People

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2023 – 2025

All office-bearers and members of the Executive and Audit Committees serve on a pro-bono basis; they do not receive any remuneration.

President:  Debbie Fordyce

Debbie FORDYCE began working with resettlement of Indochinese refugees in the USA in 1979, before coming to work with the Indochina refugee resettlement program in Singapore and Indonesia in 1980. That program ended in 1989, at which time Debbie was occupied with small children, and gradually with other jobs. She began volunteering with TWC2 in 2005, and set up The Cuff Road Project in 2008. Coordinating The Cuff Road project quickly became a full-time effort, and she continues in that capacity. In addition, Debbie heads the subcommittee that oversees medical assistance for injured and ill clients.

Vice-President: Alex Au

After a career in the corporate sector — mostly marketing and regional business development — Alex AU joined TWC2 in 2011, and for many years served as Treasurer. His first involvement in civil society began some twenty years prior, when he was prominent in Singapore’s LGBT movement. He is also known in Singapore as a socio-political commentator and human rights activist, and has contributed chapters to various books on politics and society. At TWC2, Alex has special responsibility for a number of portfolios: communications, internal data and case management systems, and international relations.

Secretary: Russell Heng

Russell HENG joined TWC2 soon after it was formed in 2003. He has since held the position of Secretary and Treasurer and was President for four years (two terms) between 2011 – 2015. He has a PhD in Political Science from the Australian National University and was a researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) until his retirement in 2007. Prior to his academic career at ISEAS, Heng was Features Editor of The Sunday Times in the Singapore Press Holdings group. At TWC2, Russell’s portfolios include fundraising and human resources, in addition to his role as Secretary.

Treasurer: Yew Kong Leong

YEW Kong Leong rejoined TWC2 in 2008 and has been a member of the executive committee since 2009. He held the post of Secretary from 2011 to 2013, and continues to oversee the technology needs of TWC2. Leong has a PhD in International Relations from the University of Adelaide and currently teaches at a local university.

Member of the Executive Committee: Christine Pelly

Christine PELLY is a volunteer with the Cuff Road Project. Her main concerns are inequalities and power differences and the vulnerabilities that result from this. In her work with the Cuff Road Project she advises and seeks to empower workers to address the challenges they face while unable to work. Christine is a member of TWC2′s Public Education team, arranging and conducting talks and workshops about migrant issues.

Member of the Executive Committee: Mizue Sauco

Mizue SAUCO first encountered migrant worker issues when she met her husband, who once was a migrant worker in Japan. After moving to Singapore in 2010, she took an interest in migrant worker’s precarious position in society, which led her to join TWC2. Since 2017, Mizue has volunteered with TWC2’s Wednesday Clinic and the Cuff Road meal programme. She enjoys in-depth casework on criminal cases and employment disputes. She holds a degree in the Spanish language, and she is currently a law student at the University of Essex Online.

Member of the Executive Committee: Sharon Tan

Sharon TAN has more than three decades of integrated experience in marketing, communications, public affairs, government relations, corporate social responsibility, and philanthropy. She helmed the Asia Pacific communications function for several MNCs such as DuPont, MTV, Levi Strauss, where she also served in a professional voluntary capacity as Vice President of the Business Coalition on AIDS in Singapore. Prior to that, Sharon was a public affairs consultant at Ogilvy & Mather. Upon graduation, Sharon’s first job was with the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and she served as First Secretary in their Washington, DC embassy. Sharon holds an LL.B (Honours) from the National University of Singapore and an LL.M from the University of London, specializing in international law and human rights.

Member of the Executive Committee: Miak Siew

Rev Miak SIEW is the executive pastor of Free Community Church in Singapore, serving the church since his ordination in 2011. He has been involved in advocacy work, being passionate about social justice issues, particularly those that impact people on the margins.

AUDIT COMMITTEE 2022 – 2024

Gurbinder Singh

A Chartered Accountant (Singapore) and a member of FCCA (UK), Gurbinder Singh is also a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors. Having started his career with Coopers & Lybrand in Malaysia and Price Waterhouse in Singapore, involved in management consulting and corporate recovery, he spent 27 years with DFS Group as VP Global Finance. Currently retired, he remains on the board of Gunung Oil Pte Ltd and is a member of the Audit Committee of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.

Varun Iyer Mani

A marine engineer with legal, management and leadership training and a professionally qualified MICS, Varun currently heads ship management in a Singapore-based logistics company. He is also a certified internal auditor for shipping companies. He has previously worked with Maersk, and with Shell Trading in London. In his younger and more footloose days, Varun has even sailed as an engineer on various types of oil and bulk cargo vessels.

MANAGEMENT

General Manager: Ethan Guo

Ethan GUO’s dream job growing up was to be a radio DJ and he became one after taking up media studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and RMIT. He started out at the station now known as CNA938 and later also part-timed with 91.3. Ethan vividly recalls being in the newsroom when the twin towers collapsed on 9/11. He counts Tharman Shanmugaratnam as one of his more memorable interviewees, along with notable dignitaries such as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson. Ethan would later go on to teach media at Temasek Polytechnic, then subsequently worked as media advisor and public affairs director for the US and Australian embassies respectively. A self-professed geek, Ethan has been on the Internet since 1994 and self-taught basic programming in primary school. At TWC2, Ethan runs the administration and casework functions. He also coordinates with respective Exco members regarding Care Fund operations which provide direct services to our clients.