Today we celebrate the 186^th anniversary of the founding of this Chamber and all members past and present.

The Chamber was founded in Singapore on 8 February 1837 to preserve Singapore’s free port status to help businesses and Singapore. The Chamber’s purpose remains unchanged. It and its members have been helping businesses and Singapore through all the economic cycles of the last 186 years and all the political and social changes too. The Chamber is a constructive and integral part of the fabric of this country as well as an example of an organization that continually adapts to stay relevant and to survive. That is true resilience and sustainability.

As its members know, the Chamber is not some aloof or detached organization. It is an inclusive community of members run by successive Boards of Directors who are Chamber members and successive Secretariat teams. SICC members form the ecosystem with an edge – an advantage to every businessperson who chooses to be part of it and to utilize it.

It was such a pleasure to host members to a reception this afternoon at the Chamber’s Members’ Room to mark another significant milestone in the Chamber’s journey and to provide today’s members with another opportunity to come together, to celebrate, connect and network.