PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I am privileged and extremely honoured to be elected as the new President of DBCS. These are unprecedented times. It turns out that 2020 was the dawn of a whole new world and the lessons that came became the biggest takeaway. We’ve had to unlearn many of our traditional ways of doing things and now, more than ever, we have before us a valuable opportunity to transform and become true partners with members of the design community. At the Chamber, we have taken this time to look at our value proposition from different perspectives – to examine, recalibrate and plant the seeds for our  accelerated growth in facilitating business transformation through design innovation. 

As I engage in the process of taking the Chamber forward, we will continue to focus our efforts in partnerships with government agencies, design and trade associations (both local & overseas), local enterprises as well as multi-national corporations and our members. At the same time, we have seen people come together across communities to rally and support each other in ways we have not seen before. I’m heartened that the design community has shown tremendous gumption and grit during this global crisis. Design for Good’s success has shown us that we have many talents and passionate people amongst us, with the desire to make a difference for the common good. I’ve realised that it’s going to take intentionality and inclusion for our way forward. 

Our long-term goals and priorities of the Chamber remain the same: to raise the profile of the design and ensure that member engagement remain strong. Better Business by Design continues to be a core manifesto of DBCS that will guide us in connecting the community to be inclusive of students, faculties, designers, small and large enterprises – collaborators who share our passion for design. 

The ubiquity of design leads us to elevate its value by inspiring others to adopt good design.  Of course, this process may take time. But we can lead that transition and change – DBCS is in that privileged position to reframe and reimagine the role that design can play. I am ready for a new future to best serve our members and the design community and invite you to get involved by joining our new membership through your continued participation in our events. Together, we can strengthen our circle of influence and amplify our vision of advancing the design profession.

Thank you.

Chee Su Eing
President, Design Business Chamber Singapore