Singapore Institute of Directors (SID) CEO Terence Quek says he will step down from the national association at the end of April 2026, after nearly four years in the role.
In a LinkedIn post published Dec 8, Quek says he “wasn’t actively looking to move”, but was offered “an unexpected and exciting opportunity”, without stating his next role. “After careful reflection, I realised this new role would allow me to learn even more and grow in ways I could not ignore. The decision was not easy, but once I made it, it felt right,” reads Quek’s post.
Quek joined SID in May 2022. Previously the APAC CEO of consulting firm Emergenetics International and co-founder of strategic communications firm Caelan & Sage, Quek spent 13 years as a Naval Combat Officer and Staff Officer with the Singapore Navy. He was awarded the Public Service Star in 2021.
SID, which celebrated its 27th anniversary this year, is on the hunt for a new CEO. According to Quek, SID’s Nominating and Governance Committee “has begun conversations with potential candidates”, and an executive search firm is “supporting the process”.
“I’m sharing my plans early because I want to support the Council in widening the search for the next CEO, someone who can take this organisation even farther,” writes Quek.
In a separate LinkedIn post, SID says the search for Quek's successor began in November. “SID is in a strong financial position, supported by a committed executive team and an engaged community of council and committee members, partners and stakeholders.”
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Since Quek took on the role of CEO some three years ago, membership of the national association for company directors has grown from 3,300 to 5,500, said Quek in an interview with The Edge Singapore on the sidelines of SID’s directors conference on Sept 12.
Some four in five members are directors, while one in five are C-suite executives.
“They could be aspiring [directors] or they could be senior partners of professional firms, because they are not allowed to go on commercial boards [due to] conflict of interest. Some of them are also academics, professors [and] researchers; they make up the 20%,” says Quek.
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About one in three SID members is accredited, which means they have undergone SID’s Director Accreditation Programme.
Quek launched the voluntary programme in May 2024, where accreditation hopefuls must take an accreditation exam or complete one of three specific programmes by Singapore Management University (SMU), Insead or IMD.
Accreditation is valid for two years, and renewal is conditional on completing 40 hours of an array of activities under SID’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme.
