Asia-Commonwealth Business Summit

Kumaran Barathan was reappointed Chief Executive Officer of SICCI in July 2018, having served before as its CEO from July 2013 to June 2014. During his previous stint with SICCI, he was also appointed Vice-President of the South Asia Business Group, member of the Community Engagement Programme (CEP), the Taxpayer Feedback Panel and SG50 Partnership Committee. Currently, he is also the Centre Director for SME Centre@SICCI, a subsidiary of SICCI in collaboration with Enterprise Singapore that offers business advisory services for free. Prior to his reappointment as CEO, Barathan served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) from July 2014 to June 2018.

As CEO of SICCI, Barathan brings with him a wealth of experience to propel the Chamber to greater heights. With an impressive career spanning over 35 years, Barathan has held distinguished senior positions with the Economic Development Board (EDB), and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). While at EDB, he received many notable awards including the National Day Award in 2007, the Ministry of Trade and Industry Innovation Awards in 2011 and 2012, and the EDB Annual Innovation Awards twice. Barathan’s stint with the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), a national research institute under A*STAR saw ICES being awarded Best Research Institute for Economic Drive in 2011.

Barathan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Management from Monash University (Australia) and a Masters in Applied Psychology from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). He was the recipient of the Glaxo-SmithKline-EDB scholarship award in 1993. In line with SICCI’s mission of providing business opportunities to expand and grow in Singapore and abroad, Barathan oversees the administration of the Secretariat and the SME Centre to ensure that reliable and value-added services and resources are provided to members of SICCI.