Singapore Business Council Ball, 6th August 2011

The Singapore Business Council Ball held their annual National Day Ball at the Stamford Plaza on Saturday 6th August.  We always have a great time at the Singapore National Day Ball and the AMBCQ took a table at the event, as we always do. The AMBCQ and the SBCA under Grace Tan have an excellent relationship, and it is always a pleasure to support their initiatives.  This year, we have had the privilege of working together on a number of projects, including the Shoulder to Shoulder Flood Relief Fundraiser, and the Dragon Boat festival, in which the AMBCQ and SBCA fielded a joint Dragon Boat team (we came second!).  The Dragon Boat team initiative has continued to have a life beyond the festival, and our joint team recently competed in another amateur competition and the team is very keen to continue to compete together.  Grace also assisted us in organising our recent function for YB Teresa Kok at the Stamford.


Grace giving her keynote speech
Photo courtesy of Leong Ming En (http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/)

It was announced on the night that Grace's term as president is coming to an end - the SBCA have set two year terms and Grace will be stepping down later in the year.  I am not an advocate of the positive discrimination in the least, I always prefer things to be done on merit and I find quota systems patronising and demeaning. But it is very easy to see that there are a genuine lack of women in leadership positions in business groups and councils. That was why it has been wonderful to have Grace as President of SBCA. She has injected new blood, fresh air, good leadership, integrity and dignity into the realm of business councils and chambers. And she has done a magnificent job in the position, building the profile and the reputation of the council, and broadening and deepening the scope of their activities to build not only business relations, but also stronger community relations. Under Grace Tan's leadership, SBCA has become even more respected and even better run business council with a stronger reputation than at any other time. 



Me, Grace and Bryan
Photo courtesy of Leong Ming En (http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/)



Lai Peng, Jamie, and Rose



The AMBCQ is quite a young organisation - we've only been around since 2006, and we have deliberately followed a policy to try to get people from all walks of life involved in the council. We have a very strong representation of women in AMBCQ, I would guess it would be close to 50-50 representation. We also have 60% of our executive made up of women - and there are no quotas involved, that is just how it happened. And we have always tried to have a child friendly policy where ever possible. We believe that this is beneficial to both men and women to have this approach, as extra events and activities outside of work hours are a strain on work-life balance and families in general.  We have also made sure that our approach has never been to target any single group or type of person - this is most denitely not a monocultural grouping (those groups that ironically and counter-intuitively call themselves 'multicultural but are so often monocultural) or a nationalistic organisation, it is a business council that operates in Australia, and as such, we reflect Australian values and Australian norms (even if we sometimes prefer Malaysian food, he he).  We do not discriminate on grounds of gender, sexuality, ethnic identity, marital status, age, or any other identifier, because that is the Australian way.  We believe firmly in meritocracy and that is why we will never be a boys' club.  I like to think that we have achieved this and set a standard for other community organisations and business councils, or at least encouraged them to consider their own practices. 

The SBCA is another organisation that has demonstrated these values and has also helped mold this standard. With Grace as their President for the last two years, it  sent a loud message about the equality of women in business and in business groups and councils.   It has been a great pleasure working with Grace, and we will continue to work together beyond her term.  We the AMBCQ will endeavour to continue to work together with SBCA into the future under a new leader, whoever that may be. Under Grace Tan, we have found many shared ideals and values, and of course the proximity and culture of Singapore and Malaysia mean that our interests often overlap.   Grace Tan has been undoubtedly one of the best business council leaders we have had the privilege of working with. 

The SBCA Ball is one of the few functions we can feel comfortable about bringing our kids to.