Mak says he turned down the request at the time, even though he shared some of the same frustrations with SID. The National University of Singapore (NUS) accounting professor served on SID’s governing council from 2000 to 2005 before resigning from both his council role and fellow membership. Since leaving, Mak has become a frequent critic of the organisation.
The newly launched corporate governance body GDInstitute (GDI) may be only months old, but founder Mak Yuen Teen says the idea for the non-profit goes back decades.
“Actually, 20 years ago, there were a few directors who approached me and said they had some unhappiness with the existing director’s body, [the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID)],” Mak tells The Edge Singapore. “Then they asked me, ‘Can we work together and form an alternative director’s body?’”
