by SINGAPORE – The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), has taken over the leadership of the ASEAN Furniture Industries Council (AFIC) from its Philippines counterpart, the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines.
As part of the change, the AFIC also has named Ernie Koh as chairman for a two-year term. He takes over the role from outgoing chairman from the Philippines, Emmanuel Padierno.
In addition to Singapore and the Philippines, the AFIC is made up of several other member countries in the region including Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Koh, who has served as president of the SFIC for two previous terms, also is chairman of the group’s trade show arm, International Furniture Fair Singapore (IFFS). He also is Executive Director of case goods and upholstery manufacturer Koda Ltd. and serves as Presidential Advisor to SFIC.
The SFIC described Koh as “an industry veteran who is passionate about the furniture trade.”
“With a vast experience behind him and a strong international network of contacts, Mr. Koh is well positioned to bring his experience and leadership to take AFIC to greater heights,” the organization added. “Always at the forefront of emerging trends, sustainability has always been one of the key areas of focus for Ernie in his own company.”
Koh said he was honored to assume the chairmanship and that he “will build upon the good foundation established by the Philippines, the outgoing AFIC Chair and respective council members to further strengthen intra-ASEAN trade and competitive advantage for the global market.”
Koh said that as part of the AFIC 2025 roadmap towards a sustainable future, the AFIC will form a special sustainability task force to “work together with related stakeholders to tackle challenges faced in the bid to adopt green business practices and grow more regional growth champions…End consumers are now more knowledgeable about sustainability issues while corporate customers with similar needs will also source from suppliers that are compliant in this regard. There will be a greater demand for sustainable products in the coming future and our industry needs to embrace this trend, which cannot be ignored.”
