Overview
As a registered charity and an Institution of Public Character (IPC), we are subject to regulations of The Charities Act. This includes requirements for adherence to Accounting Standards, audit and duties of Disclosure.
Documented policies and procedures are in place for financial matters in key areas, including procurement, receipting, payment, and quotation sourcing, delegation of authority and limits of approval.
No governing board member is remunerated. The CEO is not a governing board member of the charity.
As a registered charity and Institution of Public Character, we abide by the Code of Governance issued by the Charity Council.
Guidelines are provided for broad range of issues including Board Governance, Conflicts of Interest, Financial Management and Controls, Disclosure and Transparency. We are required to submit a Governance Evaluation Checklist (GEC) in accordance with the requirements of the Charity Council.
The full responsibility for providing accurate and updated checklist information rests with the respective Boards. You may wish to refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Governance Evaluation Checklist.
Our Commitment To Service and Quality Standards
Our Directors
Our Board of Directors from Children’s Wishing Well (CWW) comprises of eminent individuals in various professional fields such as financial services, law, and civil service. We regularly evaluate the Board’s performance and effectiveness through board retreats and external reviews conducted by consultants.
Work Arrangements For The Board Committees
Each sub-committee will be chaired by one Board Director, and to be made up of at least one other member who may be a different Board Director or a volunteer. The staffing secretariat of each sub-committee will be the CEO or an appointed full-time staff.
All sub-committees are to meet physically or virtually at least once a quarter, and report their findings and/or recommendations to the Chairman during each Board Meeting, for consideration and approval.
The Board Committees have Terms of Reference (TOR) which can be found here. The TOR of each sub-committee may be revised as necessary once the subcommittees are formed.
The sub-committee members are as follows:
Hamilton Lau / Board Chairman
Hamilton joined the Board of Children’s Wishing Well in 2022.
Hamilton serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Learning Lab (TLL), a market leader in tuition and enrichment in Singapore. Prior to TLL, he acted as CEO, East Asia and Southeast Asia for GEMS Education, and as the Asia regional Head of Strategy and Business Development for the Cognita Schools Group.
His professional career in Asia started over two decades ago, in investment banking and legal roles with Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and the law firm of Skadden Arps, which took Hamilton and his family from Tokyo to Hong Kong and on to Singapore.
Hamilton is an American and is a proud product of Hawaii’s state public schools. He earned his bachelor’s from Stanford and his dual MBA and law degree from Columbia University. Having a strong interest in community service, he has volunteered some of his time with students at Children’s Wishing Well, and aims to volunteer more time in the future.
Chanel Lim / Vice Chair
Chanel leads HR at Clermont Group – a top investment firm headquartered in Singapore – overseeing all people matters across the group.
Prior to Clermont, Chanel was the Chief People Officer and Board Director for GoBear, Asia’s leading financial supermarket that empowers consumers with the know-how and financial services to meet their needs.
She has over 20 years of expertise in HR management in large organisation and high growth start ups, including multi-countries operations. Prior to Clermont and GoBear, she was the director of a global leading HR consulting firm, Willis Towers Watson – advising clients on diverse HR transformation, M&A due diligence, Integration and operations.
Chanel joined the board of Children’s Wishing Well in 2019 and also chairs the HR sub-committee.
Danny Chan / Treasurer
Danny is currently the Chief Operating Officer in Tsao Foundation, a Singapore registered charity devoted to promote successfully aging. He has previously worked in senior management roles at global MNCs in the ICT and BPO sectors for more than twenty years. He has extensive experience in business, operations, and large team management, with expertise in driving business changes in commercials and operations. He has worked in Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Danny joined the Board of Children’s Wishing Well in 2017. He enjoys traveling and competing in running events, and holds a passion to support underprivileged children and those with special needs, to realize their full potential. He had led youth groups and volunteered in church community activities.
Sandra Seah / Advisor (Legal)
Sandra is a partner in Bird & Bird ATMD LLP, a leading Singapore law firm associated with Bird & Bird, an international legal practice.
She is an experienced transactional lawyer for large scale infrastructure projects and tenders, being experienced in PPP, public procurements, energy & utilities, state leasing and technical contracts in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. She advises clients on corporate, commercial, regulatory, real estate and competition law issues and is the advisor to a large number of state agencies.
Sandra has served on the Board of Directors since 2006, providing guidance on corporate governance and regulatory issues. She enjoys helping out in the third sector as a counterbalance to the rat race. She sees her role as one of helping to oversee the framework of policies, systems and controls to help manage the charity effectively.
Desmond Koh / Advisor (Finance)
Desmond Koh represented Singapore in international swimming competitions for more than 10 years, including in three Olympic Games. He is currently the Managing Director of an international bank.
He is a wellness enthusiast, and is passionate about the green movement. He also founded and invested in several businesses. He believes that the work of Children’s Wishing Well will make a real difference to the children and their families. He joined CWW in 2018.
Timothy Cheng / Director
Timothy Cheng has served on the board since 2018. He is also the founder and director of Dezigner Labs.
He grew up in a less fortunate home, whose family used to receive welfare from government and church from time to time.
Having to care for his mom who suffered from schizophrenia single-handedly at a very young age, Timothy has learnt how to thrive in whatever environment he is in.
Today their lives are much better. Understanding the importance of a home, he hopes to build and design houses for his clients. With his story, he proves that we can all rise above our circumstances.
Ng How Yue / Director
How Yue is currently the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health. Prior to that, he was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Law. He has held various appointments in different Ministries over more than 20 years in the public service.
How Yue has been a Board Member of Children’s Wishing Well (CWW) since 2008. He became interested in helping disadvantaged youth when he was appointed to the National Youth Council, and joined CWW to contribute to the youth sector.
Shereen Farzana / Director
Shereen is the Deputy Director in the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) which is a Self Help Group established in 1991 to uplift the socio-economic status of the Indian community in Singapore.
She is a results-driven and a resourceful Chartered Accountant with 10 years of experience in overseeing Finance, Audit, Procurement, and Strategic Planning functions ensuring correct stewardship of all public funds. Being an Engineer by education she has developed a natural ability for logical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving.
She is experienced in overseeing the project teams handling the configuration and successful implementation of various systems inclusive of B2B E-procurement systems to enhance organization-wide operational efficiency. She plays a key role in developing, implementing, and reviewing Financial and Procurement policies for effective management of the charity. She volunteers her time to assist other charities with financial and governance matters and derives her motivation from being able to help others and getting to be closer to the community.
Cindy Khoo / Director
Cindy is a civil servant, currently serving as a Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. In her career in the Public Service so far, she has worked in a variety of Ministries, such as Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Health, covering portfolios ranging from trade promotion to corporate governance and leadership development.
As a former Malaysian who has grown up in and benefited from the Singapore school system, Cindy is passionate about ensuring that Singapore remains a land of opportunity for all, where social mobility is alive and real for those born into disadvantaged circumstances.
She joined the Board of CWW in 2019, following a posting in the Ministry of Education, where she conceptualised and initiated the UPLIFT programme to address the holistic needs of at-risk students, by better integrating social service delivery amongst various players in the community including schools and VWOs such as CWW. She hopes that through her contributions in CWW, she continues to help provide opportunities for to children to fulfil their potential and achieve their dreams.
Trevor Xie / Director
Trevor is the founder of Children’s Wishing Well, which he started in 2002.
He is currently the Director of a Financial company, Conservation Capital Pte Ltd and serves concurrently as an associate lecturer in a Ngee Ann polytechnic. He is a fitness enthusiast and holds a national record in the Ironman Triathlon. A marathon swimmer, he has swum from Indonesia to Singapore and across various islands. He is passionate in uplifting the less fortunate in society, and the promotion of sports and education to the public. He hopes to serve the community in increased capacities when he retires from his corporate adventures.
Our Management
