Six more firms join spexBusiness Network

SINGAPORE — Eight months after it was launched with seven companies, six more firms have joined the Sports Excellence Business (spexBusiness) Network for Athletes, the body that drives the Sports Excellence Career (spexCareer) Scheme which provides a pathway for Singapore athletes to have a stable livelihood after their sports careers are over.

Yesterday, Amore Fitness, Borneo Motors Singapore, DBS Bank, Deloitte Singapore, DHL Supply Chain and Sakae Holdings were unveiled as the latest to come on board, bringing the number of firms under the spexBusiness Network for Athletes to 13.

A new advisory panel was also unveiled yesterday and tasked with ensuring the programme is successfully implemented.

Chaired by Tan Yen Yen, the regional vice-president and managing director, Asia Pacific (South) for SAS Institute, the seven-person panel will advise the High Performance Sports (HPS) Selection and Performance sub-committee on matters pertaining to the spexBusiness Network.

Although the number of companies in the scheme has nearly doubled, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck stressed more had to be done to increase the outreach to firms here to generate a greater awareness of what the scheme aims to achieve. He added the potential is there for the demand from companies to employ former elite athletes to outstrip the supply.

“We’re doing networking sessions every other month to encourage more companies to join the scheme,” said Teo, who chairs the HPS Selection and Performance sub-committee.

“(We ask the companies) not to see the candidates just as athletes, but as a person who can contribute to their companies. (The athletes) are very special because they have achieved at such a high level, and the response has been positive because everyone wants a good talent.

“I believe there will be a higher demand than supply, but we haven’t done enough of outreach to increase the awareness of this scheme.”

The spexCareer Scheme offers the athletes a second career after sports, and also gives assurance to parents to commit their children to sports, said Teo.

“But of course (the athletes) have to work really hard to be a functioning member of a company,” he added, noting the feedback has been positive from companies who have employed athletes under the scheme, and that “some have been asking for more”.

Launched in November last year, the spexCareer Scheme saw companies from different industries have come on board to offer career development support.

These include internships, apprenticeships, job placements and flexible workplace practices, allowing active elite athletes to train and compete while holding a job, and get a headstart when seeking full-time employment.

In May, financial services firm Deloitte Singapore hired netballer Suhailah Karimun as a special project executive on a full-time basis and in July, it took on Singapore’s top male badminton player Derek Wong as a research specialist on a six-month contract, with view of a full-time role.

Seak Gek Choo, talent partner for Deloitte, said having athletes brings tangible benefits for the more than 2,000 Deloitte employees here. “We look to them to champion certain sports for us and build up the sporting culture within the company and bring people in the firm together.”

Companies in the spexBusiness Network:

Adecco, Charles & Keith, KPMG, MSIG Insurance, MOH Holdings, Resorts World Sentosa, StarHub, Amore Fitness*, Borneo Motors Singapore*, DBS Bank*, Deloitte Singapore*, DHL Supply Chain*, Sakae Holdings*

*new