The 2026 Industry Pivot: Turning Economic Uncertainty into a Competitive Advantage

In a market where costs burn faster than revenue, costs rise and disruption becomes the norm, intuition is no longer a strategy. The leaders who are staying ahead are not doing it alone but learning from each other. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of an open, honest conversation that could shape the way you lead tomorrow.  

Join Mr Desmond Choo (Minister of State for Defence, Ministry of Defence, Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC) as he delivers the keynote address, followed by an industry sharing by Mr Terry Tan (CEO, Country Foods).This session is designed for leaders who refuses to be left behind, perspectives on navigating global disruption, restructuring cost models and building long-term resilience.  

The conversation continues with a panel discussion featuring Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Terry Tan, alongside with voices from Ms Ong Huey Hong (Assistant Chief Executive, Industry Development Group, Singapore Tourism Board (STB)) and Mr Manu Bhaskaran (Founding CEO, Centennial Asia Advisors), diving deeper into the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.   

Beyond the sharing and panel discussion, leaders will also have opportunities to dive into specialized tracks covering Business Innovation and Sustainability alongside key information on the Workplace Fairness Act (WFA). 

Programme Outline: 

Session Deep Dives:  

• Keynote Address: Global Shifts, Local Impact: Strengthening Businesses and the Future of Work (By Mr. Desmond Choo, Minister of State for Defence, Ministry of Defence,  Deputy Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress) 
  This keynote will provide a strategic overview of the current global business landscape and its implications for Singapore. Learn how organisations can drive transformation and workforce development, with support from Tripartite partners.  
  

• Industry Sharing: Strategising Business Cost Structures and Managing Supply Chain Disruption  
  (By Mr. Terry Tan, Chief Executive Officer, Country Foods) 
  Practical insights on restructuring cost structures to meet new business challenges, complemented by use-case sharing on preventing and mitigating supply chain disruptions.  
   

• Panel Discussion on Navigating Uncertainty, Repositioning for Opportunities  
  This session features leaders from the public and private sectors sharing industry perspectives, macroeconomic insights, and data-driven findings from academic research. Participants will gain takeaways on building organisational resilience amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty.  
   

Two Breakout Workshops (You may choose 1 workshop to attend)  

1)    Workshop 1: Business Innovation & Sustainability  
Sharing by business leaders on driving innovation through new products, services, and sustainable practices to unlock growth opportunities. 

• Food Innovation – New Avenue Streams  
  (By Dr. Kwan Lui, Founder and Director, At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy)
• Your Company Next Move – Leveraging Competitive Advantages to Build a Sustainable Business  
  (By Dr. Rachel Ooi, Founder of Antioch Streams™ & Mangrove Mutuals™) 

2)    Workshop 2: Workplace Fairness Act (WFA)  
Sharing by MOM Director and Employment Lawyer to provide practical insights into WFA implementation, including real scenarios and how employers can prepare for compliance and fair workplace practices.  

• Understanding WFA Implementation: Real Scenarios and What They Mean  
  (By Ms. Faith Li, Director (Industrial Relations), Ministry of Manpower) 
• From Risks to Readiness: How Employers Can Prevent and Prepare Compliance begins before a complaint is filed  
  (By Mr Ng Zhao Yang, Principal, Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow) 

Secure Your Invitation 

This event is the essential hub for the architects of Singapore’s food and hospitality world. We invite Business Owners, CEOs, and HR Leaders representing the full spectrum of the ecosystem, from the high output environments of Food Manufacturing and the complex logistics of Wholesale Supermarkets, to the front lines of Global Hospitality and Food Services. If your role involves safeguarding margins, navigating regulatory shifts, or leading a transforming workforce, this dialogue is built for you. 

Venue: Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy (50 East Coast Road, Singapore 428769)  
Date: Wednesday, 1 July 2026 
Time: 12.00pm – 4.30pm 

Seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. 
We would like to invite up to 2 representatives from your organisation to attend. 

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, 16 June 2026, 6.00pm 

Lead the transition. Secure your organization’s future. 

Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) 

FDAWU Annual Stakeholder dialogue 2026 Speakers

Mr Desmond Choo

Minister of State for Defence at the Ministry of Defence. In 2015, Mr Desmond Choo was appointed Deputy Secretary-General and Group Director for HQ at NTUC. He oversees economic and social policies, strategic communications, and international affairs. Within the Labour Movement, Mr Desmond Choo is the Advisor to the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union. He also co-chair one of the five committees formed under the Economic Strategy Review (ESR), specifically on Managing Impact of Restructuring.

Mr Terry Tan

CEO of Country Foods and Chief Integrated Supply Chain for Food Solutions Group at SATS Ltd. Previously, he was the CEO for Emporion Foods, a Temasek-SATS start-up project, and prior to this, the Managing Director (New Business), SATS Ltd. He was a former SAF’s Commander CSSCOM, responsible for the supply chain and logistics, engineering and maintenance, transportation and freight, medical services and CSSCOM Training. Concurrently, he led the innovation, sustainability and governance mandates for the Singapore Army.

Ms Ong Huey Hong

Assistant Chief Executive of the Industry Development Group at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). Ms Ong leads the development of tourism industries including hotels, travel agents, MICE, and the Integrated Resorts. She oversees tourism sector human capital strategies and spearheaded the Hotel Industry Transformation Map (2015 – 2019) that restructured business operations across Singapore’s hotel industry for sustainable growth.

Mr Manu Bhaskaran

Founding CEO of Centennial Asia Advisors and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies. Mr. Bhaskaran provides independent economic research on Asian political and macroeconomic trends for investment institutions, government agencies, multilateral institutions and companies with interests in Asia, leveraging off 40 years of studying Asia.

Dr Kwan Lui

Founder of At Sunrice GlobalChef Academy and WellSpent Upcycling Pte Ltd. An entrepreneur and educator, Dr Lui actively serves on advisory boards and committees for universities, focusing on areas such as education, food, gastronomy, tourism and charities.

Dr Rachel Ooi

Founder of Antioch Streams™ & Mangrove Mutuals™ . Dr Rachel has spent 30 years inside organisations facing the same pressures many in this room know well – cost structures that no longer work, growth targets that demand new markets, and teams that need to move faster than the business ever has. Her C-suite career spanned Dentsu, Accenture, GE Digital, Ericsson, NXP, Syngenta, and WPP – where she helped scale businesses into international markets through M&As, Business Innovations, DeepTech entablements with pivotal business strategies and first-mover advantage competitive models.

Ms Faith Li

Director of Industrial Relations at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).  Ms Faith plays a key role in advocating and preserving workplace harmony at the workplace through mediation and conciliation to help unions and employers resolve employment disputes. She was previously the General Manager of TAFEP where she was involved in wide-ranging education/outreach efforts on fair employment practices, as well as the tripartite discussions to develop the upcoming Workplace Fairness Act.  

Mr Ng Zhao Yang

Principal in the Employment Practice Group at Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow.  Mr Ng has over 10 years of experience advising regional and multinational clients on Singapore employment law, including emerging regulatory developments such as the Workplace Fairness Act. He regularly supports clients across the full employment life cycle, combining legal and commercial perspectives to help organisations manage compliance and implementation effectively.  

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