Lawrence Leow elected Chairman of SBF-led SME Committee (SMEC) at its inaugural meeting
Met on 17 January 2012 and sets about tackling immediate tasks
Focus on four immediate issues affecting SMEs: Cost of Doing Business, Productivity and
Manpower, Financing, and Internationalisation
Aims to provide recommendations to Government on Budget 2012 measures to support SMEs
Singapore, Thursday, 19 January 2012 - Mr Lawrence Leow, Immediate Past President of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) was elected Chairman of the SBF-led SME Committee (SMEC) on Tuesday, 17 January 2012. SMEC will serve as a key platform for SME engagement on business issues, as well as help SMEs build capability and enable market access.
(Please refer to Annex 2 for a profile of Mr Lawrence Leow)
The Committee, which comprises 19 members, includes representatives from trade associations, business chambers and qualified individuals who will provide feedback and views on a diverse range of SME issues. (Please refer to Annex 1 for the composition of the SME Committee)
SMEC will be supported by a Secretariat headed by SBF CEO Mr Ho Meng Kit. MOS Teo Ser Luck, in his capacity as Minister of State for Trade & Industry will be its Advisor, to engender public sector support for the work of SMEC.
Commenting on his election as SMEC Chairman, Mr Lawrence Leow said, "I am delighted to chair the SME Committee in the service of the business community. This is a very good initiative, and the role that SMEC plays in providing a platform for active engagement between the government and SMEs is an important one. SMEs face many challenges, and the evolving global economic and business landscape makes it especially difficult for small businesses to keep pace. As Past President of the ASME and an SME businessman myself, I hope to share my experiences and insights and work for the common good of Singapore business."
Mr Tony Chew, Chairman of SBF said, "Lawrence Leow is a respected member of the SME business community. He has more than 20 years' experience as a businessman and has been President of ASME for the past 10 years. As Council Member of the SBF and currently its Deputy Honorary Treasurer, Lawrence has served the business community well. I am confident that he will make a positive contribution to the SME Committee and the business community."
SMEC Workplan
At its inaugural meeting last Tuesday, SMEC representatives deliberated the Committee's workplan and activities for 2012. One of its immediate tasks is to collate SME inputs for consideration by government in the formulation of Budget 2012.
Due to the wide and varied nature of SME issues, some of the initial issues which the SMEC will focus on include:
Rising business costs;
Productivity and manpower;
Financing; and
Internationalisation.
About SME Committee (SMEC)
Established under the auspices of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) in response to the growing challenges SMEs face in the evolving local business environment and global economic climate, SMEC aims to function as a key platform for engagement between the SME community and policymakers to discuss, research and analyse SME business issues to effect business-friendly policies in Singapore. The SMEC also aims to look ahead of trends and developments that impact business sentiments and growth, by leveraging on SBF's position as the apex business chamber to facilitate its work as an issue-focused outreach and feedback channel.
Annex 3 - SMEC Backgrounder (Please click here)
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