Sumeet Tappoo
Sumeet Tappoo smiling and looking at the camera. He is wearing a velvet maroon jacket over a black tshirt.

Master of Business Administration, 2003; Bachelor of Business, 2001
Community Award

Sumeet Tappoo is an internationally acclaimed singer and performing artist with 30 albums, 1,000-plus concert performances and several prestigious awards to his name. But his work off the stage and outside the recording studio deserves just as much praise. 

While music is the rhythm of Sumeet's life, community service and philanthropy are the songs of it. He lives a life guided by the Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’, which teaches that the entire world is one family. Also inspired by Sathya Sai Baba, who preached to love all and serve all, Sumeet believes everybody must share the responsibility of addressing global issues affecting the underprivileged.

Sumeet is still recording music and performing, while also striving to use his celebrity status to drive change. Although he lives in Mumbai, much of his philanthropic energy is focused abroad. In his birth country of Fiji, inspired by Sri Madhusudan Sai, a global spiritual and social service leader, Sumeet helped establish the state-of-the-art Children’s Heart Hospital – a first for the Pacific Island region. He is also the Director of the Sai Prema Foundation, which serves Fiji and its South Pacific neighbours via healthcare, education, nutrition and social service initiatives. 

Whether entertaining fans or helping those in need, Sumeet lives life in the pursuit of excellence and with an attitude of gratitude – both things instilled in him while studying at UTS. Driven by educators to think outside the box, Sumeet continually redefined what he was capable of. For Sumeet, this award caps off an amazing learning journey and motivates him to push himself even further in all aspects of life. He looks forward to working with UTS on philanthropic initiatives in the future.   

The entire world is so deeply connected and interdependent – any problem anywhere in the world becomes our problem. We cannot simply ignore it. It is like our body – even the smallest toe injury disturbs the peace of our entire body, and to some extent, our existence. Therefore, it is time that humanity comes together as one and solves the problems that exist globally to alleviate the sufferings of the underprivileged.

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.