Asia Law Network would like to extend its heartiest congratulations to Mr Ban Jiun Ean on his new role, at the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) as their new Executive Director.
Mr Ban will succeed Mr Loong Seng Onn, who has assumed the role since SMC’s inception in 1997.
Mr Ban was formerly a policymaker at the Ministry of Law, and was also the founding Chief Executive Officer of Maxwell Chambers. He has been deeply involved in alternative dispute resolution policy in both these capacities– working, in particular, on the Community Mediation Centres.
Mr Ban shares that he is “honoured to be given the opportunity to lead SMC. As a firm believer in the value of mediation, I look forward to working hard with the team to establish mediation as the primary dispute resolution mechanism in Singapore and to strengthen SMC’s position as a leading alternative dispute resolution centre in Asia”.
On Mr Ban’s new appointment, the Honourable Justice Belinda Ang commends Mr Ban for his “initiatives and achievements [that] demonstrate Jiun Ean’s familiarity with alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, as well as his commitment to expanding their reach”.
Justice Ang also paid tribute to the outgoing Mr Loong’s contributions to SMC. “On behalf of the SMC Board, I would also like to thank Seng Onn for the last two decades of dedicated service, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours,” she said. “But I am pleased to note that his efforts to strengthen Singapore’s mediation scene do not end here—he will continue to use his skills and knowledge to serve SMC, this time as a consultant”.
A subsidiary of the Singapore Academy of Law, SMC is Singapore’s leading provider of alternative dispute resolution services. This includes its core offering of mediation services, which do not require parties to go to court to settle their differences. Its other dispute resolution services include adjudication, neutral evaluation, collaborative family practice and Singapore domain name dispute resolution service. As one of four designated mediation service providers under Singapore’s Mediation Act, SMC-administered mediation settlements can be converted into court orders that are immediately enforceable.
The Centre manages a case-load of about 1,000 cases (both mediation and adjudication) per year. Since its launch, it has mediated close to 4,000 matters worth over S$9 billion. About 70 per cent of these cases are settled, with 90 per cent of them resolved within a day, attesting to the effectiveness of mediation.
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