Board of Directors

Lee Swee Keng

Executive Chairman and Executive Director

Mr Lee Swee Keng was appointed to the Board in September 2004 as a Director and Executive Chairman. Mr Lee is responsible for charting and steering the Group’s business direction, overall management, strategic planning and business development of the Group. He has more than 40 years of operation and management experience in the food, construction machinery and equipment industries. As a key founder of the Group, Mr Lee partnered with Mr Chen Kaitong in setting up and operating small-scale department stores in Anxi, Fujian, before they collaborated to establish Zhongmin Baihui. Mr Lee was conferred the Public Service Medal (Pingat Kakti Masyarakat or “PBM”) in 2014.

Chen Kaitong

Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director

Mr Chen Kaitong is a key founder of the Group and was appointed as a Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Group in December 2008. He is also a director of various companies of the Group. Mr Chen is instrumental to the Group’s growth, operations and direction. He is responsible for strategic corporate planning, business development and overseeing the key day-to-day operations of the Group. Mr Chen has more than 30 years of experience in the retail industry in China. He was involved in the early stages of setting up and running the first modern department store of the Group in Anxi. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to the sector. He currently serves as the vice president of the Fujian Federation of Enterprises and Entrepreneurs, the honorary president of the Fujian Modern Commerce, Culture and Tourism Chamber of Commerce, the executive vice president of Quanzhou Enterprises and Entrepreneurs, and the president of the Fujian Chain Operations Association. He also deputies to the 17th National People’s Congress and other social organizations.

In 2008, he was named the first moral model of Quanzhou City by the Quanzhou City Spiritual Civilization Construction Steering Committee; in 2009, he was on the “China Good People” list which was selected by the Secretariat of the Central Civilization Office and the China Civilization Network; in 2016, he was evaluated by the Talent Office of the Quanzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China as one of the 20 Leading Talents in Enterprise Management in Quanzhou City and was awarded the Best Management Innovation Award for Cross-border Innovation Leaders in China’s Retail Industry by the China Department Store Business Association. In 2018, Chen Kaitong was elected as the Quanzhou Economic Figure of the Year 2018 at the Quanzhou Economic Annual Conference jointly sponsored by the Propaganda Department of the Quanzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and other nine units.

Yee Chia Hsing

Independent Director

Mr Yee Chia Hsing was appointed as our Independent Director on 24 November 2023. Mr Yee, a First-Class Honours graduate in Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University Singapore, has significant experience in corporate finance, capital markets and management.

Mr Yee has more than 20 years of experience in the banking and finance industry. After his banking career, he went on to head a health supplements division of a SGX listed company, before taking on the Executive Director/ CEO role in another SGX listed company with hospitality assets.

Mr Yee is a Member of the Audit Committee of Ren Ci Hospital (non-director role). He also sits on the boards of Yangzijiang Shipbuilding (Holdings) Ltd and Beng Kuang Marine Limited as Independent Director. Mr Yee served as a Member of Parliament of Chua Chu Kang GRC (“Nanyang division”) from 2015 to 2020.

Zou Qige

Independent Director

Mr. Zou Qige was appointed to the Board as an Independent Director of the Company on 24 November 2023. He is a Chinese licensed lawyer and a partner of AllBright Law Offices. He has been working as a lawyer in Shanghai for more than 20 years and has rich experience in various corporate matters, including corporate investment and financing, merger & acquisition, corporate governance and private equity etc. Between year 2007 to 2015, he worked as a partner at Bao Rui Legal, which was in strategic alliance with a well-known Singapore law firm. Before that, Mr. Zou worked as a partner at Hiway Law office in Shanghai. He has advised more than ten China based companies and Singapore companies on their initial public offering or dual listing in Singapore or Hong Kong and therefore, is familiar with regulatory requirements of Singapore Exchange Limited. Mr. Zou holds a Bachelor of Art degree in legal English and a Master of Law degree from East China University of Political Science and Law.

Kho Kewee

Independent Director

Mr Kewee Kho was appointed to the board as Independent Director in July 2021. He is chairman of the nominating and remuneration committee, and member of the audit committees. His work experience over the last 25 years accumulated in the US and Asia-Pacific is multiroled which include investment banking, private equity, venture capital, investments, corporate and business development, corporate finance, entrepreneur, and business management, covering a broad spectrum of industries. Presently, he is focused on proprietary investments, and corporate and financial advisory.

Mr Kho is currently senior consultant (non-legal) with GGCLaw and director at Nautilus Maritime Pte Ltd. Previously, he was co-founder and executive director of Castell Logistics Pte Ltd; vice-chairman of Roadbull Logistics Pte Ltd; director at SBI Ven Capital Pte Ltd (formerly SoftBank Investments); corporate advisor at JSCL Investments Pte Ltd/Homestay Residences Pte Ltd; managing director at Alpha Advisory Pte Ltd; head of capital markets, investment banking, Hong Leong Bank, Singapore; and vice-president of business development at Kim Eng Securities Pte Ltd. Before returning to Asia, he was in Chicago with Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Mr Kho was previously board member of Lee Metal Group Limited, Courts Asia Limited, and MS Holdings Limited. He is a Fellow of Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and member of Singapore Institute of Directors. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University and post Graduate Certificate in International Arbitration from National University of Singapore, Law.