Mr Lim Boon Heng, chair of NTUC Enterprise Co-operative and Temasek Holdings, spoke at the Service Sector Forum organised by the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF). The Forum looked at how co-ops can maintain the sector’s national relevance. SNCF’s Chief Executive Officer Ang Hin Kee called on co-ops to digitise, including by training employees in personal data protection and cybersecurity to protect themselves, their members and customers. He said that another challenge for co-ops was retaining talent. To tackle this, SNCF launched its Emerging Leaders Programme (ELP) in April 2023, bringing together 13 co-operators from 10 co-ops for an overseas leadership camp. The young leaders also received mentorship from other co-operative leaders.

NTUC First Campus (NFC) was given a special mention at the forum for launching its own Emerging Leaders Programme. “The programme, which was first launched in September last year, aims to develop middle-level leaders with requisite leadership skills to ensure NTUC First Campus’ continued growth and sustainability,” said Jermaine Lim, Senior Manager for Leadership and Talent at NFC. “From the staff’s perspective, having the opportunity to grow, develop and to contribute at their optimal would also serve as an internal motivation.”

Media Coverage

Co-operative News (5 April 2023)