2022
SSC Annual Seminar 18 Nov 2022 – Governance of Charities: From Intent to Implementation
SSC held its Annual Seminar on 18 Nov at SGX Auditorium after a hiatus of 2-years due to covid. We were encouraged to receive more than 100 registrations for this event. Revolving around the topics of Governance and ESG with a focus on charities, attendees had the opportunity to take part in a very lively Q&A for both panels via pigeonhole and feedback garnered was extremely positive.
Click here to view more photos from the event.
Event Background
Charities need good governance so that operations can continue, and donors are assured.
Governance can seem a lofty concept. Some aspects are familiar: the Charities Code of Governance or the review of internal audit controls. If you want a complete picture, join SSC’s Annual Seminar 2022 as we examine the components of governance and see how they come together to form an effective whole.
The objective must always be to sustain and increase trust and confidence, and ultimately financial and volunteer support and resources.
Programme
Venue: SGX Auditorium, SGX Centre 1, 2 Shenton Way, S068804
9.30 am Registration and light refreshments
10.00 am Welcome Address
Mr Gan Seow Ann, SSC Chairman
10.10 am Guest-of-Honour’s Address
Mr Chew Sutat, Chairman of Community Chest
10.30 am Panel l: Features of governance in practice
11.30 am Panel II: ESG disclosure – where do I start?
12.30 pm Closing Address
Ms Yeo Lian Sim, SSC Executive Director
12.40 pm Lunch and networking
Panel I
Features of governance in practice
Examining important elements of governance in practice which can be continuously improved, the panel will discuss:
- Leadership responsibilities for strategy, risk management and supervising executives.
- Enterprise risk identification and management while seizing opportunities to do more good.
- Leveraging technology and innovation while managing security and related risks.
- Transparency through disclosure to stakeholders through the annual report and other communications.
Panelists
Uantchern Loh
Chief Executive Officer, Asia-Pacific,
Black Sun / Vice President, SIAS
.
Sam Liew
Managing Partner,
Government Strategic Business Group at NCS
.
Chew Chin Yee
Managing Director, Head of Regulatory Development and
Policy/Strategic Planning Office, Singapore Exchange Regulation
.
Charlotte Nors
Managing Director, Singapore Repertory Theatre
Panel II
ESG disclosure – where do I start?
Panel will introduce the fundamental components of sustainability – Environment, Social and Governance in the context of financial reporting of companies and examine how this might look like for charities. They will also consider Materiality which guides what to focus on, Reporting Standards for content and methodology and Stakeholders whose interests are to be addressed, all critical concepts in sustainability.
Panelists
Esther An
Chief Sustainability Officer, City Developments Ltd
.
Jeanne Stampe
Green Finance Resource Lead, Monetary Authority of Singapore
Former Green Finance Head, WWF
.
Fang Eu-Lin
Partner, Risk Services, PwC Singapore Sustainability and Climate Change Leader, PwC
Moderator
Yeo Lian Sim
Executive Director, Shared Services for Charities
Special Adviser, Diversity, Singapore Exchange
Speakers
Uantchern Loh
Chief Executive Officer, Asia-Pacific, Black Sun / Vice President, SIAS
Prior to joining Black Sun, Uantchern was the founding Chief Executive of the Singapore Accountancy Commission, a statutory body under the Ministry of Finance tasked to develop and lead initiatives in transforming Singapore into the leading global accountancy hub. During that time, he spearheaded programmes for the development of Chartered Accountants of Singapore, CFOs, Internal Audit Leadership, and Chartered Valuers & Appraisers of Singapore.
Sam Liew
Managing Partner, Government Strategic Business Group at NCS
Sam leads a dedicated group of practices to build NCS’ digital government portfolio, and drive collaboration efforts to propel NCS as the go-to digital catalyst for governments and smart cities across Asia Pacific. His key focus will be to help government agencies digitalise the core of public services to enable holistic public service transformation.
Chew Chin Yee
Managing Director, Head of Regulatory Development and Policy/Strategic Planning Office, Singapore Exchange Regulation
Chin Yee heads the Regulatory Development and Policy (RDP) function as well as the Strategic Planning Office (SPO) within Singapore Exchange Regulation. His RDP team is responsible for policy formulation, engagement with the Monetary Authority of Singapore on regulatory matters, and the tracking of local and international regulatory developments, as well as management of self-regulatory organisation conflicts.
Prior to SGX, Mr Chew was an Assistant Registrar with the Supreme Court of Singapore, a Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Attorney General’s Chambers and a Justices’ Law Clerk at Singapore’s Supreme Court.
Charlotte Nors
Managing Director, Singapore Repertory Theatre
From producing innovative new forms of theatre such as the multidisciplinary Caught and championing important causes around accessibility with initiatives such as the Student Education Fund and the Inclusive Young Company, she has devoted her years to growing SRT into a leading theatre institution.
The biggest highlights of her time with SRT — pulling off the magnum opus known as Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress, creating magical learning journeys with the Little Company, guiding the company through the pandemic towards more ambitious projects.
Rachel Kelly
SPH Media MONEY FM 89.3 Presenter
Rachel started off her career in broadcast journalism in 2007 and was one of the first journalists to report for multiple platforms, encompassing TV, radio and print nationwide. A multi-award winning journalist with over 20 years of experience under her belt, Rachel has covered various significant events across the globe, having her career span across Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the US.
Rachel was recognised for her skills in financial reporting and was recently awarded Investor Education Journalist of the Year 2021 and a Special Award for Financial Journalism in 2012 for the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) Investors’ Choice Awards.
Esther An
Chief Sustainability Officer, City Developments Ltd
An active advocate for green building and sustainability for over two decades, Esther has been instrumental in establishing CDL’s leadership in sustainability. It is ranked top real estate company on the 2021 and 2022 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. It became the first real estate conglomerate in Southeast Asia to sign the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings in February 2021. Key ESG initiatives she has spearheaded include publishing the first sustainability report in Singapore in 2008 and issuing the first green bond by a Singaporean company in 2017.
A forerunner in embracing the UN SDGs, Esther was conferred 2018 SDG Pioneer for Green Infrastructure and A Low Carbon Economy by the UN Global Compact. She chairs the World Green Building Council Corporate Advisory Borad; the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association’s Sustainability and ESG Committee; and co-chair of the Urban Land Institute Singapore’s Sustainability Product Council and chairs the Sustainability Report Advisory Committee Singapore. A signatory for the UNGC Caring for Climate network, Esther is an executive council member of the UN ESCAP Sustainable Business Network. She sits on the boards or advisory platforms of several organizations including Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), GRESB Foundation Board, and UN PRI Real Estate Advisory Committee.
An G20 Empower Advocate, Esther recognizes that youth engagement and female empowerment is crucial for sustainable development. She founded the Women4Green network in 2017 and the Youth4Climate initiative in 2018.
Jeanne Stampe
Green Finance Resource Lead, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Former Green Finance Head, WWF
Jeanne is the Green Finance Resource Lead at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, with a focus on sustainable finance regulations and supervision. She is an active member of international sustainable finance platforms for central banks and financial authorities (NGFS, IOSCO STF, BCBS TFCR). Jeanne is a Senior Fellow at SOAS University of London Centre for Sustainable Finance and has co-authored or contributed to 22 sustainable finance publications. Between 2011 and 2020, Jeanne was Head of Asia Sustainable Finance at WWF. Prior to this, she worked 14 years in private equity and investment banking in London, New York, Stockholm and Singapore. Jeanne holds a BA (Hons), MA (Cantab) in Economics from Cambridge University.
Fang Eu-Lin
Partner, Risk Services, PwC Singapore Sustainability and Climate Change Leader, PwC
Eu-Lin leads the Sustainability and Climate Change Advisory department where she advises clients in the areas including but not limited to reporting, assurance, strategy studies, impact assessments, risk management, ESG due diligence, GHG Accounting, national policy development. More recently her key projects include Stewardship Standards, Sustainable Development Goals, Climate Scenario studies, Carbon Tax regulations in Singapore and in the region.
Yeo Lian Sim
Executive Director, Shared Services for Charities; Special Adviser, Diversity, Singapore Exchange
Yeo Lian Sim was appointed Executive Director in 2019, having been a Board Member at SSC. Lian Sim is also Special Adviser, Diversity at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) where she was previously the Chief Risk and Regulatory Officer. In ESG, she led the introduction of sustainability reporting for listed companies. She is also a Vice Chair of the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. Before joining SGX, Lian Sim held various roles at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).