Organised by the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF), the Annual Co-operative Leaders’ Conference (ACLC) 2024 is set to take place at Penang, Malaysia from 6 to 9 November.  

This year’s theme “Doing the Right Things, Doing Things Right” is an apt reminder on how co-operatives, with the right leadership and prescience, can scale the right mountains and attain new heights.  

Ahead of the centennial anniversary of the Singapore Co-operative Movement next year, not only can participants glean relevant insights from different thought leaders and industry experts at this year’s conference, they can also leverage the opportunity to mingle with different co-operative leaders and stakeholders to explore collaborations for the celebrations ahead.    

Prior to ACLC 2024, SNCF spoke with one of the conference’s speakers, Ms Ginny-Ann Oh of regional Public Relations (PR) agency APRW, on how co-operatives can better position themselves for maximum impact in today’s fast-evolving media landscape, as well as harness the power of the right media channels to do good.  

Read the exclusive below.  

In one sentence, tell us who you are? And why you do what you do?   

Ginny-Ann Oh: I’m a communications strategist who helps brands, organisations and leaders shape their public perception through effective communication strategies.  

We are excited to hear you speak at our conference. Could you perhaps offer a teaser of what you might be sharing?    

GO: The communications landscape has evolved, and at an especially accelerated pace in the last decade. This has had a significant impact on news consumption habits and levels of trust, and a proliferation of new avenues of news for individuals.  

For brands and organisations, this means that the traditional idea of just leveraging PR to get your news out is no longer complete in itself. PR, while still critical, is just one of the pillars in a multi-faceted approach. Another key pillar is the digital communications strategy – and this is something that many traditional brands are still coming to terms with.  

During the session, we’ll look at the informative world that we reside in now, and how co-operatives can develop an effective strategy to gain a foothold in the digital world.   

What do you wish participants can take home from your segment in ACLC 2024?   

GO: Valuable insights and actionable tips that will guide them in creating digital communications plans that resonate with their target audience.  

Complete this sentence: leadership is ...  

GO: … striking the balance between supervision, mentorship and friendship. We are all complex creatures who spend a large part of our day at work. It is impossible to expect an individual to be professionally motivated and engaged in the workplace if they don’t feel that they are valued as a person.  

By Sng Ler Jun 

Interviews have been edited for clarity.