President’s Opening Address: 18th Executive Committee Installation

The following was my final address, as club president of AIA Toastmasters, on the occasion of the Installation of the 18^th Executive Committee. 

Our Chief Executive Officer, Ms Wong Sze Keed; our Chief Distribution Officer, Ms Ho Lee Yen; our District Programme Quality Director, Ms, Hasniza binte Abdul Khalil; our District Club Growth Director, Ms Swarna Kalyanasundaram; Past International Directors; Past District Directors; District Officer; my fellow Toastmasters and friends. 

When I stepped up as Club President, and as Division Director; I said, in my inaugural policy speech, that AIA Toastmasters is not the best corporate club in Singapore - we are the best corporate club in the world.  This is not an empty statement.  Since our founding, we have had 17 years of Presidents Distinguished Club; we have had 17 years of 10 Distinguished Club Programme points; we have had 17 years of being the standard that others aspire to. 

This is a club of leaders and champions.  Members of this club have gone on to be leaders in the finance industry.  Members of this club have gone on to sit on the MDRT council.  Members of this club have gone on to lead companies.  Just as AIA Singapore is the industry leader, a multiple-award winner, with the largest market share, and the most accomplished agency force; we, at AIA Toastmasters, have imbibed of that same well that begat this culture of excellence.  What is this excellence?  It is not found in grand gestures, and grandiose speeches.  It is not found in pomp and pageantry.  It is found in planning as if we are going to war, in executing with ruthless efficiency, in caring for the little things.  We are proud of everything we do, and we do everything with pride. 

We began this term in an unprecedented lockdown.  There was talk of an economic depression.  People wanted to leave the club because of this shift to online meetings.  Morale was low.  Our team came together, and drafted a new vision, a revised Constitutions, and a bold strategic plan.  We emphasised that the ability to speak effectively online is different from speaking face to face.  The post-pandemic economy will not go back to physical meetings anytime soon.  We shifted our internal meetings to focus on market analysis, on pitching, and on structuring our products to address client needs.  We taught out members how to anticipate client objections.  We created opportunities for members to shift to conducting effective online seminars.  We started a speaker incubators to raise the standard of our presentations.  We created a High Net Worth discussion group that focused on trust structures and single family offices in the new market.  And we used the Toastmasters system for this.  The results speak for themselves.  Our members are our producers. 

This is my last policy speech as Club President.  I pass the baton, satisfied, because no matter the challenges, no matter the trials, no matter the tribulations, we are ready - not just to survive, but to excel, to leave the comforts of the shores, and to discover new oceans.  When the new Executive Committee is installed, I want you to look at their faces, I want you to remember their names.  Because these individuals are the next generation of greatness.  They are our future leaders manifest.  They are our captains in a new paradigm.  I am proud of them.  I believe in them.  And by the end of their term, I hope you do so as well.