By Sng Ler Jun
The Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF)’s flagship Annual Co-operative Leadership Conference (ACLC) will be held at Taipei, Taiwan this year. The highly anticipated conference will see local co-operative leaders coming together to learn from thought leaders and network with one another.
Last year, ACLC was held in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia, and saw around 120 participants, including 93 co-operative leaders, making their first overseas travel together since 2019. ACLC 2022 looked at cybersecurity and crisis communications to future-proof co-ops.
ACLC 2023 will pay homage to the co-operative model’s capability to empower communities and make profits. This comes after the Singapore Co-operative Movement undertook the Forward Singapore exercise, which saw different co-operative reps—including co-op leaders, SNCF’s board members, emerging co-op leaders, and co-op youths—reviewing and refreshing the nation’s social compact and set out the roadmap for the next decade and beyond.
Under the theme “Running Sustainable Businesses”, leadership and sustainability are key tenets anchoring ACLC 2023.
Driving the co-operative movement forward
To steer the co-operative movement for the future, good leadership is necessary. Throughout the year, SNCF has invited thought leaders from different industries and institutions, including Mr Lim Boon Heng and Mr Arvin Singh, to share their knowledge and expertise with fellow co-operators.
At ACLC 2023, SNCF will introduce newly elected board members to share about their ambitions of the movement and how they can each contribute their part to empower the movement. The newly elected board will only convene following the Triennial General Assembly, which is set to take place on 21st September.
Young leadership is equally important for the movement to thrive. Hear from emerging co-op leaders, also the graduates from the first batch of Emerging Leaders Programme, who will share their takeaways from the co-operative leadership development initiative.
Still staying vigilant
For businesses to operate sustainably, they need to pay heed to the constantly evolving modi operandi of cyberthreat actors and be sufficiently geared to safeguard themselves against them. Along this vein, hear from speakers who are proficient in domains of cybersecurity and data governance at ACLC 2023.
Co-ops are sustainable enterprises
“Sustainability and ESG are ingrained in co-operatives’ DNA,” says Professor Ang Hak Seng, the keynote speaker at ACLC 2023. “Not only can co-ops do good and do well, but they can also do right together.”
A familiar face in the co-op ecosystem, Prof Ang was the former Executive Director of the Registry of Co-operative Societies (RCS) and is presently the Director of Centre of Excellence for Social Good, Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Prof Ang will debunk myths related to ESG and share on how co-ops can leverage Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) into their daily operations to do better in the future.
In addition, participants will also get to hear from speakers from the Taiwan Co-operative Movement: Professor Sophie Liang from the Credit Union League of The Republic of China and Ms Sandy Peng from the HomeMakers Union Consumers Co-op Representative.
Participants can glean insightful ESG strategies related from both reps, beyond learning the history behind the Taiwan Co-operative Movement.
Full conference programme (16 Oct) rundown
0900 – 0930: Registration
0935 – 0945: Chairman’s Opening Address
0945 – 1015: Getting to know SNCF’s New EXCO Members (Moderated by SNCF’s Chairman Mr Tng Ah Yiam)
1015 – 1045: Introducing Future Co-op Leaders (Moderated by Emerging Leaders Programme (ELP) project lead Alex Shieh and ELP Participants)
1100 – 1130: Staying Vigilant: Data Protection and Cybersecurity (by SNCF EXCO Bryan Tan)
1140 – 1230: Thought Leadership: Co-ops are Sustainable Enterprises (by Prof Ang Hak Seng)
1230 – 1400: Lunch
1415 – 1530: Sustainability Learning from Taiwan Co-operative Movement (by Prof Sophie Liang and Ms. Sandy Peng)
1530 – 1600: Concluding Panel Discussion (Moderated by SNCF’s CEO Mr Ang Hin Kee, featuring Prof Ang Hak Seng, Prof Sophie Liang and Ms. Sandy Peng)
Programme schedules and timings are subject to changes.
