Orient Magazine Issue 82 - June 2021 | Page 29

29

Annual General Meeting ( AGM ) 2021 Report & On-demand Video

On 20 th May 2021 the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore held its official Annual General Meeting ( AGM ), where we reported on the past 12 months and welcomed our newly elected Board for the year ahead .
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions , our AGM was held virtually . The Committee ( also referred to as the Board ) is satisfied that a virtual meeting meets the requirements of both our Constitution and the Registry of Societies in Singapore . In the event , members heard from the President of the Chamber , Richard Warburton , Treasurer David Fowler and Executive Director David Kelly on our achievements and activities during the past 12 months , as well as the plans and initiatives in the second half of 2021 .
In addition , the Constitution of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore was last reviewed in 2014 , following which it has proved sufficient for normal governance purposes . However , given the challenges highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic , the Committee believed was timely to review the Constitution to ensure it is sufficiently robust and forward-looking to meet both current and future challenges . A Review Team was created to make the necessary updates , consisting of the Secretary , Haslam Preeston alongside Committee Members Michael Shearer , Damian Adams and Damian Hills . We have also had the kind assistance of Mr Wong Siew Hong of Eldan Law , as our independent external legal advisor . The objective was not a complete or wholesale rewriting of the current Constitution , which has proved largely fit for purpose over the years , but to bring the Constitution up to date and address any gaps or deficiencies that have been highlighted during COVID such as remote meetings , and any other governance issues identified .
The key changes to highlight :
1 . At present , the entire Committee is required to retire and stand for re-election at the same time . In order to give greater stability to the Committee , we propose this is changed to a rotational basis whereby only half the committee will retire on any one year
2 . Only Nominees who have been Members for at least 12 months are eligible for election to the Committee
3 . The President shall have been a member of the Committee for at least one year prior to the time of his / her election 4 . Allowing remote general meetings & remote voting 5 . Elimination of dormant membership categories and clarification of voting rights 6 . Clarification of the roles of the Secretary and
Treasurer 7 . Disciplinary measures 8 . Removal of references to the European Union 9 . Other updates and clarifications
The Audited Accounts for the financial year ended 31 st December 2020 are available for members to review here .
We are delighted to share with members a summary of our past 12 months ' below , and the full video recording of the AGM event . These materials are made available exclusively to members of the Chamber . Sharing outside of the Chamber ' s member network is not permitted , nor is re-publication .
Log in and view the report and full video recording at britcham . org . sg / news / annual-general-meetingagm-2021
SPECIAL FEATURE :
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2021