Welcome to the fifth annual Singapore Call Centre Awards and the second Asia Call Centre Awards programme. As the new Awards Chairman my first order of business must be to publicly applaud the incredible efforts of Siva Submaranium. Siva has left a legacy of absolute credibility and regional leadership in the Singapore call centre industry. In 2005 the Awards programme will build on the success of the previous years whilst focusing on the core driving principles of Credibility, Validity, Relevance, Fairness, Equity, Simplicity and Repeatability.

The regional Award has grown significantly this year. With the return of Hong Kong and Malaysia , we also welcome entrants from Thailand and China .

The concept of the awards programme is not just about the final trophies, it is more about what we all learn and experience along the way. Our industry will only succeed if we are all learning and growing together across the country, across the region and across the globe.

The 2005 judges have been carefully selected from overseas to ensure that they have relevant knowledge and experience in call centre management to foster a greater focus on testing the management principles behind great call centre operations.

This year entrants in the Singapore Awards will be judged by peers who prove themselves everyday in their own call centres, whilst the judges for the regional Awards hold Executive or Board level positions within their corporations and will be looking at the overall award with a more senior focus.

On behalf of the Contact Centre Association of Singapore , and our sister associations across the region, I would like to encourage everyone to participate in this year's exciting awards programme. I welcome comments or questions from anyone in the industry about this year's awards programme.

inally, I look forward to seeing everyone at the final award gala evening where the air will be electric with excitement and enthusiasm. Good luck to each and every entrant.

Simon Kriss
Chairman
Awards Committee Contact Centre Association of Singapore

Simon Kriss is the CEO and President of Sagatori, a Hong Kong based call centre specialist consulting company.

Widely regarded as one of the regions most respected thought leaders and commentators on call centre issues, Simon has over 15 years of experience in the call centre industry. Simon has personally operated the well-known Asia Pacific Call Centre News ( APCCN ) service on a complimentary basis for over six years.

Simon launched the Call Centre Management Association (CCMA) in Australia some years ago and was honoured as the first inductee to their Hall Of Fame. Simon acts as a strategic advisor to the Call Centre Associations in Hong Kong , Singapore and Malaysia .

Simon was one of three initial judges for the Asia Call Centre Awards in 2004 and is the Awards Chairman in 2005.

Simon has seen call centres all around the world in Asia, Europe and the USA .

Simon has appeared on television and radio speaking on the topics involved with call centres and their management. Conferences and Symposiums have seen Simon presenting on call centre topics in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and right across Asia from New Delhi to Beijing (and beyond).

On several occasions, National Government bodies have asked Simon for assistance in attracting call centres to their region.