1 The Families for Life (FFL) Council welcomed a new Chairman on 1 Feb 2020.
2 Taking over the reins from Mr Ching Wei Hong as Chairman is BG (Ret) Ishak Ismail, Regional Director (Asia) of BAE Systems Hägglunds AB. A FFL Council Member since August 2015, BG (Ret) Ishak Ismail is a passionate family advocate who participates actively at FFL events to encourage Singaporeans to forge strong family ties. He has also paved the way for new collaborations between FFL and other partners to support families.
3 Six new members joined the FFL Council in August 2019, namely
- Mr Albert Lim, Director, El-Shaddai Resources Pte Ltd
- Dr Elly Sabrina Binte Ismail, Director, Banyan Clinic; and Director, Madison Academy of Music
- A/Prof John Wong, Associate Professor; Head and Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore; President of the College of Psychiatrists, Academy of Medicine Singapore; and Director, NUS Mind-Science Centre
- Ms K Thanaletchimi, President, Healthcare Services Employees' Union; Chairperson, NTUC Women's Committee; and Vice President, NTUC Central Committee
- Prof Paulin Straughan, Professor of Sociology (Practice) and Dean of Students, Singapore Management University 6. Mrs Sher-Li Torrey, Founder, Mums@Work (Singapore); and Director, Career Navigators Singapore
Please refer to Appendix I for full details on the FFL Council Members.
4 Mr Ching, who is Deputy President, OCBC Bank, helmed the Council in the past six years. He reflected, "It has been a fulfilling experience as Council Chairman for Families for Life. We have reached out to over 200,000 families over the years through our various initiatives and programmes, which have helped to equip Singaporeans with the knowledge and skills to improve their family life. We have also worked to promote work-life balance by deepening engagement with employers to nurture a pro-family society. It has been a privilege to play a part in building strong families, who form the basic fabric of a strong and united Singapore."
5 Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development, said, "Strong and resilient families form the backbone of our society. Many families have benefitted from the work of the Families for Life Council.
Wei Hong and his Council initiated FFL's signature picnics, which are very popular with families, especially when held at the Istana and Marina Barrage. FFL also launched two mega initiatives. The first is the annual mid-year "FFL Celebrations" that reaches out to more than 10,000 persons each time. The second is My Family Weekend, which is held every year over the Teachers' Day weekend. It encourages employers to be family friendly when schools close on Teachers' Day.
Wei Hong also started FAMILY 365 to bring programmes and talks to families. These are held at workplaces and in the community. They aim to support and strengthen the day-to-day aspects of family life, such as parenting, caregiving, and work life balance.I believe that Ishak and his team will carry on the good work and continue to engage families in Singapore to develop deeper relationships with their loved ones."
6 On his new appointment as FFL Council Chairman, BG(Ret) Ishak Ismail said, "I am honoured to take over the leadership from Wei Hong. The Families for Life Council has been initiating meaningful opportunities to engage Singaporean families on the importance of family time. I look forward to helming a new chapter in the Council's efforts to reach out to Singaporeans to build family life skills to strengthen family bonds. We will also continue to nurture and expand our partnerships in the community as we work collectively to build strong families in Singapore."
ISSUED BY MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT