RADM (RET) Kwek Siew Jin is currently the President of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), a post he has held since August 2006.

RADM (RET) Kwek was appointed to the NCSS Board in 2004, where he served as Vice-President of the Board and Vice-Chairman of the Services Committee. He has been an active volunteer in the social service sector since his retirement as Chief of the Republic of Singapore Navy in June 1996. Among various other portfolios, he has served as Chairman of the Students Care Service (a voluntary welfare organisation) from 1999 to 2006, and Chairman of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre from 2005 to 2007. He was also the President of the Singapore Dragon Boat Association, a post he held from 1998 till 2009.

Currently, RADM (RET) Kwek also serves as a board member of the Community Foundation of Singapore and the Charity Council.

For his contributions as Chairman of the Students Care Service from 1999 to 2006, RADM (RET) Kwek was awarded the Public Service Medal (PBM) for social service under the National Day Awards of 2006. He was also recently awarded the Public Service Star (BBM) for his contributions at NCSS under the National Day Awards of 2010.

Professor Andrew E. Scharlach is Associate Dean and Professor of Social Welfare at the University of California at Berkeley, where he holds the Eugene and Rose Kleiner Chair in Aging and directs the Gerontology specialisation in the School of Social Welfare. He also serves as Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Aging Services, which conducts research designed to inform development of innovative and effective services for older adults.

Professor Scharlach has published extensively on issues pertaining to the well-being of older adults and their families. Professor Scharlach’s research examines the physical and social contexts that are conducive to constructive outcomes for elderly persons. A primary focus concerns the characteristics of “aging-friendly” communities, criteria for determining “aging-friendliness,” and evidence regarding health and social outcomes that can accrue from living in such environments.

In addition to more than 75 articles, he is the author of ‘Elder Care and the Work Force: Blueprint for Action’ (with B. Lowe and E. Schneider; Lexington Books), ‘Controversial Issues in Aging’ (with L. Kaye; Allyn & Bacon), and ‘Families and Work: New Directions in the Twenty-First Century’ (with K. Fredriksen-Goldsen; Oxford University Press).

Mr Ho Kwon Ping is the Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, which owns both listed and private companies engaged in the development, ownership and operation of hotels, resorts, spas, residential homes, retail galleries and other lifestyle activities in the region. He is also the Chairman of Singapore Management University, member of the Global Advisory Council of London Business School; member of the International Council of the Asia Society; member of the INSEAD International Council and member of the Management Board of the Middle East Institute.

Mr Ho has been honoured with Innovation Award (HICAP, 2003), 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum (2005), and Business Week magazine's 25 Stars of Asia (2005). In 2009, he was the joint recipient of the Hospitality Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious China Hotel Investment Summit and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his significant contribution to the success of the Singapore Management University. In 2010, Mr Ho became the first Asian to receive the American Creativity Association Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his creativity and innovation in various spheres of endeavour.

Ms Ong Toon Hui is the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.  She oversees policies on social safety nets, family development, successful ageing, disability, social sector development, rehabilitation and residential services and gambling safeguards.

Ms Ong has been with the Civil Service for about 16 years.  Her previous postings included Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Public Service Division (PSD).  In PSD, she oversaw leadership development and human resource policies in the Singapore Civil Service.

Ms Ong is currently serving on the Board of National Council of Social Service and Housing and Development Board. She is also a member of the School Advisory Board in Pierce Secondary School. She was awarded the Commendation Medal in 2003, and the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2008.

Dr Jason Cheah is the Chief Executive Officer of Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). AIC is charged with integrating care for the numerous patients with chronic medical conditions across the continuum from acute hospitals to community hospitals, nursing homes and home care. Prior to this, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics where he led the leadership team towards being the first primary care provider outside of the USA to be JCI-accredited. He also put in motion a strategic plan to transform the primary care system in the Polyclinics and set up an ambitious programme to modernise the facilities and services to meet the needs of an aging population with a changing disease profile. He started his career in healthcare management at the Ministry of Health in Singapore almost 20 years ago, spearheading quality improvement efforts and strengthening the national accreditation framework for healthcare facilities.

Dr Cheah remains active in teaching in the Department of Community Medicine and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. He has also published widely in numerous local and international peer reviewed journals.

Ms Denise Phua is the President of the Autism Resource Centre (Singapore).  She co-founded Pathlight School, the first autism special school in Singapore and now serves as Supervisor in the Boards of Pathlight School and Eden School.

Ms Phua is a Member of Parliament in the Jalan Besar GRC (Kampong Glam Constituency). She is also Chairman of the Jalan Besar Town Council and Vice-Chairman in Central Singapore Community Development Council.  Her key interests are in championing the needs and aspirations of people who are at risk of being left behind in Singapore, especially in the areas of education, employment and social services.

In 2007, Ms Phua led a committee on Early Intervention and Education of Children with Special Needs in Singapore's Enabling MasterPlan for the Disabled. She was voted winner of the 2005/6 “Great Women of Our Times, Education and Public Service Category” awarded by the Singapore Women’s Weekly.

Ms Ang Bee Lian is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) since joining it in June 2007. She is also a trained social worker and has a MSc in Social Policy & Planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ms Ang has 30 years of valuable experience in the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), developing policies and implementing programmes in the social service sector. As Director of Rehabilitation, Protection and Residential Services, and Director of Social Sector Planning Unit at MCYS prior to joining NCSS, she led a team in bringing statutory social work services to a higher level of professionalism and with wider community involvement and participation.

Ms Ang was awarded the Outstanding Social Worker Award in 2000 and the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2002. In 2003, she was among 12 winners of the Leader Mentor’s awards given out as part of the Global Leadership and Mentoring Congress in Singapore.