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The company of good summit

The Company of Good Singapore Summit 2023
Programme & Panellists

The Company of Good Singapore Summit 2023

The Company of Good Singapore Summit 2023 is the inaugural annual conference created by National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), which brought together leaders in business, government and society; and engaged in insightful discussions around what it takes to be a “Company of Good”. The theme for this year is “A Better Future with Corporate Purpose” and will focus on how Corporates can better give back to Singapore by adopting the corporate purpose framework with its five impact areas.

This hybrid event was attended by more than 200 key leaders from the public and private organisations in Singapore alongside the 46 members of the​ Alliance of Action on Corporate Purpose (AfA-CP) who have given their guidance on defining ​Corporate Purpose and its application in Singapore.

The highlight of this Summit was the launch of the new strategy for NVPC’s Company of Good based on the recommendations of the AfA-CP in alignment with the Forward Singapore initiative. This refreshed Company of Good strategy intends to guide and recognise businesses in adopting Corporate Purpose and its application across​​ five impact areas – People, Society, Governance, Environment, Economic.

Key Features of the Summit

  • Sharing by global academic expert on the topic of “How Purpose Drives Performance”.
  • Panels of top tier business leaders sharing about how “Business begins with Purpose”, “The Power of Embedding Purpose” and “Purpose accelerates through Ecosystems”.
  • Beyond the formal conference programme, partner workshops and learning journeys will be held after the Summit event.

Programme

Businesses are an essential pillar in Singapore society with an impact beyond economic growth and social and environmental sustainability. The following 50 years will require this strong relationship to be deepened for Singapore to continue to thrive. Mr. Edwin Tong shall share his thoughts on Business Social Compact in Singapore when enhanced, which will form our new national competitiveness in an era of turbulence and opportunity.

Mr. Edwin Tong,
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, Singapore
Biography

Challenges to the “theory of the firm” has accelerating in recent years. In an uncertain global economy, what will it take for a company to drive a business that is anchored on deep purpose and be agile for competitiveness? How will corporate leaders design and execute business models, organisational structures and management teams that are able to contribute back to society and enhance profits? This Panel will discuss what it takes for a business to embrace corporate purpose within the realities of driving sustainable growth.

Panellists

Mr. Edwin Tong
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law
Biography

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala is the Chairman of Ayala Corporation, one of the largest business groups in the Philippines, with interests in real estate, banking, digital services, renewables, healthcare, and logistics.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of Temasek Holdings, JP Morgan International Council, Mitsubishi Corporation International Advisory Council, and LeapFrog Investment’s Global Leadership Council.
He sits on the board of the Singapore Management University and the Harvard University Global Advisory Council, and chairs the HBS Asia-Pacific Advisory Board. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Asia Business Council, a Steering Committee Member and Steward of The Council for Inclusive Capitalism, and a Trustee Emeritus of Eisenhower Fellowships.

He was conferred various Philippine Presidential Awards in 2009, 2010, and 2015. In 2017, he was one of 10 individuals and the first from the Philippines recognized as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer for his work in sustainable business strategy and operations.

He received his BA in Economics (with honors) and MBA from Harvard University.

Dilhan Pillay joined Temasek in September 2010, and since then, has held various leadership roles, including Head of Temasek’s Investment, Portfolio Management and Enterprise Development Groups. He has also led the Temasek market teams in Singapore and the Americas.

Dilhan is a proactive champion of change and innovation, both in and outside of Temasek, and contributes actively to the public domain. He is a member of the Future Economy Council, an initiative by the Singapore Government to oversee future skills and innovation efforts to prepare for potential technological or economic disruptions and opportunities. He sits on the board of FCLTGlobal, a non-profit organisation with a mission to focus capital on the long term to support a sustainable and prosperous economy.

He also sits on the Financial Centre Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the National Jobs Council, as well as the boards of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and Enterprise Singapore.

Dilhan graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws and obtained a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge.

Moderator

Ee Rong is a seasoned business leader and active board member with several independent board roles. She is currently a Senior Advisor with Rainmaking Innovation, a ventures development firm regionally headquartered in Singapore focused on partnering with global companies and high growth startups to build, grow and accelerate businesses through entrepreneurship and innovation.

Her board portfolio includes an Independent Non-Executive Director role with Jollibee Foods Corporation (PSE-listed), Board Director with Certis Group and homegrown fintech digital exchange startup, SDAX Financial. She is also the Vice-Chair of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, Vice-Chair with the Singapore Business Federation, and Chairperson of the Young Business Leaders Network – Singapore’s official representative to the ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Council and Association.

Her previous executive roles include leadership positions with listed healthcare group – Raffles Medical Group as Deputy Managing Director. Prior to RMG, she spent eighteen years with global integrated marketing agency - Ogilvy & Mather, across the region building global brands and businesses through various stages of growth and transformation.

Company Of Good–A New Way Forward

Tony is passionate about reimagining community and business systems to create a more gracious, sustainable and equitable society for all. He believes in the potential of every person to make full use of his or her talents to make a difference in the world.

In a career spanning more than three decades, Tony has held leadership and senior management roles in government ministries, statutory board and listed real estate company, with both regional and global responsibilities.

He also volunteers as chairman, president and board member in family, youth, community service and healthcare non-profit organisations.

From his breakthrough book “Deep Purpose”, Professor Ranjay Gulati shares how performance without purpose cannot be a long-term sustainable business strategy. Purpose aligns the demands of customer, employees and the communities where it operates, to new opportunities for companies to innovate. Such an integrative approach anchored on deep purpose will enable a business to seek customer value, financial value and also societal value.

Ranjay Gulati is the Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor and the former Unit Head of the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School. Until recently, he chaired the Advanced Management Program, the flagship senior leader executive program, at the school. Professor Gulati studies how “resilient” organizations—those that prosper both in good times and bad—drive growth and profitability. His work bridges strategy (establishing clear strategic pillars for growth), organizational design (reimagining purposeful and collaborative organizational systems), and leadership (fostering inspired, courageous and caring execution).
Professor Gulati was ranked as one of the top ten most cited scholars in Economics and Business over a decade by ISI-Incite. The Economist, Financial Times, and the Economist Intelligence Unit have listed him as among the top handful of business school scholars whose work is most relevant to management practice. His research has been published in leading academic journals of business, the Harvard Business Review, and a range of other outlets. He is the author of a number of books.

With new thinking comes new opportunities. This integrated panel bridges the breakthrough ideas of Harvard Business School Professor, Prof. Ranjay Gulati, from his bestseller, “Deep Purpose”, with the global practices of Unilever featuring Samir Singh, Chief Marketing Officer for Global Personal Care and Chair for Unilever Asia, as well as applications in a regional context with Mr Bey Soo Khiang, Vice Chairman, RGE. Our distinguished moderator, Ms Fang Eu-Lin, will bring to life how fresh thinking meets practical execution for corporate purpose to enable companies to do good and do well.

Panellists

Bey Soo Khiang has served as the Vice-Chairman of RGE and Chairman of APRIL Group since 2011. At RGE, he oversees all its business groups in areas such as sustainability, continuous improvement, and digital transformation. As the Chairman of APRIL Group, Soo Khiang actively guides APRIL Group’s operations in Indonesia on matters relating to fiber plantations and manufacturing operations.
Before joining RGE, Soo Khiang spent 11 years in Singapore Airlines (SIA) holding positions in Technical/Operations areas as well as in Human Resources. He also assumed the top post as Singapore’s Chief of Defence Force (CDF) from 1995-2000 and played an instrumental role in defence diplomacy by strengthening and expanding ties between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and other armed forces around the world.
Soo Khiang holds a Master in Arts (Engineering) from University of Cambridge and a Master in Public Administration from Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He has also attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Samir is the Chief Marketing Officer for Global Personal Care and Chair for Unilever Asia Private Limited.

He has been at Unilever for 25 years, with deep experience in leading big purpose-led categories and P&Ls, and putting sustainability, purpose and creativity at the heart of business growth. Samir previously held the position of EVP for Global Skin Cleansing and Oral Care, multi-billion Euro categories in Unilever. Along with transforming the Oral Care business for Unilever, he led the world's largest bath, soaps, hand wash and sanitisers business, hyper-relevant in today's world.

Samir's purpose is to build blockbuster businesses that challenge the status quo and help make a difference to society, while being part of teams that spread joy.

Moderator

Fang Eu-Lin is a Partner at PwC Singapore where she leads the Sustainability and Climate Change Practice. She also leads PwC’s Asia Pacific Centre for Sustainability Excellence.

Her work involves supporting organisations with their sustainability and climate ambitions. Eu-Lin is the Co-Chair of the SG Eco Fund Advisory Committee under the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment and is a member of the MAS Corporate Governance Advisory Committee and the SGX-ACRA Sustainability Reporting Advisory Committee.

Eu-Lin also serves as audit committee chair of non-profit organisations, and the deputy chair of an Institute of Higher Learning. She is a Singapore Chartered Accountant, an alumnus of Harvard Business School and obtained a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University.

From strategic clusters to integrated eco-systems, companies operate in vast networks to create value. How will businesses be able to drive their purpose and values into their supply chain to bring about responsible development? How will businesses establish new partnerships and alliances that can accelerate the adoption of corporate purpose, sustainability and societal giving? Can there be new ways for businesses to work with governments, agencies and Not-for-Profits (NPOs) where innovation in the ecosystem can emerge? This Panel will discuss how companies can realistically transform their value chains to contribute back to the societies in which they operate.

Panellists

Deborah is the regional head of the Southeast Asian business for BlackRock and country head of BlackRock Singapore.

Deborah is responsible for a wide-ranging portfolio in markets across Southeast Asia. This includes delivering the breadth and depth of BlackRock's capabilities to clients in the region.
Deborah is a member of BlackRock’s Asia-Pacific Executive Committee. She was the APAC Chair for WIN from 2018 – 2022 and has extensive experience leading women's networks in the industry.

Deborah actively contributes to the development of Singapore’s financial industry. She represents BlackRock on the Financial Centre Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Deborah has 30 years of experience in Investment Banking and Asset Management and is on the investment committee of the LKY fund for Bilingualism. She is a Board member of the Singapore Land Transport Authority and is a trustee on the board of the Singapore Management University.

Deborah was conferred the 2022 IBF Distinguished Fellow title, a testament of her contributions to Singapore’s financial sector.

Panote assumed the role as Group Chief Executive Officer of Frasers Property Limited in 2016. He has served on the Board of Directors for Frasers Property since 8 March 2013.

Panote previously held the position of Senior Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning at TCC Holding Company, where he led TCC Group’s real estate development business in Thailand.

Panote is a board member of several listed companies, including Thai Beverage Public Company Limited, Golden Land Property Development Public Company Limited and Univentures Public Company Limited. He was appointed as a board director of National Gallery Singapore in July 2021. He is also on the Board of Trustees for Singapore Management University.

Ng Tian-Chong (TC), Managing Director, Greater Asia, is responsible for HP’s business in the region, including Go-To-Market strategy, sales and marketing across PCs, Printers, Digital Press, 3D Printing and Managed Services for both commercial and consumer segments.

Prior to his current role, TC was President of HP’s Asia Pacific and Japan operations. With more than 30 years’ experience at HP, TC has held key leadership roles in region and country management, product category management, sales, finance, service and support as well as marketing.

TC is also a Non-Executive Director/Board member at Dyson; he is active with the new start up community in Singapore and he recently retired from the Singapore Army as Colonel after 32 years of National Service. TC holds a Masters in Business Administration from Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley.

Moderator

Suhaimi Zainul Abidin is a Director of Quantedge Capital
and Quantedge Global Fund. Prior to joining Quantedge in 2013, Suhaimi was a Partner in the Banking & Finance practice of Allen & Gledhill LLP.

While in practice, he was named by various legal profession and industry guides as a leading and notable legal practitioner in his area of specialization. Suhaimi graduated from the University of Nottingham with an LLB (Hons) degree and was called to the Singapore Bar in 2005 when he joined Allen & Gledhill LLP.

He holds several board and equivalent positions at a number of Singapore government related agencies and entities, including the National Environment Agency, the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency and the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre.
He is also a director of Quantedge Foundation.

Closing Remarks​

Mr. Tan Chuan-Jin is the current Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore. He is an elected Member of Parliament in the Marine Parade GRC. He has served as the Minister for Social and Family Development and Minister for Manpower.

Mr. Tan oversees SG Cares, the national movement that works towards building a more caring society. He is concurrently the Adviser to the National Council of Social Service and National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre. He is also the Patron of the Centre for Fathering, Club Rainbow (Singapore), and SHINE Children & Youth Services.

Mr. Tan is the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, Deputy Chairman of Mandai Wildlife Group and Chairman of Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum Advisory Committee. He is also a Member of the Climate Governance Singapore Advisory Board.

Mr. Tan is married with two children. He enjoys running and photography. He has published books capturing his travel photographs and has auctioned the books and prints to raise over $5m in support of charitable causes to date.

GUEST OF HONOUR
Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam,
Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Singapore

Biography: https://www.pmo.gov.sg/cabinet/mr-tharman-shanmugaratnam

Businesses are an essential pillar in Singapore society with an impact beyond economic growth and social and environmental sustainability. The following 50 years will require this strong relationship to be deepened for Singapore to continue to thrive. Senior Minister Tharman shall share his thoughts on Business Social Compact in Singapore when enhanced, which will form our new national competitiveness in an era of turbulence and opportunity.

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