SingaporeSailing elects Dr Lincoln Chee as new president
Dr. Ben Tan (right) passes the baton to Dr. Lincoln Chee (left)
SINGAPORE, 28 JUNE, 2018 — The Singapore Sailing Federation (SSF) will see a new president steering the National Sports Association (NSA) from 28 June 2018 onwards.
Current President Dr Ben Tan, who helmed SSF since 2010, has completed the maximum four terms (eight years) as President of SingaporeSailing. The new Exco has unanimously appointed Dr Tan as Honorary Advisor to the Federation, where he will continue to guide the Federation, specifically in high performance matters.
Dr Tan, an Olympian, will also continue to chair the Federation’s Olympic Pathway Taskforce and ensure that its high performance strategies continue to keep its sailors competitive on the world stage. Dr Tan is currently the chairman of World Sailing’s Medical Commission and vice president of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).
In 2002, Dr Tan was asked to review SingaporeSailing’s High Performance structure. He established and chaired the 12-member High Performance Sailing Committee together with its six working groups. That gave birth to the High Performance Sailing Strategic Plan in 2003 that led to a slew of World titles. To make the next quantum leap, Dr Tan, the architect of Singapore’s high performance sailing systems and processes, launched The Next Leg (TNL) on 29 October 2010, with its 10 Strategic Thrusts to ensure the holistic development of Singapore’s sailing ecosystem.
“Our sailing community has done well to execute The Next Leg and deliver for Singapore, consistently and reliably. We didn’t get here overnight, and our current standing has been possible only because each generation stood on the shoulders of the previous generation to achieve progressively greater heights,” commented Dr Tan.
“I am proud to be part of this close-knit and united fraternity, where each generation has been inculcated with a strong sense of giving back.” Added Dr Tan, “I am also proud of our succession planning, where highly-experienced sailors return to continually strengthen the bench at both Management and Exco levels. Because of this, our next President, an avid sailor with a wealth of corporate experience, had ample time for on-boarding before assuming the Presidency with fresh perspectives.”
Dr Tan, age 50, will be succeeded by Dr. Lincoln Chee, who is currently serving as the Deputy President of SSF.
Dr Chee, 54, has over 25 years of experience in healthcare as a surgeon, executive, and venture capitalist. He was previously Managing Director of Vertex Healthcare, a subsidiary life science venture fund of Temasek Holdings. He is currently a Technical Advisor for the National Research Foundation Central Gap Fund, and sits on various non-profit and private companies.
Dr Chee said, “I am honoured to receive the nomination and support of the sailing community to be the next President of the SingaporeSailing. Dr. Ben and his team have laid a strong foundation in raising the profile of sailing in Singapore and Internationally. For continuity, Dr. Ben will continue to serve as Honorary Advisor and other capacities within SingaporeSailing. I am also grateful that most of the current Board members will continue to serve with me as we steer sailing into the next phase. My vision is clear; to stay on the course set by my predecessors, but also to position sailing to succeed in the context of time deprived, resource limited country like Singapore. Beyond our competitive excellence in regional games and olympics we want sailing to also flourish along economic, social and environmental lines.”
Dr Chee adds, “Together with the CEO, Lim Han Ee, as well as the community, we will put together the next 5-year plan to explore financing models that rely less on Government funding even as demands in sailing grow. On the social front, we will be proactive in reaching out to the community to enable them to discover the joy of sailing and to put more resources into developing our sailing talents to fill administrative, events, and industry needs of sailing as a career. We are also mindful of our impact on the seas and we must demonstrate responsible stewardship of the environment as we ask relevant authorities to increase our sailing areas for recreation and competition. To me these are difficult challenges but also first world problems that we must address to enable SingaporeSailing to continue to govern and develop the sport of sailing.”
Lincoln was a member of Changi Sailing Club and was active in one design keelboats. He was an owner of and actively raced in JUNO, the J-24 class yacht, and won numerous local and regional regattas. He has also participated in Sydney Hobart, King’s Cup and Raja Muda series.
SingaporeSailing Executive Committee 2018/19
President: Dr. Lincoln Chee
Deputy President: Mr. Stanley Chan
Vice President: Mr. Jevan Tan, Ms. Pamela Goh, Mr. Alan Goh
Honorary Treasurer: Mr. James Tan
Deputy Treasurer: Ms. Toh Liying