Dear Members and Friends

We human beings waste a lot of time investing in all sorts of taboos. In the last 100 years we’ve had taboos about LGBT, votes for women, racism and Aids to name a few. Human beings in most countries have made significant progress in breaking down these taboos. Very little progress has been made on the greatest taboo of them all: our mental health. It is the illness that dares not speak its name.

Mental illness is everywhere and is not defined to dementia. Singapore is doing great work in breaking down the taboos around this particular form of mental illness by tackling it with practical measures. These benefit the victims of dementia and the communities in which they live. The openness with which this has been done needs to be extended to all other forms of mental illness which are now so prevalent in our society but which are ignored: chronic depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder are just two examples.

All too often, when this topic is raised with business people the eyes glaze over. That’s because most business people don’t understand the link between the mental health of their supposed most important asset – their people – and the success of their company. As a new friend said to me last week: “people don’t put their health first”. They need to. There’s plenty of preventive help out there. Talk to your fellow members Joy Works and The Conscious Zone LLP and to my new friend at Plena for insights in managing stress and in providing an avenue of help for your people. They deserve it and so does your business.

Warmest regards
Victor Mills
Chief Executive

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

The Chamber, including its Certification Services Department, will be closed on 7 December 2017 (Thursday) from 11.30am to 2.30pm for an annual staff lunch. Please take note of this closure and advise all relevant colleagues to minimise any inconvenience to your company.

Distinguished Speaker Series: Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon,
10 January 2018
The Honourable Sundaresh Menon, Chief Justice of Singapore, will deliver a keynote address on the critical role which the rule of law plays in the growth and development of business interests in Singapore. This closed-door dialogue is exclusive to members. Chatham house rules apply. Read more

ATA Carnet Seminar: The Passport for Goods, 25 January 2018
Understand how the ATA Carnet works, and how your business can benefit from using it. This half-day seminar will equip participants with all they need to know to apply for and use the ATA Carnet. Read more

2018 SICC Awards Ceremony & Gala Dinner, 9 May 2018
Expect a gathering of a high-profile audience comprising business leaders, innovators and thought leaders at the awards ceremony & gala dinner to be held at Marina Bay Sands. Guest of honour Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Second Minister for Defence will grace the event. Read more