SPEECH BY ER.

LEE BEE WAH, IES PRESIDENT, AT

THE IES 42ND ANNUAL DINNER & DANCE 2008 AT
SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, ISLAND BALLROOM, ON FRIDAY
17 OCTOBER 2008 AT 7.40 PM
Mr. Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health
Fellow IES Members
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
1.

A very Good Evening to all of you.

2.

It is my great pleasure to welcome all of you in

celebration of IESs 42nd anniversary this evening.

3.

Dinner & Dance is a time for celebrations and merry

making; a time to reflect on our past achievements. It is
also a time for us to re-focus, look forward and strive
onwards to achieve our vision to be the voice of
engineers and to be the national body and home for
engineers in Singapore.

4.

As the popular saying goes Home is where the Heart

is and Home is a place where one is at ease. The
benevolent gesture of the late Charles GV Rudd who
had bequeathed $1.22 million to IES, truly reflects his
commitment and sense of belonging to IES. I am not
suggesting everyone to donate huge sums of money to
IES. I am saying that we need to have more of such
engineers who will develop the sense of belonging to
IES and committed to the growth of IES and Together
We Can Make A Difference!

Page 1 of 6

IES Eventful Year 2008

5.

IES have had a fulfilling and eventful year 2008. Let

me share with you some of the major events that took
place during the year.

6.

The Conference on Iconic Structures in Singapore

and Asia held on 25 and 26 July, at the Grand Hyatt
Hotel, Singapore, showcased the innovativeness and
ingenuity of structural engineers in the design and
construction of splendid and spectacular structures in
this part of the world, and especially in Singapore.

7.

On this, I would like to take this opportunity to

especially thank the UK-based Institution of Structural
Engineers for welcoming me into their fold as an
Honorary Fellow.

8.

Mr Lim Siong Guan, Chairman of Economic

Development Board and Group Managing Director of
Government of Singapore Investment Corporation
successfully delivered an enlightening and entertaining
IES Charles Rudd Distinguished Lecture on 16
September. At the event, Mr Lim was conferred the IES
Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his immense
contributions to the nation. He also presented the IES
Prestigious Engineering Achievement Awards 2008, to
the winning teams behind five innovative engineering
projects.

9.

Engineering is the engine of our economy and culture.

As women constitute almost half of our workforce that
affects our economy, we need to encourage more
women to consider engineering as an option. Why is a
challenging career such as engineering being
overlooked by females?

10.

One of the reasons cited was the working conditions

for women in the engineering industry are perceived as

Page 2 of 6

being less favorable. The key contributor to the hostile

work environment that many women engineers face
was identified as isolation. To break this barrier,
networks and other support systems have to be
developed. In colleges, businesses, and corporations,
women can gather in formal and informal groups to
network, share ideas, and assist in one another's
professional development. In order to attract more
female engineering students, we need to provide
opportunities for them to meet successful female
engineers and learn about the endless opportunities
that an engineering career could provide. IES can play
a key role in providing such opportunities by being the
choice platform for networking among engineers.
11.

Dialogue sessions with policymakers are also on our

agenda. We kicked off the inaugural dialogue session
for 30 female IES members and students with Mrs Lim
Hwee Hua, Senior Minister of State (SMOS) for Finance
and Transport, on 30 September at IES. Mrs Lim
chaired the dialogue with Dr. Amy Khor, Mayor of South
West District and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for
the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and
Ms Jessica Tan, MP for East Coast GRC. Being the
moderator, I was happy to see a lively and frank
exchange of views between the women MPs and the
participants during the dialogue session. For those who
missed the last dialogue session, you need not worry.
There will be more such dialogue sessions in future.

IES Future Major Projects

12.

Before I highlight some of the IES future major

projects, as the new and current President of IES, I
would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the
Past Presidents for leading IES to the current state.

13.

Over the past few months of my Presidency, it has

been my privilege to promote engineering and

Page 3 of 6

engineering excellence. I hope to build upon the good

works from past presidents and lead IES closer to
achieving our Vision and our 5-year Strategic Plan.
14.

IES has started to make an impact internationally in

establishing links with specialized international
institutions to ensure we are plugged into the global
network of technology advances.

15.

IES is represented in the ASEAN Federation of

Engineering Organisations and we will be sending a
delegation to participate in the 26th Conference of the
ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations
(CAFEO 26) next month. The event will be hosted by
the Engineering Institute of Thailand Under Royal
Patronage and the Thailand Council of Engineers this
year. IES will take over the chairmanship of AFEO and
have the honour of hosting CAFEO 27 in Singapore
next year. I hope to gain your support for this regional
engineering event.

16.

As more Singapore Engineers work overseas, there

is a need for IES to form Overseas Groups where our
overseas representatives can assist them in adjusting
to a new work environment as well as create networking
opportunities. I am pleased to note that we now have
overseas representatives in China, India and Dubai. In
fact I had the privilege of witnessing the first meeting of
the Beijing group in August this year.

Page 4 of 6

17.

In order for IES to set standards in the engineering

fraternity, we have established accreditation schemes.
Working with relevant stakeholders, we now accredit
System Engineers, Erosion Control Professionals,
Resident Engineers, and Energy Managers. IES had
also set up an Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB)
as a body to accredit engineering degree programmes
that are delivered and awarded in Singapore. The EAB
has so far accredited NUS and NTU engineering
degree programmes, and will continue to do more.

18.

Engineers have to be connected to the society and

should also contribute to the social needs of the society.
In this respect, IES will be collaborating with Nee South
Community Club to set up a Senior Citizens Centre.
The Centre will be a place for senior citizens to gather
and carry out activities that can enhance their physical
and mental well being. It is also a place where they can
interact and socialize with the community at large. This
is a pilot project and if successful, similar centres may
be set up in other constituencies.

Conferment of Honorary Fellowship And Awards

19.

This year, we will be conferring the highest honour of

IES Honorary Fellowship on Mr Khaw Boon Wan,
Minister for Health. Minister Khaw has played an active
role in the successful battles against SARS in 2003 and
has launched a number of initiatives in his capacity as
Minister for Health. These initiatives have made quality
healthcare affordable for all. Thus, in recognition of his
contributions to the nation, Minister Khaw will be
conferred as an IES Honorary Fellow.

Page 5 of 6

20.

Besides Minister Khaw, we will also be conferring the

IES Honorary Fellowship to two IES Past Presidents,
Engineer Chang Meng Teng and Engineer Tan Ee Ping,
as well as to Professor Lui Pao Chuen, in recognition of
their contributions to the engineering profession and to
IES.

21.

On this joyous occasion, we will also be awarding the

IES / IEEE Medal of Excellence to Mr Seah Moon Ming.

Expressing Appreciation
22.

In closing, I would like to thank Minister Khaw Boon

Wan to grace this occasion despite his very busy
schedule.

23.

We are also grateful to our sponsors for their

generous donations in one form or another and to our
distinguished guests and all present for supporting this
function.

24.

Last but not least, my heartfelt appreciation also goes

to the Social and Community Services Committee,
headed by Engineer Koh Beng Thong, and the IES
Secretariat staff for their hard work in putting up such a
wonderful dinner and dance.

25.

I wish you all an enjoyable evening and a successful

and prosperous year ahead.

26.

Thank you.

- END -

Page 6 of 6