Opening & Greetings
1. Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, and a very good evening to everyone.
2. Guest of Honour, President of the Republic of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam;
Our SMCCI Patron, Mr Zaqy Mohamad;
Past Presidents and Board Members;
Distinguished guests, members, partners and friends of SMCCI;
Ladies and gentlemen.
3. On behalf of SMCCI, it is my pleasure to welcome all of you to our 70th Anniversary and Awards Night.
4. Tonight is not simply a celebration of an organisation reaching 70 years. It is a celebration of the many people and businesses that have shaped SMCCI throughout these seven decades.
5. To all our award nominees and winners, congratulations. Your achievements reflect the hard work, determination and resilience that entrepreneurship demands. Tonight, we are proud to recognise your contributions and celebrate how far you have come.
———————————————————————————————
Built by Our Community
6. SMCCI did not reach this milestone through the work of one leadership team. Every generation inherited something, strengthened it, and passed it forward.
7. I want to acknowledge our Past Presidents and former Board Members who guided the Chamber through different stages of Singapore’s economic development.
8. I also want to thank our members, Government agencies, corporate partners, fellow trade associations, supporters and friends who have worked alongside us.
9. And to our Secretariat, past and present, thank you for carrying much of the work that takes place behind the scenes.
10. The SMCCI we have today exists because many people believed that our businesses needed a platform of their own — a platform that could connect, represent and support them.
———————————————————————————————
What We Have Seen Over 70 Years
11. Over the past seven decades, the profile of our businesses has changed tremendously.
12. We have seen family businesses move from one generation to another, traditional trades enter new industries, and local enterprises become increasingly connected to regional and global markets.
13. Today, our entrepreneurs can be found across F&B, professional services, manufacturing, technology, digital commerce and many other sectors.
14. But while the businesses have changed, one thing has remained consistent: entrepreneurs still need access.
15. Access to information. Access to networks. Access to financing, partners, markets and the people who can help them take the next step.
16. This is where SMCCI must continue to make a difference.
—————————————————————————————————
What Our Businesses Are Telling Us
17. As a Chamber, we spend a great deal of time speaking to business owners, and the concerns we hear are very practical.
18. Costs remain a pressure. Manpower is tight. Competition is intensifying, and customer behaviour is changing quickly.
19. Digitalisation and AI are advancing rapidly, while many SMEs are still asking where they should start and which tools are genuinely useful to their business.
20. Family businesses are thinking about succession. Younger entrepreneurs are looking for guidance and networks.
21. Companies that have built a stable base in Singapore are increasingly asking how they can enter new markets and grow beyond our shores.
22. These are not theoretical questions. They affect decisions that business owners make every day.
23. Our role is not to tell businesses exactly what the future will look like. Our role is to help them prepare for it.
—————————————————————————————————
Building Stronger Businesses
24. As we celebrate 70 years, SMCCI is also looking ahead to how we can better equip our members for the future.
25. One of our priorities is to continue strengthening business capabilities, particularly in digitalisation, financial management and business transformation.
26. But we must keep this practical.
27. We should not encourage businesses to adopt technology simply because it is the latest trend.
28. Whether it is AI, digital tools or new business practices, what matters is how they can help businesses save time, improve productivity, understand their customers and operate more effectively.
29. With this in mind, I am pleased to share two new initiatives that will provide our members with opportunities to strengthen their business capabilities.
30. The first is with Google. Through this programme, SMCCI members will have access to free Google AI and Career Certificate courses on Coursera. These courses will help business owners and their teams develop practical digital and AI skills that they can apply in their day-to-day operations.
31. The second initiative is with Accounting Superhero Singapore, or ASH. Together, we will introduce financial literacy programmes to help business owners better understand their finances, manage their resources and make more informed decisions as their businesses grow.
32. These initiatives reflect our commitment to making capability development more accessible and relevant to the needs of our members.
33. More details will be shared in the coming months, and I encourage our members to make full use of these opportunities.
—————————————————————————————————
Creating Better Access to Opportunities
34. Beyond strengthening business capabilities, we must also continue opening doors to new markets and partnerships.
35. More of our members are looking towards Malaysia, Indonesia and the wider ASEAN region as they consider their next stage of development.
36. The Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone, or JS-SEZ, presents new opportunities for Singapore businesses to explore cross-border collaboration, investment and expansion.
37. Tonight, we will also mark an important step forward through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SMCCI and the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, or SMF.
38. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to helping businesses explore opportunities arising from the JS-SEZ, while strengthening connections between our respective business communities.
39. Through closer collaboration, we hope to facilitate business connections, encourage knowledge-sharing and help our members better understand the opportunities available across the border.
40. For SMCCI, this is also an important part of our next chapter. As businesses become increasingly connected across industries and markets, partnerships between trade associations will play an even greater role in supporting their growth.
41. But organising a mission or making an introduction is only the beginning.
42. We want to understand what each business is trying to achieve and connect it to the right customer, partner, market or ecosystem.
43. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that these connections translate into meaningful outcomes for the businesses we serve.
—————————————————————————————————
Building Continuity
44. As we look towards the future, we must also recognise the importance of business continuity.
45. Many family and heritage businesses have spent decades building their names, customer relationships and know-how.
46. We should not wait until succession becomes urgent before discussing what happens next.
47. The next generation needs space to learn, introduce new thinking and modernise where necessary, while preserving what made the business valuable in the first place.
48. At the same time, younger entrepreneurs should be able to benefit from the experience and networks of those who came before them.
49. This exchange of experience and ideas is important in ensuring that our business community continues to grow across generations.
—————————————————————————————————
Making Connections Count
50. Another important part of SMCCI’s role is bringing people and businesses together.
51. Members should see SMCCI as a bridge to Government agencies, corporate partners, financial institutions, fellow businesses and overseas networks.
52. But networking on its own is not enough.
53. The real value comes when a connection leads to something meaningful — a customer, a partner, a solution to a problem, or an entry point into a new market.
54. That is also how we should increasingly measure our work.
55. Not only by how many events we organise, but by what happens after the event.
—————————————————————————————————
Malay Speech
56. Hadirin yang saya hormati sekalian, izinkan saya meneruskan ucapan ini dalam bahasa ibunda kita, Bahasa Melayu.
57. Tujuh puluh tahun bukanlah satu perjalanan yang singkat. Sepanjang tempoh ini, SMCCI telah melalui pelbagai perubahan bersama masyarakat peniaga kita.
58. Setiap generasi telah memainkan peranan dalam membina dan memperkukuh Dewan ini. Kini, menjadi tanggungjawab kita pula untuk memastikan SMCCI terus relevan dan mampu memenuhi keperluan para usahawan pada masa hadapan.
59. Cabaran yang dihadapi oleh para peniaga hari ini semakin kompleks. Kos operasi yang meningkat, kekangan tenaga kerja, perkembangan teknologi dan persaingan pasaran memerlukan para usahawan untuk sentiasa menyesuaikan diri.
60. Namun, di sebalik cabaran ini, terdapat juga peluang baharu yang boleh kita terokai bersama.
61. SMCCI mahu terus menjadi rakan yang dapat membantu para usahawan memperkukuh perniagaan, meningkatkan kemahiran dan mendapatkan akses kepada peluang yang bersesuaian.
62. Kita juga mahu melihat lebih ramai usahawan muda tampil dengan idea dan kepimpinan baharu, sambil terus memanfaatkan pengalaman serta kebijaksanaan generasi terdahulu.
63. Pada masa yang sama, kita mahu lebih banyak perniagaan tempatan berani meneroka pasaran serantau dan membina kerjasama yang dapat membawa perniagaan mereka ke tahap yang lebih tinggi.
64. Kejayaan Dewan ini bukan hanya diukur melalui usia atau pencapaian SMCCI, tetapi juga melalui kemajuan para peniaga yang kita bantu.
65. Dengan semangat kerjasama dan sokongan yang berterusan, saya percaya masyarakat perniagaan kita mampu terus berkembang dan menghadapi masa hadapan dengan lebih yakin.
—————————————————————————————————
The Next Chapter
66. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to conclude my address in English.
67. Looking ahead, SMCCI must remain close to the ground.
68. We must continue listening to our members, understanding their challenges and responding with initiatives that make a real difference to their businesses.
69. Our success should ultimately be reflected in stronger enterprises, better partnerships and more entrepreneurs who are equipped to pursue their next stage of growth.
70. Our 70th anniversary is therefore not only an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come. It is also a reminder of our responsibility to the generations that will come after us.
71. What should SMCCI look like in the next 10, 20 or 30 years? How can we continue to serve a business community that is constantly changing? And what must we do today to prepare for that future?
72. These are questions that must continue to guide our work.
73. To our Past Presidents, Board Members, members, partners and supporters, thank you. And to our Committee and Secretariat, none of this would have been possible without your commitment, hard work and support.
74. I would also like to express our sincere appreciation to our official sponsors, Royal Kings Group, TAQWA Organisation, Golden Chance and SME Centre @ SMCCI, for their generous support in making tonight’s celebration possible.
75. Our appreciation also goes to HSG Global and Scentopia for sponsoring the door gifts for our guests this evening. Thank you for your thoughtful contributions to this special occasion.
76. Your commitment has brought us to this important milestone, and your continued support will be essential as we move forward.
77. What previous generations built has brought us here. What we do next will determine what the next generation inherits.
78. Seventy years of building business. And together, we will continue this journey beyond 70.
79. Thank you, and Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.