Kindred Community World Cleanup Singapore

Our Team

Hi there! Glad you found us here. While it is slightly regrettable that we cannot introduce ourselves to you in person, we hope that the stories of how we became Kindred Spirits ourselves will give you some insight into who we are. If this sparks joy in you and you feel inspired to drop us a note or even join us, please contact us at info@kindred.sg. We’d love to hear from you!

Suen Chun Hui

Kindred Chairman

An engineer and researcher who has worked with some of the biggest global companies, Chun Hui endeavours to help people navigate their lives in a world where change is the only constant. Currently, Chun Hui lends his experience to Singapore’s booming start-up scene. At Kommerce, he develops disruptive technical solutions with deep social impact for emerging markets – aimed at empowering the financially disadvantaged through information equality and decentralization using blockchain.

“From my youth, I was fortunate to meet a great man-of-action who overcame the odds to make an impact to the people and environment around him. As my personal mentor, he helped shape my values and mentality and has been my motivation to embark on this challenge to make a cleaner and better world.

In 2018, I saw the opportunity to set up Kindred Community, starting from Singapore but with an eye on the region. I believe that when people come together in a united heart and spirit, unfathomable power will come out of it. We are proud to be the country representative for Let’s Do It (LDI), a global movement that envisions civic communities working together to keep the world clean. Singapore’s inaugural participation in World Cleanup Day 2018 was encouraging and we hope to work with even more partners, to push for greater change, moving forward.”

Yann Yang

Kindred Co-Chairman

Yann Yang works in real estate, one of Singapore’s hottest sectors. He is an Associate Marketing Director with Propnex, the largest real estate agency in Singapore. For many, real estate is one of the biggest decisions we make in our lives and Yann Yang is all about helping people make right this decision whether for home, business, or investment.

Yann Yang was previously the Membership Services Manager at the Direct Marketing Association of Singapore (DMAS), a non-profit trade organisation with key areas in social media, search, email, mobile and data-driven marketing.

“Chun Hui and I attend the same church and we often talk about how much our mentor’s philosophy of cleaning the environment through cleaning first our heart and thoughts impacted us and the decisions we have come to make in our lives.

We are always bouncing ideas off each other, the big plans with which we were going to get on with but it was always coffee shop talk (over a cup of Milo Peng for him and Susu Halia with Roti Prata for me). Recently, Chun Hui came to me with the idea of starting Kindred and since there is a time for everything, I thought it was time we acted upon the inspiration of our younger years!”

Agustin Maria

Kindred Partnership

For most, travelling is largely a leisure affair, associated with clear blue skies, lovely white beaches and traveling in style. But for Agustin or Agus as she’s endearingly known, being a travel industry professional for the past 13 years, ‘travel’ switches her on to high alert mode; ready to face multi-faceted situations and serve the best (and worst) travelers from all walks of life, all over the world… always with a smile. Agus is currently a Client Manager at Finnair, one of the world’s oldest operating airlines.

“I count myself very fortunate to have traveled to many places. One of my most memorable experiences was travelling to South Korea for the first time in 2006. There, I saw firsthand, how South Koreans sort their waste. Back then, I believe it was something almost unheard of in Singapore and that trip changed my life. When I returned to Singapore, I tried to integrate what I saw and learnt in Korea into my own lifestyle. Later, when I traveled to countries like Germany, Finland, and Estonia, I learnt more about sustainable and zero waste living, which they were already making huge strides in. Even as Singapore progresses economically, we lag way behind in terms of sustainability. I often see people disposing unwanted items without a second thought. The fact that we have become more affluent has also made us more irresponsible when dealing with waste. If recycled right, these ‘waste’ items can be turned into valuable resources. We owe it to ourselves and our future generations to keep this one planet that we all share, sustainable.”

Wendy Lee

Kindred Community Development

Wendy has worn different hats, leaving her professional footprints in industries including hospitality and event management, training and education, and the non-profit sector. Her professional career is hard proof of her ability to be flexible and quick to adapt. Her passion is in growing the business, teams and communities that she serves, often seeing things and people not as what they are, but as what they can be. Wendy holds a Bachelor Degree in Applied Sciences, Hospitality Studies from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

“I’m not one to walk away from a problem. As much as Singapore has become a success story in many ways, there are fundamental issues that hinder us from becoming a true first-world society. Our lack of responsibility towards the environment is one striking example. We have to stop thinking it is someone else’s trash or problem. As long as no one does anything about it, it is going to be everyone’s problem.

The solution ultimately lies within each person. As long as we set our hearts on taking action till the end without giving up or giving in, we can surely make the world a better place for all. So when Chun Hui shared the inspiration and philosophy behind Kindred, it immediately resonated with me. And I believe that the power of a true civic movement can be phenomenal.

I am happy to channel my time and energy towards something that impacts lives and communities and I would like to encourage as many people as possible to do the same.”

Ong Wei Lin

Kindred Volunteer Management

Always keen to raise her level and hunt down the next challenge in life, Wei Lin currently works in the financial sector as an Executive Assistant to C-level executives. Finding meaning in the things that she does is what keeps her up at night. From her tender years, Wei Lin has been cutting her teeth in volunteer work and she attests that those experiences have shaped her outlook in life greatly. Wei Lin holds a Bachelor of Arts (Social Work) from the National University of Singapore.

“One of the perks of being involved in volunteer work internationally is the chance to travel and develop a world view. I remember attending one of my first overseas conferences at a beach resort. One evening, while everyone was relaxing after a full day of activities, I noticed one older person making his way towards the beach instead of the party. There, he rolled up his pants and sleeves and started cleaning the beach. Later, I found out that person was the President of one of the biggest volunteer organisations in the world; he was invited as a keynote speaker for the conference. Young and fearless as I was then, I went up to him and asked why he was doing what he did. To that, he said gently, “If I do not clean, who will?” At that, I rolled up my sleeves and joined him in the beach cleaning and slowly, more people noticed us and joined us too. That night, it became a beach cleaning party and a most unforgettable experience for me. To anyone thinking about volunteering, don’t ever think you are too small to start. Your actions may come from the smallest of thoughts but who knows what great game changers we can be in this world!

Wong Sze Waiy

Kindred Communications

Much like how even Superheroes have to pay rent with day jobs (15 MOST MEMORABLE SUPER HERO DAY JOBS), you may bump into Sze Waiy in the CBD where she works as a Strategic Communications Consultant at FTI Consulting’s Singapore office, a global advisory firm. In her Strategic Communications function, Sze Waiy advises companies on areas of corporate reputation, media relations, public affairs and government relations. Sze Waiy holds a Bachelor in Business Management degree from the Singapore Management University, specializing in Corporate Communications and Legal Studies.

“I started full-time work last year and started living with very limited time resources. That was when I started thinking how I could live more with less time. Live more with less – this mantra, albeit cliché spilled over to the other parts of my life including many of my lifestyle choices. Who and what am I spending all my time, money, and resources on? When you start diving down into detail about these things, you suddenly become very aware of your decisions and the impact they create. It was as simple as realizing that one plastic bag goes to waste every time I buy my favourite Pork Floss Bun from the neighbourhood bakery – which I then finish eating in less than a minute. So I started using a non-disposable bottle, lunch bag, and utensils. Dr Suen saw me with my full arsenal of non-disposables one time and we started talking less-waste. When he mentioned looking for help at Kindred, I signed up.”

Wong Yi Xin

Kindred Administration

Yixin is your go-to person when you’ve got a tricky number sum you can’t quite add up. Despite her knack for numbers, it is her love for food that became her calling in the Food and Beverage industry. Yixin holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Nanyang Technological University.

“My pastor in church once shared with me, ‘God is with you everywhere you go, so be sure to keep everywhere you go clean.’ I used to think that it would be a given for me, living in Singapore where we enjoy the international reputation of being clean and green. However, more often than not, Singapore is clean not out of an innate practice from Singaporeans but rather, out of the effort and hard work of the cleaners we employ.

Can we really say that we are a clean and green country after all? I cannot imagine how will it be when we do not have these people cleaning after us. Will Singaporeans be able to own their trash and still keep a clean environment?

As I pondered upon these questions, I heard about Kindred through a friend and how it was founded based on having “clean thoughts, clean actions, and a clean environment”. That really aligned with my beliefs in life so I did a #SAYNOMORE and put my name in.

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