The Board’s role is to provide strategic direction and oversight of Marymount Centre’s programmes and objectives and to steer the charity towards fulfilling its vision and mission through good governance.

The Board shall comprise of 3 to 15 Directors. At all times, at least half of the Board members shall be Singapore citizens.

All Board members exercise independent judgment and act in the best interests of Marymount Centre. To ensure objectivity in decision making, all Board members are non-executive and do not receive any remuneration from Marymount Centre in their capacity as Board members.

Paid staff of Marymount Centre cannot be members of the Board, except expressly permitted by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Chief Executive of Marymount Centre is a member of the Board. Staff are not involved in setting their own remuneration.

The Board meets at least once every quarter. The quorum required for a meeting is at least one-third of the Board or at least three members, whichever is greater. Proceedings and decisions of Board meetings are minuted and circulated to the whole Board.

The Board is committed to teamwork and effective decision making. Towards this end, Board members are expected, among other things, to do their best to fairly represent the broader interests of all stakeholders, to promote harmony within the Board, and respect individual point of view, and confidentiality.

Directors are nominated on the basis of their merits, skills, experience and expertise and with consideration of the benefits of diversity (including but not limited to criteria of diversity such as gender, age, nationality and individual differences both in professional and personal experiences), as well as their personal qualities and integrity.

Besides their core skills or competencies such as accounting, finance, legal, human resources, business and management, strategic planning, fundraising, communications, medical, and relevant sectoral knowledge, all Board members attend regular specialised training, such as in non-profit management.

The Board conducts a written self-evaluation survey at least annually to assess the performance and effectiveness of the Board as a whole. The results of the survey are analysed and shared with all members for action to be taken, where necessary.

The term of each Board member does not exceed 2 consecutive years, but he/she may be re-appointed for consecutive terms.

The Board reviews and plans renewals and board succession annually through a strategy which requires one third of Board members to resign, based on years of service. These Board members may offer themselves for re-nomination and be re-appointed a further term, as long as the total number of years served does not exceed 10 years.

The Board has established the following Board committees, with written terms of reference, to assist with the governance and management of Marymount Centre.

Chairperson: Woo Mei Lin Jacqueline (Director, Board of Directors)

Members: Jane Marie Ng Yin Gek, Anne Loo Voon Voon

 

The Governance & Nominations Committee is to assist the Board:

(a) in creating and maintaining a healthy governance culture that reflects current governance standards and good practices; and

(b) in ensuring that the Board fulfils its legal, ethical and functional responsibilities, including nominations of the Board members and risk management.

Chairperson: Quek Toi Wee (Director, Board of Directors)

Members: Joycelyn Ong Yueh Ling, Cecilia Ee Beng Neo, Tang Edmund Koon Kay

 

The Finance Committee is:

(a) to scrutinise, review and provide oversight on all major finance and budgeting policies and activities; and

(b) to provide guidance and recommendations to the Board on the internal control of these matters.

Chairperson: Ho Teik Tiong (Director, Board of Directors)

Members: Woo Mei Lin Jacqueline, Eileen Koh

 

The role of the Audit Committee is to review and recommend to the Board for their approval Marymount Centre’s:

(a) annual financial reports and statements;

(b) audit processes and compliance risk;

(c) adequacy of the systems of internal controls addressing financial, operational and compliance risks;

(d) processes to manage financial and operational; and

(e) appointment/re-appointment and resignation/dismissal of auditors of Marymount Centre.

Chairperson: Joycelyn Ong Yueh Ling (Director, Board of Directors)

Members: Jonafah Lawrence Lopez, Gemma Fernandez, Marise Lee Heong

 

The Programme and Services Committee is to ensure that the programmes and services are planned, tracked and reviewed so as to be in line with the vision and meet the objectives of Marymount Centre.

Chairperson: Siew Hui Zhen Natalie (Director, Board of Directors)

Members: Yap Lian Hiang Vivien, Sng Ren Huai Amelia, Chew Tin Wah Grace Pauline, Siew Hui Yi Nicole

 

The Human Resources and Volunteer Management Committee is to assist the Board in formulating and implementing the human resources and volunteer management strategy to support the recruitment, motivation and retention of staff and volunteers to carry out the mission and objectives of Marymount Centre.

Marymount Centre has a Conflict of Interest Policy and operating procedure to avoid and manage situations of actual or perceived conflict of interest. Board members, management, staff and volunteers are required to submit a declaration of any interests, relationships or holdings that could potentially result in a conflict of interest upon appointment/commencement and annually thereafter. In the event of a conflict, the conflicted person must make full disclosure and not participate in any discussion or decision on the matter.

Marymount Centre is committed to a high standard of compliance with accounting, financial reporting, corporate governance, internal controls and auditing requirements and any legislation relating thereto. In line with this commitment, it has a whistle-blowing policy that aims to provide an avenue for employees and external parties, including vendors, suppliers, service users, beneficiaries, volunteers, applicants for employment, and the public to raise concerns and offer them reassurance that they will protected from reprisals or victimisation for whistle blowing in good faith.

Any person can report in confidence to the Chairperson of the Board or the Chairperson of the Audit Committee any misconduct or wrong-doing by any director, staff member, volunteer or other person connected to Marymount Centre. Each report will be dealt with in accordance with a well-defined protocol. The email address: chairperson@marymountctr.org.sg

Marymount Centre is set up to achieve the objectives set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association for the benefit of society. The vision, “Touching Lives, Building Hope”, and the mission to empower lives, restore rights, and uphold dignity, is clearly expressed and its charitable work carefully planned and implemented. The Board has approved the 3-Year Strategic Plan covering 2021-2023, which identified the following key components to propel Marymount Centre to achieve its objectives:-

 

• To adopt the Trauma Informed Positive Behaviour Intervention Support (TIPBIS) model in residential care operations.
• To implement succession planning in executive management through the identification of leaders who will be trained and mentored with clear career paths.
• To improve its digitalization infrastructure and embrace the fast-changing environment with the aim of achieving sector’s benchmarks.
• To continue to build staff capacities and capabilities

 

The Board reviews our vision and mission periodically to ensure their continued relevance to its changing environment and needs.

The programmes and activities conducted by Marymount Centre determine the charitable work that it sets out to accomplish. They are carefully planned, tracked and reviewed to ensure that they are relevant to its vision and mission. Its operations and programmes are directed towards achieving its objectives. The outcomes of each programme are clearly defined, and the Board is kept regularly updated on the progress of the programmes and services. Marymount Centre has developed an evaluation process that measures the effectiveness of its programmes and that the outcomes are in line with its mission and objectives.

Human resources are important assets of Marymount Centre, thus there are clear policies in place for the staff and volunteers who run its operations and programmes. The Board ensures that a process is established to identify the training needs of staff and volunteers, so as to equip them with the necessary skills to perform their roles effectively. There are staff responsible for volunteer management. The Human Resource and Volunteer Management Committee provides guidance to the staff in carrying out their duties and responsibilities.

Marymount Centre has sound financial management and comply with applicable laws and regulations, so as to ensure that its resources are used legitimately and can be accounted for. The Board ensures that internal controls are in place with documented procedures for financial matters such as procurement procedures and controls, receipting, payments, and a robust system for the delegation of authority and limits of approval.

The Board approves an annual budget appropriate for the plans and programmes and regularly monitors expenditure to prevent or minimize operating deficits. Financial statements with comparative budget figures are presented at least quarterly to the Board at Board meetings, with analysis and explanations given for major differences.

Marymount Centre maintains some level of reserves to ensure its long-term financial sustainability. Restricted funds and endowment funds are set up solely for clear and justifiable needs. Prospective donors are informed of the purpose of the funds, the amount of funds needed and the planned timing for the utilization of such funds, such as the planned commencement date and expected completion date. For existing funds, Marymount Centre discloses the purpose, size and planned timing for the use of these funds. It ensures that these funds are not used or transferred to other funds except with the expressed permission of the relevant donors.

Marymount Centre invests its reserves in accordance with an investment policy approved by the Board which obtains advice from qualified professional advisors if deemed necessary. The reserve target is established at a level equivalent to two times the amount of its annual operating expenditure.

Marymount Centre ensures that its fundraising activities are transparent and ethical. It accounts to its donors on what, how and when the funds would be used. It ensures that its fundraising activities preserves its integrity and transparency, and help promote public trust and confidence in Marymount Centre and its activities.

Donors receive accurate and ethical advice about Marymount Centre, and the intended use, value and tax implications of donations. All donations received, solicited or unsolicited, are properly accounted for and promptly deposited. All donations-in-kind received are properly recorded and accounted for. Marymount Centre respects donors’ confidentiality, and does not disclose the identity of donors or share information on donors without prior permission from the donors.

Marymount Centre does not engage third party fundraisers. There were no fundraising events in 2020 and 2021.

Marymount Centre is transparent and accountable in its operations by providing information about its mission, structure, programmes, activities and finances, as well as be responsive to requests for information. It makes available to its stakeholders an annual report that includes information on its programmes, activities, audited financial statements, its Board members and executive management, the number of Board meetings in the year reported on, and the attendance of each Board member on a named basis. In addition, the following disclosures are made in the annual report, the latest for the year, 2020.

 

• None of the directors receive any remuneration or benefits for their services on the Board.
• The Chief Executive who is member of the Board, receives remuneration for her functional role.
• None of the paid staff are close family members of the Chief Executive or Board member.
• There are no related paid staff receiving remuneration in excess of S$50,000.
• Two paid staff received a total annual remuneration in the band of S$100,000 – S$199,999.

Marymount Centre has built up its image consistent with its objectives, and accurately portrays its image to its stakeholders, including its members, service users, beneficiaries, donors and the public. Only the Chief Executive and Chairperson of the Board are authorised to respond to media inquiries. All press releases or other promotional materials, including the annual report must be approved by the Board prior to dissemination. Any use of the name and/or logo of Marymount Centre by third parties must be approved by the Board.

Marymount Centre has policies and procedures that comply with the 10 obligations of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA). Data is used solely for the disclosed purposes, unless otherwise permitted under the law.