I’ve chosen the title of this issue because yesterday I attended the launch of CDL’s latest exhibition in its “We love our planet” series at the CDL Green Gallery at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (access via the Tanglin Gate.) The exhibition runs until June 2025 and I encourage you to visit it.

Of all the many anniversaries which will fall next year, the most important one for this Chamber is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Singapore (SG60). How do we plan to mark the Diamond Jubilee of this unique country?

There are some people who think this Chamber is not for social enterprises. That is just not true. We may not have started life as an inclusive Chamber but, long ago, we learned how much better it is to be a silo-free, inclusive platform. Today we are a broad church, so to speak, and welcome all companies which have a business in Singapore irrespective of size, sector or ownership.

This year’s Apec summit seemed to produce a lot of common sense evidenced by the shared commitments of member countries to multilateralism and the rules-based, multilateral trading system. As usual, Singapore played a constructive role and will continue to do so.

As we approach the month of December, Giving Week and the Christmas Season, I’d like to showcase a wonderful group of dedicated people who run four schools, a Centre for Adults, a Student Care Centre, a learning hub and a café! These people are APSN, a social service agency that provides special education, vocational training and employment support services for individuals with mild intellectual disability (IQ 50-70) under the patronage of Ms. Jane Ittogi.

The topic of local versus global talent always seems to be bubbling under the surface and flares up every now and then. It is illogical in our small, manpower-constrained, open economy with one of the world’s lowest total fertility rates. Responses to global talent can be emotive because they are driven by feelings of insecurity and fear of job competition. For the last 13 years the topic has been thoroughly flogged to death. It is now time to bury it.

This year, Deepavali – the Festival of Lights – falls on 31 October.

Light is important to all of us. Whether from the moon, or from good street illumination, light allows us to see ahead in the dark so we don’t stumble and fall.

It is with great pleasure we announce the finalists, in 5 categories, of the 2025 SICC Awards for Collaborative Innovation. Congratulations to all companies and teams involved!

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has asked us to share the following resources designed to help you use COMPASS successfully for your Employment Pass (EP) renewals.

As you know, World Mental Health Day is celebrated every year on 10 October. This year’s theme, “It is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace,” underscores the importance of everyone’s mental health at work as well as advocating for workplaces where mental health is prioritized, protected and promoted.

This is a call to action for submissions for the 2025 SICC Awards. Our wonderful partners EDB, Enterprise SG, ESSEC, IHRP, IPI and SMU have been so supportive in making their networks aware of these meaningful awards. We thank each of them for their commitment and for their support.

As we come to the end of the 3rd quarter, it is a good time to remind you the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWARs) will come into effect on 1 December 2024. Are you, your people managers, your teams and your organization ready?

Can we win the race against climate change? Thanks to Singapore’s rather fortunate geographical location, the island city-state is spared from natural disasters. However, this does not mean that we are safe from the impacts of climate change. Such impacts are prevalent globally and the rising rate is a fairly obvious plea for smarter solutions in global climate action efforts.

Suicide rates in Singapore have surged, reaching a 22-year high in 2022 with 476 recorded cases, up nearly 26% from the previous year. This alarming trend is particularly concerning among youths aged 10-29 and the elderly aged 70-79.

I am honored to introduce myself as the new Chief Executive. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to Victor Mills for his remarkable leadership and dedication to SICC over the past 11 years. Victor has built a strong foundation, ensuring that SICC remains a trusted voice and valuable partner for businesses in Singapore. It is with great respect and responsibility that I step into this role, committed to carrying forward his legacy.

With this 520th issue of MemberCONNECT, our weekly e-newsletter celebrates an unbroken run of 10 years!

In Singapore, the most consequential political speech of each year is that given by the Prime Minister at the National Day Rally (NDR). The speech sets out the government’s key focus areas and plans for policy evolution. It is a marathon undertaking with the Prime Minister making 3 speeches; first in Malay, then in Mandarin and, finally, in English.

Last Friday’s celebrations of our 59th National Day remind us just how important human resources are to our country and to every business. Last Friday, we saw thousands of Singaporeans come together to stage the National Day Parade 2024. Months of rehearsals culminated in another amazing show of the strength of our diversity because we include everyone.

On 9 August we will celebrate the 59th year of Singapore’s independence as a sovereign republic. It is so easy for us Singaporeans and residents to take so much of what we all enjoy in this country for granted.

Here is an article from our friends at SPD – the 4th in a series to share insights and advocate for a more inclusive workforce.

As many of you know, every year we present you with a comprehensive review of the Chamber and its activities. I invite you to view our Annual Review for the period July 2023 – June 2024 here.

Cancer impacts all of us: either ourselves, our loved ones, colleagues and friends. Here’s a message from our friends at Children’s Cancer Foundation. Please give them your support by either taking a haircut or by donating.

We have received news that our Guest-of-Honour for the Awards Ceremony & Gala, Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Heng Swee Keat is unable to grace the event on 2nd October 2024 due to an unexpected change in his travel schedule.

You will recall, back in November 2023, I agreed to continue as Chief Executive until such time as my successor was recruited in 2024. At the Chamber’s 183rd AGM last week, our Chairwoman Dawn Tan Ly-Ru announced I will step down as Chief Executive on 31 August 2024 to assume the role of Advisor to the Board for the remainder of this year.

Earlier today, we held our 183rd AGM followed by the annual luncheon attended by hundreds of Chamber members and distinguished guests from the business community, government and the Diplomatic Corps.

Every year Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Day falls on 1 July. It is a day for businesses to rededicate themselves to National Service (NS) and to celebrate and recognize the important contributions of their NSmen employees to the defence of our national sovereignty and our economy. It is also a day for businesses to salute the men and women of the SAF. Equally, 1 July is a day for NSmen and the men and women of the SAF to rededicate themselves to their vital role.

The 2024 edition of the Members’ Directory has recently been published and is on the way to you. Each corporate and individual member will receive a complimentary copy soon.

We enable trade by helping you with quality trade documentation services in turn enabled by user-friendly e-application platforms which we have developed with our vendors for you.

This is a final call for nominations for the 2024 SICC Awards! Hence, doors to automatic!

There are many connections between the workplace and family life. For one thing, if workplace culture is toxic, employee health and family life always suffer. Where workplace culture is positive, it usually includes flexible work arrangements to facilitate work life integration. This is important because, while there is always work to be done and deadlines to be met, lives are to be lived too.

Some of you will remember we published “Navigating Singapore” in 2022. This is an e-book, freely available on our web site under Publications, to help those of you based in Singapore better navigate our country. We also wrote it with prospective, overseas entrepreneurs and investors in mind because our Chamber’s purpose is to help businesses and Singapore.

As a local Singapore Chamber with an international focus, we have been building relationships with other chambers to benefit you. We have announced these one by one as we have signed Memoranda of Understanding. The most recent is with the Brooklyn Chamber.

We often say ASEAN is Singapore’s economic future. We sometimes forget the importance of its Agri sector. Here is a message from our respected partner the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) which should interest members of Singapore International Chamber of Commerce Rubber Association (SICCRA) and all of you interested in the future of our region’s agricultural commodities sector.

The Chamber applauds the publication on 16 April of the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) Requests which have been accepted by the Singapore government and which will come into effect on 1 December 2024. While the word “guidelines” is used, it is important to understand they are mandatory.

Each year on 22 April we mark Earth Day to demonstrate support and sustain awareness about the causal link between environmental protection and the survival of our species and others on this planet. Climate change is a global issue and it is very encouraging to see more and more businesses taking action to mitigate its effects.

Good things come in threes. Firstly, we are celebrating the 500th issue of this weekly e-newsletter. We want to thank all our members and partners who have contributed input, articles and thought leadership over the last 500 weeks!

We hope you all had an enjoyable long weekend and, for those of you who celebrate, a blessed and happy Easter.

We have rebranded and relaunched our member-exclusive Entrepreneurs Singapore Interest Group (ESIG).

Unfortunately, most of us have experience with cancer either because of our own journey or that of a loved one or friend’s.

It was great to see collaborations in action last week. Our annual TV programme “Collaborate to Innovate: Achieving Positive Outcomes” was aired on Channel News Asia on 14 March at 7.00pm. It featured the winners of the 2023 SICC Awards for Collaborative Innovation sharing the how, the why and the lessons learned from their collaborations – all skilfully moderated by Wong Su Yen.

This week we are delighted to bring you another article from our friends at SPD.

This Friday we will mark International Women’s Day and celebrate all the women who contribute to and enable our lives, our businesses and our society.

While, as you know, we have our own business awards, we do support a small number of other award programmes which are aligned with our Chamber’s values. These include the Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards organized by our partners and friends at UN Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS). Read on for a message from GCNS. We encourage you to participate and gain the recognition you deserve.

Our annual post-budget set piece is a set piece because of the quality of speakers we invite each year. Yesterday’s panel of experts was no exception. Ms. Selena Ling, Chief Economist & Global Head, Global Markets Research & Strategy, OCBC, Dr. Chua Hak Bin, Regional Co-Head of Macro Research, Maybank and Mr. Loh Eng Kiat, Tax Partner, Deloitte each gave a thoughtful presentation followed by a panel conversation moderated by Mr. Victor Mills, Chief Executive, SICC.

82 years ago on 15 February 1942, Singapore fell to the invading Japanese forces. The next 3+ years of occupation brought death and suffering, untold misery, economic dislocation and severe food shortages.

Your team at Raffles Quay is very much looking forward to the Year of the Dragon which will begin on 10 February. The 15 day Lunar New Year festival, like so many others celebrated in our country, is all about reunions with our loved ones, our friends and our business contacts.

It is a pleasure to bring you a thought leadership piece by one of our SME members Coco Veda which proves, yet again, you don’t need to be a large business to achieve positive impact. Coco Veda does so because it is a purpose driven brand focused on bringing positive impact to the world through sustainable, natural beauty and wellness products which are responsibly manufactured to benefit producers, their community and consumers. Listen to what this business has to say.

Business China and SICC are both members of the Singapore Mentorship Committee (SMC) and we collaborate and support one another on events and on matters of mutual interest.

This week we would like to share with you our Premium Member Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies Award Programme. Read on and decide if you’re ready to participate.

It is a pleasure to bring you a message from our friends and partners at the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) which is self-explanatory.

Happy new year! I hope you have all had an opportunity to enjoy some leave, disconnect from work and recharge over the last few weeks.

My team and I wish you, your families and businesses good health, happiness, prosperity and continued positive impact in 2024.

The true meaning of Christmas is not the tree, nor the decorations and certainly not the presents or the feasting. Rather, the true meaning of the festival is the promise personified by a child born over two thousand years ago. His birth was signalled by a bright star which provided light to guide the shepherds and wise men to his manger which served as his cradle.

Here’s a thought-provoking piece with some helpful tools from our friends at EDB Singapore. After you have read it and taken the self-assessment surveys, what will you do next?

On 10 December we will observe Human Rights Day. This marks the day on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Later this week, environmentalists, scientists, political and thought leaders as well as businesspeople will gather for COP28. Expect a lot of talk. Can we expect a lot of action? The jury is out but one thing is for certain: there can be no more cop outs at COP28.

I was very sorry to miss last week’s Year End Reception due to a family bereavement. Had I attended, what follows is what I would have said in my opening remarks:-

In the context of still very high COE prices, here’s a piece with a sustainability message by Chamber member EVCo which will resonate with many of you. Drive safely!

As we approach another Deepavali on 12 November, there can be no doubt our world needs more light to overcome the darkness of selfishness, inhumanity, human hunger and suffering, displaced people everywhere, polarized societies and societies which seem hell bent on self-destruction. The world often seems in a mess. It does so again now.

Below is the second of a quarterly series of articles on the various aspects of inclusive hiring of persons with disabilities (PwDs) from SPD and the benefits it can bring to you, your teams, customers, businesses and society. In the spirit of Forward SG, please read the article and act.

This week, we hear from our friends at EDB on a future of marketing tool they commissioned. Read on for their message and let them and us know how useful you find the tool and the other complimentary resources from a variety of government agencies.

Excitement is in the air. And so it should be. After months of hard work and meticulous planning by the Chamber team and our partner vendors, we are now only days away from celebrating the finalists of the 2023 SICC Awards for Collaborative Innovation and announcing and awarding the winners.

Mental health should be a universal human right. It is not yet so in every business and in every society. Today marks the observance of World Mental Health Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about mental health issues and promoting mental well-being.

The Chamber is proud to be a supporting partner, once again, for the Fintech Festival. We do so because we believe in collaboration and its positive outcome innovation. We do so because we know you believe in progress too. Here’s a message from the organizers of this year’s festival which we hope you will support.

This week we want to focus on giving opportunities which you have asked us to highlight as they are important to you and your teams.

We know! We Know! We know how survey fatigued many of you are. That is why we rarely ask you to complete surveys. However, we always ask you to complete the annual National Business Survey organized by SBF. We support our Apex Chamber’s survey rather than trying to reinvent the wheel by creating one of our own.

This Saturday we will commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Not only was he our Founding Prime Minister. He was also the lead visionary of what Singapore could be and has largely become. He devoted his entire life to creating and sustaining an economically successful, multicultural society in which everyone had the opportunity to succeed. He devoted his entire life to Singapore and to making it a better place for Singaporeans. He did all this with modesty, eschewing a personality cult which is so often the result of selfish leadership. Mr. Lee was selfless.

Your Chamber has always supported the work of the National Integration Council (NIC) because integration of newly arrived immigrants, professionals and workers is essential to our economy and to social harmony. It is essential to enable them to contribute faster and to encourage them to assimilate. In so doing, they become more effective for themselves and for the businesses they work for. They need to want to integrate just as much as it is essential that people already here welcome them and enable their integration. Like any worthwhile relationship, integration is always a two way street.

The subject of respect for all jobs has been mentioned in the current Presidential Election campaign. This is important for a healthy, cohesive society where we all appreciate each other’s capabilities and value them. This enables self-worth which, in turn, reduces stress levels as well as mental and physical illnesses. We all need to accept and act on our collective responsibility to treat other fellow human beings in ways we would like to be treated. No one should be looked down on. Everyone should be lifted up.

What are the key lessons for businesses from this year’s National Day Rally (NDR)? For the benefit of newly arrived businesspeople in Singapore, the NDR features a speech by our Prime Minister. It is the most consequential, political speech of the year. It outlines our government’s plans for the years ahead.

Every year we present our members with a comprehensive review of the Chamber and its activities. The latter are all designed to provide you with access to decision makers, thought leaders and fellow businesspeople.

“We are going to have a multi-racial nation in Singapore. We will set the example.”
Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, 9 August 1965.

As we celebrate the 58th anniversary of the founding of our Republic on 9 August, it is useful to ask ourselves have we set an example?

This week we bring you a thoughtful piece, and an invitation to an event on the future of trade, by your fellow member Hinrich Foundation Limited.

The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Institute of Policy Studies are jointly organizing a conference entitled “Reinventing Destiny – A Conference on the Occasion of Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s 100th Birth Anniversary.” The conference will take place on Monday, 14 August 2023 at Marina Bay Sands.

Normally, I’d write an intro for an article submitted by a member or partner. This one from SPD needs no intro. It says it all. Please read it and act.

One of the first things overseas visitors say about Singapore is it is so clean. We are so lucky to live in a planned city where cleanliness and greenery are appreciated.

The extraordinary, attempted, and then called off, mutiny in Russia recently underscores how conflict can bring about unexpected consequences. For a short time there was a distinctly 1917 whiff about events. Back then an equally, unnecessary war caused the collapse of the Imperial regime in Russia and, one year later, those of Austria-Hungary and Germany. War is always a catalyst for change and the changes wrought by war are not always what those in power at the outset had in mind.

It is with much pleasure we announce the finalists of the 8th annual SICC Awards for Collaborative Innovation! This year we have a total of 13 finalists across five award categories. We are particularly encouraged and pleased to have received nominations for our new 5th category this year: Most Positive Workplace Collaboration.

The late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew said:

“Without defence there is no security, there is no economy.”

This week we want to highlight the very important and valuable work of the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) in sustaining Singapore.

In issue #450 of this e-newsletter we suggested two ways in which you might consider commemorating LKY 100 – the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister, which falls on 16 September this year.

Business China is a valued partner of the Chamber. We support Business China’s goals of improving mutual understanding between businesses in Singapore and in China and increasing people to people links. In addition, we are both members of an integrated network which supports the Singapore Mentorship Committee.

One of the scourges of our times is the transactional nature of interaction between so many of us. The motivation for too many people seems to be “what can I get from this person today?” Once that transaction is completed, you never hear from or see that person for a very long time, if at all. It’s the equivalent of walking up to a person at a networking reception and opening with: “I just want to pass you my business card.” Why would anyone think that was a good idea?

It is a pleasure to bring an enabling initiative of IMDA to your attention. Please read on.

Have a good week ahead.

We want to follow up last week’s issue on engaging talent to provide you with the recipe for positive workplace culture.

Yesterday’s Labour Day reminds us that every business needs talented people and people with potential, who are fully engaged in their work and willing to go the extra mile for their customers, to achieve the company’s commercial goals. Human capital, as we are told all the time, is Singapore’s only natural resource. It makes human and commercial sense for that resource to be engaged and developed.

In just under 5 months’ time all of us in Singapore will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew on 16 September 2023. Not only was he Singapore’s founding Prime Minister and a man of values, he was the lead visionary of a remarkable team which believed in Singapore, deeply cared for the country and its people and fostered its economic success.

It is a pleasure for the SICC Team to wish all our Muslim members, friends and our Muslim colleagues a joyful celebration of Hari Raya Puasa on 22 April.

You may remember we launched our e-book on Navigating Singapore in January 2022.

A compass is a directional tool which lets you know your present position and enables you to chart your direction.

All over the world families and relationships matter. Our nuclear family is our first network. Our Chamber is another. Both thrive when we are present, non-transactional and engaged in a long term, mutually beneficial relationship.

We all love to travel but how can we do so in more sustainable ways to protect our planet and the places we all enjoy for ourselves and for future generations? We can reduce business travel for cost reasons and because, thanks to the pandemic, we know the online tools work well. What about leisure travel?

If we as consumers and businesses are to achieve a more sustainable existence for ourselves and for future generations, we all need to change our individual and collective behaviour. This year’s Earth Hour aims to encourage positive action from all of us. Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Tomorrow, we will all mark International Women’s Day when we celebrate the half of humankind who enable our lives and who are every bit as able, ambitious, brilliant, capable and imperfect as any man.

It is with much pleasure we announce the renaming of our flagship Distinguished Speaker Series to The Signature Series to mark the 100th anniversary in August 2023 of the birth of the late Brother Joseph McNally.

The Chamber’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on 22 June at Marina Bay Sands for members only. It will be followed immediately afterwards by our flagship AGM Luncheon to which all members, prospective members and their guests are cordially invited to attend.

We have all been shocked by the devastation wrought by last week’s earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. There are big questions to be answered about building codes and their enforcement in Türkiye not to mention the absence of any caring governance in Syria. However, the immediate priority is to help the many thousands of people who have lost loved ones, homes and places of work.

Last week, we launched the 8th annual SICC Awards and this week we bring you Chamber member QBE’s 8th annual SME Survey. SMEs form the backbone of every economy including ours and employ most people. What they do, think and how they feel are important which is why QBE surveys them.

When we first launched our awards in 2015, as part of celebrating SG50, many people thought we were unwise to attempt an annual awards programme. They were right in the sense it is tough to do – just like many things which are right are tough to do.

Happy New Year! Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Your Chamber is all about sustaining businesses and Singapore. What has been achieved in the last 6 decades here is nothing short of remarkable and deserves to be sustained.

Fast on the heels of Christmas and 1 January we will be celebrating the Lunar New Year festival of 15 days to mark the start Year of the Rabbit which begins on 22 January.

Welcome back to those of you who return to work this week and happy new year! Regular readers will know we often give this editorial space over to members to share their perspectives.

Happy new year! We know some of you, like us, are back at work and most people will be back next week.

Light and hope are the common themes linking many cultural and most major religious festivals.

Next year the Chamber will celebrate 100 years of providing Certificate of Origin and related trade documentation services to businesses in Singapore.

It is a pleasure to recognize and appreciate the work of our member-exclusive Tax Policy Interest Group (TPIG) co-chaired by Lina Lew of SingTel and Leong Soon San of BP.

As we look forward to the year-end festivities and holiday, let’s not forget the underserved communities among us. Your Chamber has been a long-time supporter of APSN which stands for the Association for People with Special Needs.

This week we bring you two opportunities: one related to personal development and another related to employer recognition.

This Chamber was founded in 1837 to preserve Singapore’s Free Port status without which our founders would have lost their shirts, Singapore would not have developed as it has and we would not be here today. Sustaining Singapore is what interests us and, indeed, was the title of our SG50 commemorative publication in 2015. To do that, we all need to sustain our planet.

Last week Mr. Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education announced an enhanced role for the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL).

No, we’re not about to talk about charging points for electric vehicles!

In this issue we recognize the work of the Chamber’s member-exclusive Legal Services Interest Group co-chaired by Dawn Tan and Tony Grundy.

In nearly every value system worth its salt, and in every major religion, light denotes illumination; the triumph of knowledge over ignorance and good over evil. As we wish our Indian members and friends a Happy Deepavali on 24 October, our world badly needs more light.

After 2 years of virtual and hybrid award ceremonies, it felt really special to be able to host an in-person award ceremony and gala again last Thursday, 6 Oct at the Equarius Hotel Ballroom of Resorts World Singapore.

Next Monday is World Mental Health Day. Its existence underscores the importance of mental health each and every day. It is as important as physical health for everyone of us.

As the first business association in Singapore to champion the circular economy, when it was still unfashionable to do so, the Chamber is proud to support the work of Global Compact Network Singapore (GCNS).

In this issue we feature our member-exclusive Marketing Interest Group chaired by Andrew Chew of JCU.

Your Chamber is very proud to support the Singapore Fintech Festival because we believe in collaborative innovation.

Our thanks to Isaiah Chng for this follow up piece to last week’s issue which suggests a solution to help manage workplace health & safety.

The 1 answer to all these workplace issues is for every senior leadership team in every business, irrespective of ownership structure, sector or size, to collaborate with their teams and co-create and sustain a positive workplace culture. It is the 1 solution that everyone is running around looking for.

Last week the Chamber had a meeting with @APSN which enables mildly intellectually challenged people to learn skills and find work.

In this issue we salute the work of our member-exclusive Mental Wellbeing Interest Group (MWIG) co-chaired by Sujata Tiwari and Sally Choo.

Several of our members have asked for more content on geo-political topics to enable them to make more sense of what is going on and what are the possible consequences of the current lamentable state of China-USA relations.

Singapore will celebrate 57 years as a sovereign republic on 9 August.

More people than at any other time during the Covid-19 pandemic here are now Covid positive but thanks to most being vaccinated most people are not seriously ill.

In last week’s issue we talked about the commercial advantages a positive workplace culture brings to a business and to everyone in it, including its customers and the wider community. SICC has advocated for some time it should be the responsibility of all company boards to ensure their companies have the policies and procedures in place to enable and sustain a positive workplace culture. The Chamber believes this is part and parcel of good corporate governance and ethical values in action.

In this issue we celebrate our member-exclusive Human Capital Interest Group (HCIG) chaired by Helena Santos of the German European School Singapore.

A large part of the success and implementation of the Forward Singapore initiative launched by Mr. Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance last week will depend on our successors: the young people of Singapore who are now at school, college, National Service (NS) or university.

It is with great pleasure the Chamber announces the finalists of the 7th annual SICC Awards for Collaborative Innovation and congratulates everyone involved in each project. The Chamber’s awards recognize, celebrate and learn from successful commercial collaborations which allow agencies, businesses, schools, colleges, universities and unions to innovate, grow, learn, be positively impactful and succeed.

Allied to our support of education is our support of educators. We have a tremendously diverse group of members, mostly in the private sector, which provide primary, secondary and tertiary education services. They come together in the Education Services Interest Group to share best practices, learn from one another and collaborate to increase the visibility of the private education sector and promote its value to our economy. Chaired by Professor Linley Lord, Pro Vice-Chancellor and President, Curtin Singapore, the interest group’s key focus areas are sustainability and the government’s recently released paper Skills Demand for the Future Economy. Both will feature prominently as the members of the Interest Group lay out their plans for enabling the key skills we will all need for the future.

Fellow Chamber member Dr. Michelle Dimasi of MAXIMUS has written a book on the topic of refugees with a link to an island that was once part of Singapore not so long ago. All too often it is the refugees who get the blame not the people or the regimes which caused them to become refugees. It is the refugees who are treated as some kind of sub-species when they are just like the rest us imperfect humans looking for a safe place to live a decent life. Remember them on World Refugee Day on 20 June ladies and gentlemen and appreciate the peace, harmony and safety we all enjoy in Singapore.

Here is a commentary from Chamber member WNS on data, analysis and insights. Think of it as lights, camera and action! In addition to the commentary, there is a link to a report which you will find interesting.

Looking for ideas and recommendations for CSR activities which are impactful, meaningful and well worth your time and that of your teams? Look no further. We have two suggestions for your consideration this year both around the theme of inclusion of underserved communities which deserve more attention and help from businesses.

It is very encouraging to see more companies are consciously thinking about how to achieve a positive workplace culture for their teams for the best of commercial reasons: better customer service and financial results. All the literature suggests when companies demonstrate they are actively thinking about, and showing authentic interest in, their team members’ general wellbeing, productivity increases.

This issue we feature the work of our members’ Digitalization Interest Group co-chaired by Rena Chai of Microsoft and Wong Joo Seng of Spark Systems.

For the 400th issue of MemberCONNECT, it is a pleasure to feature an activity organized by your fellow member Dow which demonstrates the themes of action, personal and collective responsibility and concern for our environment. These themes regularly appear in this weekly e-newsletter.

Everyone engaged in what they do wants to excel, wants to delight existing customers, win new ones, gain recognition and enjoy success. What does it take to consistently deliver excellence in whatever we do each day? This week, fellow Chamber member Infinye Incorporated, licensee of ValueSelling Associates, Inc. offers some thoughts on this theme.

Maaf Zahir Dan Batin is a Malay phrase you will hear and see many people using as part of their greetings for Hari Raya, which this year falls on 3 May.

As you know, this Chamber has always supported education in the broadest sense as the best guarantor of social mobility, personal and commercial success. Your fellow member United World College South East Asia (UWCSEA) is celebrating 50 successful years of holistic education by re-examining what holistic and sustainable education should provide in the next 50 years.

In this issue we feature our Collaborative Innovation Interest Group co-chaired by Juliana Gim, Regional Managing Director Asia, International SOS Pte Ltd and Richard Wen, Chief Executive Officer Three North Stars Pte Ltd.

One of the most important issues in our society for today and for the future is integrating local and foreign talent for business and societal progress. It must never start or become a “them and us” dynamic because that simply promotes division rather than integration and unity. Integration should always be seen as “about us all” – about everyone who works in Singapore for Team Singapore for however long they do so.

Earlier this month, as part of activities to mark International Women’s Day, our Chief Executive Victor Mills attended the official launch of EmpowHER. This @Singapore Cancer Society (SCS) initiative is designed to partner companies and organizations to encourage their women team members to get screened for cancer to protect their health, their families and the businesses they work for. Every life matters.

Like you, we read and watch on TV every day now the dreadful, inhumane scenes from Ukraine caused by Russia’s invasion. Nearly 25% of Ukraine’s population or 10 million fellow human beings have had to leave their homes for safety. Over 6 million people are displaced within Ukraine and over 3 million people have left the country.

This issue we feature our Circular Economy Interest Group (IG).

The transition to the circular economy is the only rational response to managing existential climate change risks. The apposite word here is transition. It will take time but action is needed now by all businesses: to reduce waste and emissions, to design goods with components which can be recycled and reused all in the best interests of their own commercial survival and the survival of the human race and our planet.

In January, we shared an important message, via an EDM, from the Competition & Consumer Commission, Singapore (CCCS) entitled “Collaborate with Greater Confidence” – here is the link: https://bit.ly/3ClvYyk to that message again for ease of reference.

You will find it useful when reading this thought leadership piece from Chamber member Kala Anandarajah (to be tagged on LinkedIn), PBM of Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP on collaborating with care. It is wise advice.

One of our focus areas is to encourage entrepreneurship as an essential part of a vibrant and sustainable Singapore economy. This is why we are launching a new Members’ exclusive interest group called: Young Entrepreneurs Singapore! (YES!). This interest group will be chaired by @Ameer Jumabhoy who is an entrepreneur himself.

We all know there is a shortage of talent everywhere, not just in Singapore. Our member Globalization Partners has produced an e-guide to help you take a different approach to finding the talent your business needs.

It is entirely fitting this issue #388 is published on the 15th and final day of the Lunar New Year festival. 388 is a great number and freely interpreted means “may prosperity and good fortune prevail.”

Today is the 185th anniversary of the founding of our Chamber in Singapore on 8 February 1837. Founded with the purpose to help businesses and Singapore, this remains our purpose today. It is central to our ethos and to everything we do and aim to do.

We hope the year of The Water Tiger will bring you, your family and business good health, happiness and prosperity

Throughout this year we will be shining a spotlight on Chamber members who form member-exclusive Interest Groups on topics and themes important to them and the wider membership. Each Interest Group (IG) is led by a Chair, or co-Chairs, who provide the energy, drive and rallying power for what are totally voluntary groups.

It is a real pleasure to officially open nominations for the 2022 SICC Awards for Collaborative Innovation! This year marks the 7th consecutive year the Chamber will be presenting these awards.

One of the key deliverables for any business association is to open doors for people. This is illustrated in our logo where the letter I is also used to represent ever open doors to potential partners and collaborators. We open doors, you walk through to connect and build the relationships you need for your business.

As we all start another year of work, what vision do we have for ourselves, our teams and our businesses beyond the imperative of good health and prosperity?