Shiyun Quek, the founder of Company of Good, a national programme that advises businesses on their sustainability strategy, has been appointed by DNA sequencing firm Illumina as Asia Pacific head of corporate social responsibility and sustainability.
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Quek brings to a close eight years as the head of Company of Good, an initiative backed by Singapore’s National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), and the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth. She will be succeeded by Company of Good’s current deputy head, Sufei Lin.
Quek also worked for the Tanoto Foundation, a family philanthropy organisation founded by Indonesian entrepreneur Sukanto Tanoto which supports CSR efforts in the pulp and paper and palm oil businesses.
Her new role will involve supporting the implementation of Illumina’s CSR and sustainability programming in the region, including its net-zero carbon emission targets, philanthropy initiatives, and programme governance. Illumina has committed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, reduce emissions by 46 per cent by 2030, and use only electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Illumina’s mission is “to improve human health by unlocking the power of the genome”. Its products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, and agriculture sectors. The first SARS-CoV-2 genome, the genome for the Covid-19 virus, was sequenced on an Illumina sequencer.
Quek’s is one of two appointments made by Illumina, with Simon Humphrey appointed to manage sustainability and CSR efforts for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Both report to Illuminia’s global CSR head based in San Diego, Sharon Vidal.
