Our Journey

The SICCI Journey:1924 - 2014

Messages to the Pre & Post War Years
The Post-Independence Years
Stepping into the New Millennium
Annexes

From Humble Beginnings

The Chamber has its humble beginnings through the efforts of a few dedicated businessmen who set out in 1924 to organise the Indian mercantile community and set up the Indian Merchant Association (IMA).
Eleven years later, on 26 August 1935, when Mr R Jumabhoy was President of the IMA, the Association’s name was officially changed to the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
The ICC changed its name to the Indian Chamber of Commerce (SICC) in 1971 to reflect the changing nature of its compositions and focus.
A further change in name took place in 1991 when the SICC was renamed the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

SICCI’s journey begins in 1924, when a small, dedicated group of Indian businessmen came together to form an association to better protect, advance and unify the interests of the Indian business community. First known as the Indian Merchants Association (IMA), the organisation played a pivotal role in serving as a rallying point for Indian businesses in Singapore.

On 26 August 1935, under the presidency of Mr. R Jumabhoy J P, the IMA was renamed as the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). A further two years later, in 1937, the ICC incorporated as company in under the Companies Ordinance.

In 1971, in order to better reflect the evolving nature of its work and role in the community, the ICC was renamed the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce (SICC).

In 1991, the Chamber underwent a further, final name change, into the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI).

SICCI continues on its journey of aiding its members and partners in achieving new heights of business excellence.

As the Indian Merchants Association (IMA), the organisation started out in small, rented room in an old building in Malacca Street, where Republic Plaza now stands. In 1937, when it was incorporated as the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Chamber found its home in a new, more spacious residence at 4 Raffles Quay.

The Chamber moved twice more in the 50s and 60s; once in 1953, moving to 94B Robinson Road, and once more in 1963, when it finally acquired its very own three-storey building, at 55 Robinson Road.

In 1984, the Chamber acquired an office space in the Tong Eng Building, Cecil Street, where it set up a Trade Documentation Centre. The Centre also served as an ideal venue for the Chamber’s numerous conferences, seminars and training sessions.

In 2007, the Chamber acquired a property in 31 Stanley Street – a three-and-a-half conservation building located in the Central Business District, which the Chamber has since called its home. With its strategic, highly-accessible location right in the heart of business in Singapore, the Chamber is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including the Small & Medium Enterprise Centre (SME Centre @ SICCI), which aims to foster enterprise development amongst its SMEs.

The SICCI Board of Directors has had the privilege of being chaired by successful and prominent members of the Singapore Indian community. Each of these leaders, with support from their Boards, has played a catalyst role in helping SICCI develop into a premier chamber of commerce and industry.Since 1935, 19 committed and dedicated individuals have been Presidents or Chairmen of the Chamber with several of them serving as for more than one term.

President/Chairman Years
Mr R Jumabhoy 1935, 1940, 1941, 1946-1948,1950, 1953 & 1954,
Mr M Jumabhoy 1936 & 1937
Mr G Maganlal 1938 & 1939
Mr Hardial Singh 1949
Mr D T Assomull 1951, 1952, 1955-1957 & 1962
Mr K M Abdul Razak 1958-1961 and 1963-1965
Mr G Ramachandran 1966-1968,1973-1974, 1982-1984, 1985-1986
Mr Roop K Vaswani 1970-1972
Mr D D Sachdev 1969 & 1975-1977
Mr J M Jumabhoy 1978-1982
Mr Rupchand J Bhojwani 1986-1990
Mr Tikamdas R Mulani 1990-1992
Mr Murli K Chanrai 1992-1996
Mr Dau Dayal Gupta 1996-2000
Mr Nitin B Doshi 2000-2002
Mr Shabbir Hassanbhai 2002-2004
Mr M Rajaram 2004-2008
Mr Vijay Iyengar 2008-2010
Mr R Narayanamohan 2010-2014
Dr R Theyvendran, PBM 2014-2018
Dr Chandroo 2018-2022
Mr Neil Parekh 2022-

The SICCI Secretariat leadership is vital in ensuring the continued progress and development of the Chamber. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the head of the SICCI Secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the Chamber. Working closely with the Board, the management team and the rest of the SICCI Secretariat team, he is responsible for developing programmes and initiatives, and bringing them to fruition for the benefit of the SICICI membership.

Secretariat Heads Designation Years
Mr. N M Mehta Secretary 1936
Mr. G B Nair Acting Secretary 1937
Mr. J M Dorai Raj Secretary 1946-1954
Mr. P S Rajaratnam Secretary 1955-1958
Mr. A K Issac Secretary 1959-1965
Mr. Syed Aljunied Acting Secretary 1966
Mr. S N Dorai Secretary 1967-1980
Mr. George Abraham Executive Director 1980-2003
Mr. Predeep K Menon Chief Executive Officer 2003-2009
Mr. Hernaikh Singh Chief Executive Officer 2010-2012
Mr. K Barathan Chief Executive Officer 2013-2014
Mr. George Abraham Consultant Chief Executive Officer 2014-2015
Mr. Sunil Peter Chief Executive Officer 2017-2018
Mr. K Barathan Chief Executive Officer 2018-2020
Mr. Johnson Paul Chief Executive Officer 2020-2022
Ms. Jamuna Rani Govindaraju Executive Director & Advisor 2022-