Dear members

I am pleased to announce that this year’s AGM will take place on 9 September 2014. We are combining this year’s AGM with a Fireside Chat with Mr Lim Siong Guan, current Group President of GIC (Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund) and former Head of the Civil Service. A brief biography, which does not do justice to Mr Lim’s illustrious career, is provided below.  I invite you to join us for the AGM and Fireside Chat, and where relevant, renew your membership with us.

There are two matters of significance at this year’s AGM.

(a) The Committee for the Society serves for a two-year term; as the current committee was last elected in the 2012 AGM, it is time for a new Committee to be elected. Candidates for each position are to be made known to the Ag. Hon Secretary Dominic Soon by 5 September 2014, with an indication of proposer and seconder. Potential candidates, proposers and seconders should be members of the Society in good-standing on the date of the AGM.

a. Provide for a new category of membership – associate members – who do not qualify for ordinary/life membership but are nonetheless connected with the university in specific ways, e.g. the spouse of an ordinary member, spent less than an academic year at the university, etc.

b. Clarify the conditions under which one may stand for office by proxy, and the Society’s position on proxy voting (not allowed)

c. Amend specific clauses to provide more operational flexibility to the Society. For instance, our Constitution requires us to hold a ‘Boat Race’ Dinner but in certain years this may be impractical due to the timing of the races in the UK.

d. Expand the number of Committee members which can be appointed.

AGM AGENDA(1) Confirmation and Adoption of Minutes for 2013 AGM

(2) Confirmation of Secretary’s Report for 2013

(3) Confirmation of Treasurer’s Report for 2013

(4) Adoption of constitutional amendments (material to be circulated)

(5) Election of Committee Members

– President

– Vice President (Oxford)

– Vice President (Cambridge)

– Hon Secretary

– Assistant Hon Secretary

– Hon Treasurer

– Assistant Hon Treasurer

– Committee Members

– Liaison from the British High Commission (ex officio)

(6) Election of Honorary Auditors

PROFILE: LIM SIONG GUAN
(Original source here)
Siong Guan LIM has been the Group President of GIC Private Limited since September 2007. GIC is the Singapore Government’s investment company managing the country’s foreign reserves amounting to well above USD100 billion. He concurrently chairs the Boards of Directors of GIC Asset Management, GIC Real Estate, and GIC Special Investments.

Siong Guan was Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board from October 2006 to June 2009. The Board is the Singapore government’s lead agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre.

Siong Guan has been instructing on leadership and change management as an Adjunct Professor in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore since 2005. He has also been instructing emerging public sector leaders on issues of governance and policy development as a Senior Fellow of the Civil Service College since 2006.

Siong Guan was the Head of the Singapore Civil Service from September 1999 to March 2005. From May 1978 to June 1981, Siong Guan was the first Principal Private Secretary to Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Siong Guan has been the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence (July 1981 – May 1994), the Prime Minister’s Office (June 1994 – July 1998), the Ministry of Education (April 1997 – June 1999) and the Ministry of Finance (June 1999 – September 2006).