English speech contest winners meet F1 star in China
KUCHING: The winners of the ‘Student Voices’, an English speech competition held in Shanghai, China recently, had the opportunity to meet and share their sustainable living ideas with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One driver, Lewis Hamilton.
Themed ‘Driving Towards a Green Future, Powering the Voices of Youths’, the special meet-and-greet session also showcased the works of three winning teams from this year’s edition.
In line with one of Petronas’ social impact pillars ‘Planting Tomorrow’, the session centred on sustainable ideas and practices for the future, while also educating the young minds on the importance of biodiversity conservation and sustainable living.
In a statement, chief representative Lisy Lee, of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) Beijing Representative Office, said: “At Petronas, we are passionate about driving progress towards a better future for all and this includes preparing communities to be more adaptive, resilient and contribute towards a healthier planet.
“Not only has our collaboration with ‘Student Voices’ played a vital role in attracting young minds to deepen their understanding and awareness of sustainable development for the future, but it also serves as a platform for us to foster a shared understanding of our collective responsibility.”
Held in conjunction with the return of Formula One to Shanghai after a five-year hiatus and also to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, this year’s competition introduced a special format that encouraged team collaboration amongst the students, as well as a chance for them to engage in an in-depth dialogue on transformation ideas with Hamilton.
Hamilton, meanwhile, was pleased to see the enthusiasm and passion towards sustainable living in these young students.
“Similar to a F1 race, teamwork is the key to performance, and seeing how well the three groups worked with and supported each other was great to see,” said the British F1 racer.
Petronas, in the statement, said it would continue to commit to low-carbon and sustainable development, towards integrating it into strategies and daily operations, whilst actively fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities focused on three positive social impact pillars – ‘Powering Knowledge’, ‘Uplifting Lives’ and ‘Planting Tomorrow’.