At the Annual General Meeting on 20 September 2013, a decision was made to form a Board of Governors (BOG) to enhance the Federation’s corporate governance and accountability practices. It also serves as an additional avenue to safeguard the interests of the SMF.
The BOG is to consist of at least three but not more than seven persons. Governors must be Past Presidents, Past Deputy Presidents of the SMF, or, Eminent Persons appointed by the Board. The term of office of the BOG shall end six months after the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of an election year.
Mr George Yeo, Mr Renny Yeo and Mr Bob Tan were appointed by the Council as Governors on 28 January 2014, forming the inaugural BOG. In December 2018, Mr George Huang was appointed to the BOG as well as to be the Chairman of the BOG. The current BOG now consists of Mr George Huang (Chairman), Mr George Yeo and Mr Robert Chua.
The SMF is one of the few local trade associations that has in place a BOG as a measure of maintaining the integrity of the Federation and safeguarding the interests of its members.
Mr George Huang is the Managing Director of Amoy Canning Corporation (S) Ltd, a well-known local company in the Food & Beverage industry with a history of over 110 years. Mr Huang brings with him much familiarity of the SMF and its history.
Since the 1980s, Mr Huang has been part of the SMF family in various capacities and has held various appointments within the SMF. Mr Huang was elected as and served as the President of the SMF from 2010 to 2014; appointed as Emeritus President from 2014 to 2018, and is currently the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the SMF. Mr Huang is also a prominent face in the business community, having held other key appointments in various high profile organisations such as - Chairman of the Business Practices Committee, Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE); the Governing Council of Singapore Business Advisors & Consultants Council; as well as the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation.
Mr George Yeo was in the SAF from 1972-1988 and, after entering politics, held various portfolios in the Singapore Government from 1988-2011. He was with the Kuok Group in HK from 2012 to 2021. From 2013 to 2020, he was a member of the Vatican’s Council for the Economy. He now holds various appointments as a visiting scholar at LKYSPP, as a board member of AIA and PDD, and as an adviser to a number of companies and academic institutions.
Mr Robert Chua is currently the Executive Chairman of the Excellent Family Lifestyle Group and the Corporate Advisor/Consultant for Major Group Projects of China's Haier Group. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Management Consultants (Singapore). Mr Chua is considered one of the pioneer of the Singapore air conditioning industry. He co-founded the A.C.E. Daikin Group in 1968, and served as its Executive Chairman and CEO until his retirement from the Group in 2002. Mr Chua is the former President of SMF (then known as the Singapore Confederation of Industries).