its Singapore Sustainability Academy in City Square Mall.