Eight Singapore-China Young Business Ambassadors Appointed for Singapore International Foundation Exchange Programme

Singapore, 13 September 2010 — Eight Singaporeans and Chinese nationals will ‘swap’ cities and share their professional expertise for 10 weeks, beginning this September. Coming from diverse professional backgrounds - from theatre management to banking – four Singaporeans and four Shanghainese will be appointed this evening as Singapore-China Young Business Ambassadors at the Chinese embassy.

The Singapore International Foundation (SIF) Singapore-China Young Business Ambassadors programme targets aspiring Singapore and Shanghai young professionals; as well as Singapore & Shanghai companies that want to develop staff competency through global exposure.

Launched in 2004, the programme is a partnership between the SIF and its Shanghai partners - the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau for Foreign Experts. In its sixth year, a total of 38 Singaporeans and Chinese nationals will have benefitted from the exchange.

The professionals spend up to 10 weeks immersed in the all-round experience of working and living in Singapore or Shanghai, in companies that are relevant to their professional fields. In developing global perspectives, these ambassadors will get to share work expertise, build international business links, and gain an understanding of foreign business environments and the cultural nuances of working in the host cities.

This year’s appointees are:

From Shanghai

• Mr Shen Gang, 36, Senior Business Manager/ Deputy Director , Shanghai China Telecom; to be placed at MobileOne Limited
• Ms Quan Yi, 29, Sale Supervisor, Shanghai Grand Theatre; to be placed at The Esplanade Co Ltd
• Mr Zhou Ji, 32, Corporate Finance Account Manager, Shanghai Electric Group; to be placed at DBS Bank
• Mr Mi Yan, 37, Head of Domestic Structured Trade Financing, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank; to be placed at OCBC Bank

From Singapore

• Ms Hu Pei Yi, 25, Assistant Programme Officer from The Esplanade Co Ltd; to be placed at the Shanghai Grand Theatre
• Mr Keith Chew, 30, Relationship Manager, UOB; to be placed at Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
• Mr Ho Chee Tiong, 34, Senior Business Development, Professional Software Systems Ltd; to be placed at Shanghai China Telecom
• Mr Gordon Sng, 28, Legal Associate, Rodyk and Davidson LLP; to be placed at Llinks Law LLP

SIF Chairman Ms Euleen Goh, adds, “Going forward, we aim to replicate this successful partnership programme in other major cities, to grow this global network of business professionals. In this way, more individuals can take advantage of the programme and contribute to building a better world through their newfound perspectives and their professions.”