Unscripted: Ong Tze Boon on defining a legacy beyond blueprints

It all began when Ong learnt of a mountain named after his late father while pursuing his climbing interests. “I read a book presented to me,” he recalls, “and realised that in 2005, a Singapore expedition team had done this climb to virgin peaks in the Tien Shan mountain range on the Kazakh‐Kyrgyz border, and they [informally] named one of [them] after my father.”

Ong then reached out to David Lim, the climber who led that expedition, to confirm the location of the Ong Teng Cheong Peak and in August 2016 organised an expedition to Kazakhstan, allocating five days for the climb. Fortune smiled on the endeavour: exceptional weather allowed the team to summit efficiently in a day, leaving them with four unexpected days to explore.

Armed with detailed geographical maps, Ong and the team identified a then‐unnamed adjacent peak. For Ong, a deeply moving revelation followed; he realised that there was before him the rare opportunity to create a mountainous monument to enduring love by naming it the Ong Siew May Peak, in honour of his mother, and a spontaneous decision was made to climb it.

“I decided that maybe it would complete a love story,” he reflects, his voice softening. “[You] have my father’s peak [and] my mother’s peak, [and between them] is this glacier of ice. It’s poetic.”

While the physical ascents took merely days, the bureaucratic mountain to recognition proved far more arduous. Securing official recognition for the Ong Teng Cheong Peak required considerable diplomatic finesse. Kazakh authorities were initially puzzled over the request, necessitating detailed presentations of the late Ong’s credentials as Singapore’s first elected president to a nation unfamiliar with his legacy. 

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The official acknowledgement of the Ong Siew May Peak presented even greater complexity. Beyond initial Kazakh reluctance lay a geographical twist: the mountain was not in Kazakhstan, but across the glacier in Kyrgyzstan. Undeterred, Ong initiated the entire application process anew with different authorities. Kyrgyz officials proved more pragmatic, agreeing to the dedication in light of Kazakhstan’s recognition of the first peak.

With official certifications from both nations finally in hand, Ong undertook the final step to immortalise this tribute. He approached Google’s Singapore office, successfully petitioning to have the peaks recognised on its global maps—a modern conclusion to a profoundly personal yet international quest.

The result also holds a unique global distinction: “For the record, these are the only peaks in the world named after someone foreign [to the countries they’re geographically located within],” Ong states.

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Since the official naming, Ong has brought more than 100 Singaporeans across five expeditions to experience these mountains, transforming personal monuments into shared heritage. Awaiting future adventurers are time capsules, containing simple messages, that are buried at both summits—though Ong admits with characteristic humour that seasonal snow has likely rendered them unfindable.

This extraordinary achievement reflects Ong’s broader philosophy towards challenge and transformation. The solitude and struggle of extreme environments have forged unshakeable mental fortitude. “You realise you can take the difficult route,” he asserts. This is a lesson that extends far beyond sports and into his business ventures, including the electrical vehicle charging solutions provider Charge+ and the innovation incubator BeyondX. 

“What I meant by ‘BeyondX’ is beyond year X. Where are we going to be beyond 2050?” he muses. Launched April 2025, this venture, he shares, is part of taking Ong&Ong “to the next leap, the next mile”, and is a three‐pronged movement—ignite, invest and inspire—designed to foster innovation and ensure relevance for future generations. With it, Ong hopes to move beyond traditional notions of inherited success.

Read more: Ong Tze Boon, chairman of electric vehicle charging operator Charge+, on the advancement of EV technology and its future

“I’m a calculated risk taker,” he emphasises. Whether planning polar expeditions or launching companies, his approach remains consistent: thorough analysis paired with bold execution. “Endurance sports teach you to switch the mind on and figure [things] out,” he explains. “You learn to focus and ask, ‘Which one step do I take first?’” It is a philosophy that has carried him from inherited architectural success to international recognition as both an athlete and an innovator.

Ultimately, Ong’s philosophy centres on living a life rich in experience and minimising regrets—specifically, regrets of inaction. “I often say I’ve done wrong and I’ve done bad. But any regrets? No, because these wrongs mould you to doing right and good,” he reflects.

For Ong, every challenge is an opportunity for transformation. He turns physical hardship into mental clarity, personal history into a global landmark, and professional success into a launch pad for others. His quest for meaning proves that the most enduring legacies are forged not from steel, but from purpose and resilience.

Unscripted is a column which explores the pivotal moments and personal passions of influential leaders and changemakers—and the biggest lessons from their journeys.

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