Swire Shipping chief executive Jeremy Sutton is one of two well-known faces whose appointment to the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF)’s board was announced on Wednesday.
Also joining the organisation that serves as a conduit between Singapore’s public and private shipping sectors is Nelson Quek, PSA International’s regional CEO for South East Asia.
At the same time, the SMF announced the departures from the board of Chua San Lye, dean of the Seatrium Academy, and Ong Kim Pong, PSA International’s group CEO designate.
“On behalf of the board, I would like to express our deep appreciation to San Lye and Kim Pong for their invaluable contributions to the Singapore Maritime Foundation. They are tireless advocates of our work and the board has benefited from their rich experience and perspectives,” said SMF chairman Hor Weng Yew.
“I welcome Nelson and Jeremy to the board and look forward to working with them to advance SMF’s mission to connect the maritime ecosystem, build a talent pool for the sector, and transform the workforce as change in our industry accelerates,” Hor added.
The SMF was formed in 2004 to forge dialogue and cooperation between private and public maritime stakeholders and act as their representative voice, collectively raising awareness of the Singapore maritime industry.
Attracting younger generations of Singaporeans into the shipping industry through outreach efforts, promotional campaigns and scholarships has also long been a major focus of the SMF.
SMF’s awards scholarships are partly industry-funded and carried out in conjunction with Maritime Singapore Connect — a sub-unit set up in 2016 to connect students and jobseekers to maritime opportunities — and provide Singaporeans with easy access to maritime careers, education and training opportunities.
Heading the organisation is executive director Tan Beng Tee, once nicknamed Singapore’s First Lady of Shipping, and best known for many years as the shipping industry’s go-to person at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, where she retired as assistant chief executive of development at the end of 2020.
The SMF board, which comprises 12 leaders across Singapore’s maritime ecosystem, is tasked with setting the organisation’s strategic direction.
