Outoing SFIC President Ernie Koh (left) hands over the baton to incoming President Mark Yong
The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) welcomed director of Ewins, Mark Yong, as its new president at its 35th anniversary gala dinner on Friday evening.
On accepting his new role as SFIC’s 10th president, Mr Yong said, “Our industry requires an innovative approach and a fundamentally different way of operating. Our transformation strategy will focus on leveraging digital disruptions and innovative learning to improve capability development, boost productivity and create new products to drive value for all our stakeholders.”
He joined SFIC in 2008 and has since taken on several portfolios. He is the chairman of SingaPlural and a member of the Board of Directors for the SFIC Institute, the council’s training arm.
On handing over the reins of SFIC to his successor, Mr Ernie Koh, said, “We are very pleased to welcome Mark as our new president. We will benefit from his entrepreneurial spirit and strong passion for technology and design as we look to implement the changes necessary to help our members ride the next wave of growth.”
Mr Koh also reflected that the past four years have been exhilarating. The industry achieved several milestones which saw numerous local companies gain greater exposure to the global market. Many initiatives in design and workforce development were also launched.
In response to the digital economy, SFIC will help its members establish new online platforms, exploit big data and the Internet of Things to help SMEs take advantage of new opportunities in the digital economy.
“We will encourage industry players to deploy design innovation as a key competitive edge for growth. We must accelerate transformation from a design perspective to create superior value,” said Mr Yong.
Dr Koh Poh Koon (centre), Minister of State, Ministry of National Development & Ministry of Trade and Industry, officiates the leadership handover at SFIC’s 35th anniversary gala dinner.
President Mark Yong, together with outgoing President Ernie Koh and Guest of Honour, Dr Koh Poh Koon, Minister of State, Ministry of National Development & Ministry of Trade and Industry, also unveiled the new SFIC logo.
“Our rebranding also represents our way forward to capitalise on technology and design to transform,” said Mr Yong. “At the same time, it builds on the strong solid foundation the industry has built over the years to capture new opportunities.”
