Gerard Ee to head Charity Council

CORPORATE and charity sector veteran, Gerard Ee has been appointed chairman of the Charity Council for a two-year term with effect from March 1 this year.

The appointment by the minister for culture, community and youth comes as former chief, Fang Ai Lian, will be retiring from the council after leading it for more than eight years.

Apart from Mr Ee, four new members have been appointed and nine re-appointed to form a 14-member council.

They are: Tan Wee Liang, associate professor of strategic management, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University (SMU); David Wong, chairman, Methodist Welfare Services; Suhaimi Zainul-Abidin, director, Quantedge; and Ang Hao Yao, chairman, Sata CommHealth.

The four will be taking over from Bob Tan, chairman, Jurong Engineering Ltd; Chia Ngiang Hong, group general manager, City Developments Ltd; Saktiandi Supaat, head of FX research in global markets, global banking, Maybank; and Khiew Voon Kwang, deputy managing director of TV, MediaCorp TV Singapore Pte Ltd.

The board renewal reflects the council's continued commitment to ensure members from diverse backgrounds are involved and who will bring new perspectives to drive the charity sector, said the ministry.

Mrs Fang has led the council since its formation in October 2006. The ministry said that under her leadership, the council has developed new initiatives to enhance the standard of governance among charities here.

Key milestones during her term include the introduction of the Code of Governance in 2007 and the refined Code in 2011.

The council also launched the Charity Governance Awards in 2012 to inspire charities to achieve exemplary governance standards.

Most recently, it developed a Charity Transparency Framework to help charities improve their disclosure practices. This framework will also be used to recognise exemplary charities through the new Charity Transparency Awards, which will be introduced in 2016.

In a statement, MCCY minister, Lawrence Wong described Mrs Fang's service as "dedicated" and "invaluable" and thanked her for her efforts to promote good governance and capability building.