Lester Kok Straits Times 6 Apr 11;
THE executive director of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC), Mr Howard Shaw, has stepped down to join the private sector.
Recognised by many as the public face of the non-profit, non-governmental organisation, he will be a corporate adviser to the council, helping to guide the new executive director, whose name has not been announced.
A well-known advocate of environmental sustainability, Mr Shaw, 40, has been at the Halcyon Group as its senior vice-president of corporate social responsibility since last Friday.
The group is an investment holding company headquartered in Singapore, with businesses in rubber plantations and the offshore and marine sectors.
When contacted by The Straits Times, Mr Shaw said he had been with the council for a very long time - 15 years - and that everybody needed to move on.
'SEC has built my knowledge in all areas of sustainability,' he said. He added that he would enjoy applying in the private sector what he has learnt, and that this was something he had always wanted to do.
'That is part of my passion, not just telling people what to do and talking about it, but also actually seeing it materialise in projects... looking at real, concrete, environmental performance and improvement.'
In his new role at Halcyon, he will oversee environmental management systems, conduct environmental impact studies and engage company stakeholders in corporate social responsibility activities, among other things.
At the council, Mr Shaw worked his way up from programme coordinator in 1996 to the executive director post, which he held for the last eight years.
The middle child of three, he is the younger son of Mr Shaw Vee King, managing director of cinema giant Shaw Organisation and son of its founder Runme Shaw.
Some of Mr Howard Shaw's work at the council included Bring Your Own Bag Day, which is now a weekly affair in supermarkets. It was launched in 2008 by the council and the National Environment Agency. The Eco-Foodcourt certification, for foodcourts that comply with a set of guidelines, including installing water-saving devices and providing only sustainable packaging, was another project. This was launched in January.
Mr Aloysius Cheong, chief executive of Olive Green, a local firm producing corn-based disposable tableware, had nothing but praise for Mr Shaw.
'He is a great guy, you can really see that he is passionate about what he does,' Mr Cheong said, adding that it was a shame Mr Shaw had stepped down just when the council was making waves in the green industry.
Mr Allan Lim, chief executive of Alpha Biofuels, a company that produces biodiesel from used cooking oil, said Mr Shaw was innovative and would always challenge conventions.
'He applied commercial sense to environmental sustainability and was able to find ways that were economically viable for companies to go green.'
Mr Lim said he looked forward to working with the new director.
'This would challenge the SEC to shift the paradigm set by Howard; to inject new ideas and to have more exciting things that can be done to raise more awareness about the environment.'
Singapore Environment Council not a one-man operation
tanya fong Today Online 7 Apr 11;
The Singapore Environment Council (SEC) said it will be "business as usual" at the council in the wake of Mr Howard Shaw's move to the private sector.
Mr Shaw was executive director - the highest-paid position in the non-profit organisation - of the SEC for eight years.
Yesterday, a press conference was held to pre-empt a possible reduction of confidence from its stakeholders, work partners and donors. The SEC said that the council will push on with its current projects as well as promote environmental awareness and action.
Its chairman, Ms. Isabella Loh, said although Mr Shaw is the face of SEC, the council is not a one-man show.
Said Ms Loh: "More importantly, I just wanted to make it clear publicly that it's business as usual. We serve the public sector, private sector, citizens as well as governments. All of us actually have a board, we have people to answer to."
She added that some of the projects that SEC is running such as the Singapore G1 is still happening, as well as other green audits, are still ongoing. The Singapore G1 is an annual event organised by the SEC to raise awareness of greener mobility options and to encourage the development and use of green technologies in transportation to reduce carbon emissions.
The SEC also announced that it was looking for a new executive director.
Meanwhile, Ms. Loh will be helming the council. Ms. Loh was previously Shell's CEO and VP for Global Marine Fuels and Lubricants, and president and CEO of SembCorp Environmental Management Pte Ltd.
Mr Shaw, who had been with SEC for 15 years, is widely known for driving sustainability efforts among local enterprises and government. He joined the Halcyon Group as senior vice-president of Corporate Social Responsibility last Friday.
He was responsible for developing the Singapore Environmental Achievement Award, Singapore's first award scheme to recognise the efforts of local enterprises that practice proactive environmental management and the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme.
Said Mr Shaw: "I am not only passionate about the environment but I am very passionate about this organisation as well. SEC has grown into an organisation that has become very relevant in this changing world where we need to really focus on sustainable urbanisation and the greening of business."
Mr Shaw said he will continue to have an active role in SEC as a corporate adviser. Being in the private sector would allow him many opportunities to help SEC, he said.
