Changes in Permanent Secretary Appointments – 5 March 2019

The following changes in Permanent Secretary appointments will take effect from 1 April 2019:      

New Permanent Secretary Appointment

Ms Lai Wei Lin, 43, Deputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Education (MOE) will be appointed Second Permanent Secretary (Education). 

Changes in Permanent Secretary Appointments

Mr Lai Chung Han will relinquish his appointments as Second Permanent Secretary (Education) and Second Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs).  He will be appointed Permanent Secretary (Education). 

Ms Chan Lai Fung will relinquish her appointment as Permanent Secretary (Education) and be appointed Permanent Secretary (National Research & Development). 

Ms Yong Ying-I will relinquish her appointments as Permanent Secretary (National Research & Development) and Permanent Secretary (Public Service Division). She will be appointed Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information).

Mr Loh Khum Yean will relinquish his appointment as Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry) and be appointed Permanent Secretary (Public Service Division). 

Mr Gabriel Lim will relinquish his appointment as Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information) and be appointed Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry. Mr Lee Chuan Teck, Second Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry), will be re-designated as Permanent Secretary (Development), Ministry of Trade and Industry. 

Mr Chew Hock Yong, Permanent Secretary (Social and Family Development), will be concurrently appointed as Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs Development), Ministry of Home Affairs.  

Background 

Ms Lai Wei Lin

Ms Lai Wei Lin, 43, held various appointments in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of National Development, Civil Service College and Ministry of Health, before her appointment as Deputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Health in 2015. She has been Deputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Education since 2017.

Mr Lai Chung Han

Mr Lai Chung Han, 46, held various command and staff appointments in the course of his military career in the SAF, including Commanding Officer of RSS Valiant, Director of Future Systems Directorate, Commanding Officer of 188 Squadron, Director (Policy) and Fleet Commander. He was appointed Deputy Secretary (Policy), MINDEF in 2012 and was the Chief of Navy from August 2014 to June 2017 before his appointment as Second Permanent Secretary (Education) and Second Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs) in 2017.

Ms Chan Lai Fung

Ms Chan Lai Fung, 55, served in various portfolios in the former Ministry of Communications and Information, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Public Service Division, Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Trade and Industry. She was appointed Permanent Secretary (Law) in 2006 and Permanent Secretary (Finance)(Performance) in 2009. She has been Permanent Secretary (Education) since 2012. She will be appointed Chairman of A*STAR on 1 April 2019. 

Ms Yong Ying-I

Ms Yong Ying-I, 55, served in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Home Affairs before her appointment as Principal Private Secretary to then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 1997.  She also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and as Deputy Secretary in the former Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. She was appointed Permanent Secretary (Manpower) in 2002, and Permanent Secretary (Health) in 2005. She was concurrently appointed as Permanent Secretary (National Research and Development) in 2011, and has been Permanent Secretary (Public Service Division) since 2012.  She has been Chairman of Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and Workforce Development Agency, and is currently Chairman of Civil Service College and of SG-Innovate.

Mr Loh Khum Yean

Mr Loh Khum Yean, 54, held various appointments in the former Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Public Service Division before his appointment as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Finance in 2002. He was appointed Chief Executive, SPRING Singapore in 2003 and Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 2008. He was appointed Permanent Secretary (Manpower) in 2009, and has been Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry) since 2016.

Mr Gabriel Lim

Mr Gabriel Lim, 43, held various appointments in the Ministry of Defence, Public Service Division/Civil Service College and Ministry of Health before his appointment as the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2011. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer, Media Development Authority Singapore in 2014, Second Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information) in June 2016 and concurrently Chief Executive Officer, Infocommunications Media Development Authority in October 2016. He has been Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information) since 2017. 
 
Mr Chew Hock Yong

Mr Chew Hock Yong, 54, held various appointments in the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Finance before his appointment as Deputy Secretary of the then Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in 2004. He was Chief Executive, Land Transport Authority before his appointment as Second Permanent Secretary (National Development) in 2014. He has been Permanent Secretary (Social and Family Development) since 2016.  

Mr Lee Chuan Teck

Mr Lee Chuan Teck, 51, joined the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 1992. He held various appointments in MAS, including Executive Director (Reserve and Monetary Management), Assistant Managing Director (Markets and Investment), and Assistant Managing Director (Capital Markets Group) before his appointment as Deputy Secretary (Land and Corporate), Ministry of Transport in 2014. He has been Second Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry) since June 2018.