Case gets new exec director

Ms Lee Siow Hwee took over from Mr Loy York Jiun as executive director of the Consumers Association of Singapore on April 1. Mr Loy returned to the National Trades Union Congress, from which he was seconded.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has appointed a new executive director.

Ms Lee Siow Hwee took over from Mr Loy York Jiun on April 1, the consumer watchdog announced yesterday.

Mr Loy, 47, returned to the National Trades Union Congress, from which he was seconded as deputy executive director of Case on April 1, 2016.

He was appointed as Case executive director in 2017.

Ms Lee, 42, has served in the People's Association for 18 years in roles including deputy general manager of Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC).

On her appointment, Ms Lee said: "Case has played an important role in consumer advocacy since its inception. In the current economic climate, the protection of consumers' interest and rights is essential, and I hope to build on the good work done by the many consumer champions in the past years."

During the Covid-19 outbreak's peak last year, she led several national assistance schemes to support affected households and local businesses in Central Singapore. These included the CDC Student Meals Scheme and CDC Vouchers Scheme.

Case president Lim Biow Chuan said: "With Siow Hwee's extensive experience in working with stakeholders and connecting with residents on the ground, I am confident that she will build on York Jiun's good work to educate and empower consumers in these challenging times." He also thanked Mr Loy for his contributions to the consumer movement.

Under Mr Loy, Case ramped up efforts to educate consumers on their rights, especially in the area of e-commerce purchases, and took firm action against errant e-commerce retailers.

Mr Loy has been credited with working closely with Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Standards Council to launch the Republic's first e-commerce standard that allows consumers to access transparent product and pricing information. He also enhanced Case's efforts to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions by operationalising price comparison platforms Price Kaki and Fuel Kaki.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 20, 2021, with the headline Case gets new exec director. Subscribe