Singapore Tatler’s Feature: Arthur Tay

In the spotlight: Arthur Tay, Chairman & CEO of SUTL Corporation is featured in Singapore Tatler’s “Industry Insider”. Sharing his insights on the industry and vision for the ONE°15 brand in the upcoming years, he also provided advice on local businesses looking to expand. 

Arthur Tay lights up when he talks about the life aquatic. “Each coastline is unique,” he says. “The colour of the water is different, there are different types of fish, diving spots and island landscapes.” It is a vivid picture sketched by a man who has a unique affinity with a less‑discussed side of Singapore—not the gleaming city-state bristling with skyscrapers, but the sunny island set in the sea.

The executive director and CEO of SUTL Enterprise describes himself as a “West Coast Teochew boy”, whose childhood in Pasir Panjang meant “I grew up loving the beach”. His late father, Tay Choon Hye, founded SUTL in 1968 as a ship-chandelling company, and Arthur tagged along with him to learn the business of supplying goods and services to the incoming and outgoing ships in Singapore’s bustling port. (Arthur’s first and second yachts, Hye Seas I and II, are named after his dad.) As a young man, he picked up waterskiing in the Punggol river. He remains an avid diver today. “I was always exposed to water and the outdoor life. You are at one with the elements, and really removed from the stress of life in the city.”

Today, we are chatting at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove – his first foray into marina development when it opened in 2007. The club celebrated its 10th anniversary this year with a wealth of accolades and accomplishments under its belt, including being a six-time winner of the Best Asian Marina of the Year award bestowed by Asia Boating Awards. It has also hosted prestigious events such as the Volvo Ocean Race, the Singapore Yacht Show, the UIM F1 Powerboat Championship Grand Prix, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the Earth Race, the SB20 Asia Grand Slam and the Singapore Straits Regatta.

SUTL Enterprise is now a leading developer, operator and consultant of integrated marinas all over the world, and the only marina business to be listed on the Singapore Exchange. Through its partnerships, the ONE°15 brand has been extended to marinas in Brooklyn in the US and Puteri Harbour in Malaysia, with upcoming developments in Pantai Mutiara in Indonesia and Guishan in China. If Arthur has his way, there will be many more ONE°15 marinas in the future, both in traditional yachting destinations in Europe as well as newer locations in Asia. In September this year, SUTL Enterprise announced a partnership with the Hainan Cruise & Yacht Association for the development and expansion of the Chinese island province’s yachting, cruising and marina tourism industry.

Learn more here