Our Commitment

Who We Are

Our Mission

Our definition of silent sufferers includes both animals, the environment and human beings as long as they are overlooked and are not getting sufficient assistance from the public at large. As animals and the environment cannot speak for themselves, they often do not receive sufficient care and attention. On the human front, there are also causes which have less commercial value to corporate donors and as a result, are being ignored. The Foundation has identified migrant workers, minority races and women’s rights as the common causes often being overlooked by the society. The Foundation devotes its resources equally to both animals, environment and human causes.

The Foundation provides funding in two ways. Wherever possible, the Foundation tries to achieve maximum impact by engaging in activities that have maximum outreach and multiplier effect. It may fund activities which are involved in advocacy, education, publicity through press, road shows and social media. The Foundation may originate its own programs and/or partner with other charitable organisations to undertake such activities.

The Foundation also allocates part of its fund to provide relief to victims of natural disasters and social abuses.

Our History

The Silent Foundation was founded on 14 July 2010 by Mr Teng Ngiek Lian. It is a registered charity in Singapore.

Mr Teng was born in Terengganu, Malaysia. After completing his O levels at the age of 18, he left school and started work. He took part-time work to support his studies and eventually qualified as a chartered certified accountant and a chartered secretary. He climbed his corporate career first as a clerk, later bookkeeper, accountant, financial comptroller, COO and finally a CEO. In 1996, he fulfilled his dream to manage his own business and founded an asset management business called Target Asset Management.

In 2010, at the age of 60, Mr Teng founded The Silent Foundation. He felt that he has benefited tremendously from the society all these years and it is his duty to pay back.

Funded by the Teng family, the Foundation today has an Endowment Capital Sum of SGD50 million.

The foundation is named The Silent Foundation as it is dedicated to assist the ‘silent sufferers’. Silent sufferers refer to those who have been overlooked by the society and tend to be voiceless. This is in line with Mr Teng’s professional work, as he practices value investing which focuses in the overlooked and unloved sectors.

Our Leadership

Executive Directors

Mr Teng Ngiek Lian

Founder & Executive Chairman

Chief Executive Officer

Mr Matthew Teng Wen Lien

  • Mr Matthew Teng is the Chief Investment Officer at Pru Wise Management.
  • He graduated in 2001 from the University of Melbourne.
  • He is passionate about animal and environmental protection.

Non-Executive Independent Directors

Ms Stacy Choong Hui Hui

  • Ms Stacy Choong is currently a Partner with Withers KhattarWong LLP. Prior to that, Stacy was a Managing Director of the wealth advisory team in one of the top global private banks.
  • She advised High Net Worth clients on succession planning and wealth structuring. Stacy worked for more than 15 years in legal practice at one of the largest law firms in Singapore.
  • At the law firm, she specialised in providing advice to private foundations, charities and non-profit organizations in tax, operational, regulatory and compliance matters.

Non-Executive Independent Directors

Mr Simon Tensing de Cruz

  • Mr Simon Tensing de Cruz is currently Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Ukraine (resident in Singapore).
  • Mr de Cruz spent 35 years in the foreign service and served as ambassador in the Philippines, Myanmar and Russia.
  • He was also Singapore’s High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, resident in Singapore.
  • Since leaving the foreign service in 2012, Mr de Cruz has been involved in several volunteer welfare organisations (VWOs) and is also a District Councillor for the South East Community Development Council (SE CDC).

Non-Executive Independent Directors

Mr R. Raghunathan

  • Mr R. Raghunathan is the former Chief Executive Officer of the World Wide Fund For Nature (Singapore) Ltd.
  • As CEO of WWF-Singapore for nearly four years from 2020 to 2024, he was focused on shaping conservation strategies with global impact and local relevance, bringing communities, businesses and governments together to enable change.
  • As a former partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Singapore, he also has more than 25 years of experience in management and business consulting, having spearheaded successful transformation strategies for organisations in Singapore and the region.
  • He serves as an executive committee member at SINDA (Singapore Indian Development Association), a self-help group that uplifts the socio-economic status of the Indian community in Singapore.
  • He graduated from the University of Delhi with an Honours Degree in Commerce. He also holds the Singapore Chartered Accountant and CPA (Colorado, USA) qualifications.

Non-Executive Independent Directors

Mr Azmoon Bin Ahmad

  • Mr Azmoon is a senior management staff of Desay SV Automotive, China.
  • Prior to that he held other senior positions in businesses in Asia region.
  • Azmoon holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and a Master Degree in Finance.
  • His has been active in social and community work and held many positions including Chairman of Association of Muslim Professionals, a Nominated Member of Parliament and a Director of National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.
  • Currently he is a Member of Board of Governors of the Institute of Technical Education and the Chairman of Mendaki SENSE (a subsidiary of Mendaki).

Staff

Ms Eileen Teo

Administration & Operations Manager