East Coast Plan unveiled

[jw5]

HSK visited Commonwealth Capital.

Heng Swee Keat​

8 hrs ·
You may be familiar with brands like Udders, The Soup Spoon, PastaMania, Baker & Cook and Kühlbarra. These are just some of the brands under Commonwealth Capital, a group of companies invested in the farming, food manufacturing, services and cold chain logistics sectors.
While we may be familiar with the food, I got to see the science and innovation that goes behind these products during my visit yesterday, ‘cooking up’ new ideas with the food entrepreneurs I met. I also learnt how their brands, including new ones like OATSIDE and SGProtein, are responding to consumer preferences for greater sustainability and healthy choices, while preserving flavour and value for money.
It really takes good R&D and an entrepreneurial spirit to continuously adapt to consumer trends while inspiring trust and confidence. And it takes even more determination to nurture a workforce that will help turn these ideas into the delicious food products that we savour. I wish all our food entrepreneurs every success!

 

[jw5]

HSK meets Vincent Wei.

Heng Swee Keat​

7 hrs ·

Hearing from Vincent Wei, co-founder of Archisen — a Singapore-based agritech company. The cabinet is a mini version of its farming system. They utilise Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA) to control factors such as temperature and light intensity to create the most conducive environment for plants to retain their nutritional values.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

HSK meets Kuhlbarra.

Heng Swee Keat​

9 hrs ·

Meeting the team from Kuhlbarra. They farm delicious and healthy Barramundi near the Southern coast of Singapore and only harvest them upon receiving an order.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

9 hrs ·

I wish Commonwealth Capital every success!

L-R (anti-clockwise): Permanent Secretary (National Research and Development), Ms Chan Lai Fung; CCPL Group MD, Mr Andrew Kwan; CCPL Group COO and Executive Director (Manufacturing), Mr Selvam Sevasamy; CCPL Executive Director (Kokubu Commonwealth Trading), Ms Lim Rui Shan; COO (Commonwealth Concepts), Mr Brian Stampe; CCPL Group Finance Director, Ms Michelle Teo; CCPL Executive Director (Logistics), Mr Daniel Tan and CCPL Group HR Director, Ms Audrey Koh.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

HSK visits a warehouse.

Heng Swee Keat​

9 hrs ·

Visiting the Commonwealth Kokobu Logistics Warehouse which stores frozen goods. Executive Director of Commonwealth Logistics Division Daniel Tan shared that there are around 10,000 pallet positions across four temperature zones, which allows delivery routes to be optimised.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

HSK meets Anna.

Heng Swee Keat​

10 hrs ·

Executive Director and Founder of The Soup Spoon, Anna Lim, shared how the central kitchen produces 6 tonnes of soup a day – that’s enough to feed around 20,000 people!

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

HSK has a bento box for lunch.

Heng Swee Keat​

10 hrs ·

After the tour, I took this bento box for lunch. It featured plant-based “egg” and “chicken”, along with other food and drink products, such as Oatmilk, by Commonwealth Capital’s brands — everything was delicious!

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

HSK meets Roy.

Heng Swee Keat​

11 hrs ·

When Roy joined PastaMania (Singapore) 20 years ago as a chef, he did not imagine that he would one day exchange his chef’s whites for another set of whites — a R&D lab coat! For the last year, Roy has been doing R&D into a ready-to-eat meal featuring a plant-based meat alternative from SG Protein, and using shelf-life extending MicroThermik technology — both available under Commonwealth Capital’s “pantry” of capabilities. Roy’s own journey shows the enormous transformations that the food industry has gone through.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

HSK learns more from Anders.

Heng Swee Keat​

11 hrs ·

I heard that sourdough bread is becoming increasingly popular as it serves as a healthier alternative to white bread. Learning more from Anders Boye from Baker & Cook on how their artisanal breads are handcrafted with passion. Since last year, Baker & Cook has been under Commonwealth Concepts — a joint venture between Commonwealth Capital and Far East Organisation’s Food Services arm, Kitchen Concepts Pte Ltd.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

HSK meets lady from Udders.

Heng Swee Keat​

11 hrs ·

Had an informative tour on the brands that are under, or in partnership with, Commonwealth Capital. Udders Ice Cream is getting ready to export a new Mao Shan Wang Durian flavour to China. Glad to learn that their strong R&D capabilities have enabled them to come up with new and interesting flavours for their business clients.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

HSK meets lady from Udders.

Heng Swee Keat​

11 hrs ·

Had an informative tour on the brands that are under, or in partnership with, Commonwealth Capital. Udders Ice Cream is getting ready to export a new Mao Shan Wang Durian flavour to China. Glad to learn that their strong R&D capabilities have enabled them to come up with new and interesting flavours for their business clients.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

View attachment 133647

Udders Durian ice cream is not bad.

 

[jw5]

HSK learns more from Anders.

Heng Swee Keat​

11 hrs ·

I heard that sourdough bread is becoming increasingly popular as it serves as a healthier alternative to white bread. Learning more from Anders Boye from Baker & Cook on how their artisanal breads are handcrafted with passion. Since last year, Baker & Cook has been under Commonwealth Concepts — a joint venture between Commonwealth Capital and Far East Organisation’s Food Services arm, Kitchen Concepts Pte Ltd.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

View attachment 133640

Sour dough bread is an acquired taste.

 

[jw5]

HSK visits the Wealth Management Institute’s new campus at One Marina Boulevard.

Heng Swee Keat is with Foo Mee Har.​

3 hrs ·
Delighted to open the Wealth Management Institute’s new campus at One Marina Boulevard today. This underscores our commitment to create opportunities for our people.
The financial services sector has been a pillar of our economy. Despite the pandemic, the sector registered strong growth over the past two years. In the first nine months of last year, the sector created 2,000 net jobs, all of which went to locals.
Key to enabling our people to access these opportunities is training. This is where WMI has a significant role to play, helping finance professionals stay relevant, and helping industry entrants and career switchers enter this fast-growing sector.
WMI’s new campus in the heart of the financial district will enable it to serve aspiring and current financial professionals better.
By investing in industry transformation and worker growth, we build an economy that is not only vibrant and dynamic, but also inclusive and progressive. Keep up the good work, Team WMI!

 

[jw5]

HSK toured the campus.

Heng Swee Keat​

4 hrs ·

Toured the campus to learn more about their new facilities. It is set up with the latest digital tech for hybrid classroom learning. Speaking with WMI staff members Nathan Ong, Benjamin Teow, Lim Pei Zhen and Nadzirah Razali to find out more about their experience in WMI. Interesting to know that most of them used to work in the public sector!

(MCI Photo by Chwee)

 

[jw5]

HSK speaks with DBS and AIA people.

Heng Swee Keat​

4 hrs ·

Speaking with some of WMI’s industry partners, including DBS and AIA. With their expertise, they support the Wealth Management Institute to nurture innovation in wealth and asset management

(MCI Photo by Chwee)

 

[jw5]

Why is there someone dressed in pyjamas?

Heng Swee Keat​

4 hrs ·

Unveiling the plaque on the opening of the new Wealth Management Institute campus with WMI Chairman Mr Lim Chow Kiat. Congratulations!

(MCI Photo by Chwee)
— with Foo Mee Har.

 

[jw5]

HSK listens to Rachel.

Heng Swee Keat​

5 hrs ·

Rachel Eng, a graduand of the inaugural cohort of the Family Office Advisors Certification Programme, shared her experience from the course. Mee Har also shared that this programme is the first of its kind in the world, specially designed to meet the requirements of the sector. Congratulations to all graduands!

(MCI Photo by Chwee)

 

[jw5]

HSK attended the first Future Economy Council meeting of 2022.

Heng Swee Keat​

3 hrs ·
Last Friday, we held our first Future Economy Council meeting of 2022. Even as we exchanged Chinese New Year greetings, our virtual meeting is a reminder of how the fight against COVID-19 is far from over.
The road ahead will continue to be a challenging one, although we have put the worst of the crisis behind us. Our economy grew by more than 7% last year. Barring any further disruptions, we are on track to grow by 3-5% this year.
Beyond recovery, we are in a good position to take on new opportunities as the world undergoes several major trends — the shift to digital, the emphasis on sustainability, and the premium on resilience. But successfully making the transition will require strong collective effort, one that we started several years ago with our Industry Transformation Maps.
As we start the Year of the Tiger, I was energised by the discussions and the ideas that came out of our FEC meeting. May we continue to create a more vibrant and inclusive economy that will benefit our workers and businesses for years to come.

 

[jw5]

HSK discussing with Gan, Chee and Choo among others.

Heng Swee Keat​

5 hrs ·

With Gan Kim Yong, Chee Hong Tat 徐芳达, Desmond Choo 朱倍庆 and some of our Future Economy Council members.

 

[jw5]

HSK wishes everyone a paws-perous Chinese New Year.

Heng Swee Keat​

6 hrs ·

I wish all our businesses, unions, and industry partners a paws-perous Chinese New Year! In this year of the water tiger, may things go swimmingly well for Singapore, with waves of good fortune, health, and happiness for all.

(MCI Photo by Lim Sin Thai)