Xinglun Holdings President Li Jianhui Elected New SBF Chairman
Li Jianhui, president of Xinglun Holdings, has been elected the new chairman of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), succeeding former chairman Zhang Songsheng, who earlier announced that he would step aside temporarily and would not seek re-election.
The SBF held its 24th Annual General Meeting on Wednesday (June 24) and elected its 13th Council for a two-year term ending in 2028.
In a statement, the SBF said the new council has 24 members, including 12 elected council members, 11 representatives from industry associations and chambers, and one co-opted member.
The new council includes six new members, among them Adam Click, president of AmCham Singapore; Mo Shi-xiang, president of the Singapore Food & Beverage Association; Lee De-ming, chairman of SGTech; and Suhaimi Zainul-Abidin, CEO of hedge fund Quantedge Capital.
During the AGM, the SBF also held its fifth Future Ready Business Dialogue, with Minister for Public Service Coordination and Defence Chan Chun Sing as guest of honour.
The dialogue, themed “System-wide readiness: what must government and business change?”, brought together business leaders and policymakers to discuss how companies can build resilience, future-ready capabilities and respond to growing uncertainty.
Li Jianhui: Keep Businesses Competitive and Resilient for the Future
The new chairman, Li Jianhui, is also a Nominated Member of Parliament. In a statement, he said geopolitical tensions, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), and shifts in trade patterns are reshaping the global economy, bringing both challenges and opportunities to businesses.
“My top priority is to ensure businesses remain competitive, resilient and future-ready. We will work closely with businesses, the government and industry partners to develop practical solutions, create an environment that supports business growth, and help firms build the capabilities needed for innovation, internationalization and robust growth,” Li said.
He also noted that Singapore will chair ASEAN next year, presenting an opportunity to deepen regional economic integration and reinforce ASEAN as a key engine of global growth. “The SBF will work with regional partners to turn these opportunities into tangible business outcomes and help ASEAN become more connected, more innovative and more sustainable.”
Li previously served as SBF vice chairman and treasurer. While Zhang Songsheng temporarily stepped down as chairman, Li also acted in the role of chairman.
Seventy-one-year-old Zhang Songsheng said in a statement in May that he would not seek re-election after his SBF chairmanship ended on June 24. He had earlier temporarily stepped down from several roles, including SBF chairman and Executive Chairman of Pacific International Lines, to deal with allegations by the US Department of Justice. Earlier, Lianhe Zaobao reported that US authorities accused him of allegedly being involved in manipulating dry container prices.
