SNEF president Robert Yap resigns after routine review finds governance lapse

ROBERT Yap, president of the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), will step down from his position after 10 years of service.

In a statement on Tuesday (Jun 11), the federation said its council was informed of a governance procedural lapse during a routine internal review.

“The council promptly engaged an external consultant to conduct a thorough review of our internal processes,” SNEF said.

It added that the independent review is currently under way, and that SNEF’s council holds itself and the employer body’s management to the highest standards of governance.

“At this point, the council is not aware of any financial implications arising from this lapse.

“The council takes seriously the federation’s responsibility in upholding governance ideals expected by all our stakeholders and will be directly overseeing this independent review.”

Dr Yap, who is also a SNEF council member and the executive chairman of logistics provider YCH Group, said it has been an honour to serve SNEF over the past decade.

“I have worked hard to advance the interests of my members and tripartism in Singapore. It is never easy but I have done what I can. It is also time to hand over the reigns of leadership,” he said.

He added: “I understand the council’s decision to engage an external consultant to pursue an independent review. It is always good to review governance procedures so that organisations can continue to improve and learn from any organisational weaknesses.”

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Dr Yap said that SNEF’s council will continue building on the strengths of the federation, working closely with all employers, members and partners to advance tripartism and enhance labour market flexibility for employers to implement responsible employment practices in Singapore.

In a statement, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said it has been informed by SNEF about Dr Yap’s stepping down.

“While there is no indication of any financial implications arising from this lapse thus far, MOM has requested SNEF to provide us with an update on the outcome of their review and to share key documentation with MOM as soon as it is completed,” the ministry said.

MOM will assess its next course of action at a later date, adding that there will be no change to the tripartite process.

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) also said it had been notified that Dr Yap is stepping down from his roles at SNEF.

Under Dr Yap, SNEF had contributed to numerous tripartite councils and workgroups, advocating the interest of businesses in improving the lives of their workers, NTUC said.

“NTUC will continue to uphold tripartism with SNEF and MOM. Tripartism has been and continues to be one of the cornerstones of Singapore’s success,” it added. THE STRAITS TIMES