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AAS AGM / MARCH 28TH 2017
Dear esteemed Members,
I want to thank all who made the time to participate in our 62nd AGM. For those of you who did not attend, the Prelude to the AGM, was opened by Deputy Australian High Commissioner, H.E. Adrian Lochrin who cast a light on the importance of the role that the AAS and our Members play in the development of people to people ties between Australia and Singapore.
Former Minister. H.E. Mr Mah Bow Tan focused our attention on continuing the legacy that the AAS has been delivering to the Australian Alumni for more than 62 years.
James Cook University's Vice Chancellor, Dr. Dale Anderson also shared the importance of relevance, in a time of increasing digital disruption. Our own digital transformation will be key to ensuring we are delivering on our mission to connect, engage and celebrate our Members and all Australian Alumni in Singapore.
The Minutes of the AGM are included in the following pages, as is the reference to the Q&A that was captured from the floor during the proceedings.
Although raised out of order of the meeting, we have done our best to provide our Members with transparency on the topics raised.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
We invite all Members to send any further questions you may have for your Management Committee to : [email protected] by 5pm, Friday 7th April 2017. These will be collated, answered and published to our Members by the 14th April 2017.
We are pleased to share that our new Members have been elected, and our Office Bearers for 2017 have been confirmed. It's with great pleasure that I welcome Leesa Soulodre, Joseph Kwok and Peter Tan to our Management Committee. Special thanks goes to our 2017 Electoral Candidates. Benedict Koh, Virna Lew and Wee Tong Liaw for their Candidacy.
A special thank you goes to both Paul Chia and Paul Ho, who are stepping down from their roles as Vice President and Treasurer respectively. Abhishek Bhati, Melvin Gwee and Lee Ee Win have retired under the rule of rotation. Gary Chia has also stood down after a dedicated year of service.
All have conscientiously served AAS and our members, and without their dedicated support and team work, we would not have been able to fully achieve our goals. I wish to thank each and every one of them sincerely for their commitment, and I do look forward to their continued support in other capacities.
The membership at the AGM was generally very supportive of the changes to our Constitution and introduction of a Code of Conduct, and our
new Partner and Digital Transformation Program.
AAS is at an exciting point in its development with our new 2017-2019 Strategic Plan - The Way Forward, and I will be working with each of the Chairs to refine our focus and build on the great work that has been done since the AAS was founded 62 years ago.Â
The AAS will continue to focus on the way in which we operate, the integrity with which we operate, ensuring we are having a positive impact on the development of people to people Alumni ties between Australia and Singapore, and fostering goodwill between our countries.
We will stay wedded to the fundamental principles of fraternity, inclusion and unity, to earn and maintain the trust of our members and stakeholders, and to protect the goodwill and reputation of the AAS and our stakeholders.
We would like to extend an open invitation to all of you to contribute your ideas and energy. Please consider serving on one of our committees, running for the Management Committee or President’s role next year, or simply signing up to co-create in our new Digital Village.
Finally, I ask you to join me in a very special thank you to our Patron H.E. Mr. Bruce Gosper, who very generously provided his own Residence to host our 62nd AGM. We look forward to delivering enhanced value, to you, our Members, in the year ahead.
Chris Cheah
President
Australian Alumni Singapore
CHRIS CHEAH