Niam Chiang Meng Retires from Administrative Service ‑ NPTD and NCCS to Join Strategy Group, PMO

1. Mr Niam Chiang Meng, 58, Permanent Secretary (National Population and Talent Division, NPTD) and Permanent Secretary (National Climate Change Secretariat, NCCS), Prime Minister’s Office, will retire from the Administrative Service on 1 August 2016 after 33 years of distinguished service in the public sector. Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Mr Teo Chee Hean, who has worked closely with Mr Niam in NPTD and NCCS, and also in the field of sports development and promotion, thanked Mr Niam for his leadership and contributions in these important areas.

2. From 1 August 2016, NPTD and NCCS will form part of Strategy Group, under the Prime Minister’s Office. The Strategy Group was set up in July 2015 to support the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to establish priorities and strengthen strategic alignment across Government. The inclusion of NPTD which coordinates and formulates whole-of-government policies on population and talent, and NCCS which leads a whole-of-nation effort to address the challenges and opportunities of climate change, will enhance strategy-making and planning on vital issues that span multiple Government ministries and agencies.

3. Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s Office)(Strategy), Mr Peter Ong, will take over from Mr Niam Chiang Meng in overseeing the work of NPTD and NCCS with effect from 1 August 2016. Mr Ong holds a concurrent appointment as Head of Civil Service.

Mr Niam Chiang Meng (严昌明)

4. Mr Niam Chiang Meng served in various capacities in the Ministry of Finance (Revenue Division), Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Health. He was seconded to the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation/ Television Corporation of Singapore as Vice-President (News) from 1993 to 1997.

5. In 1997, Mr Niam was appointed Permanent Secretary (Information and the Arts) [later re-designated as Permanent Secretary (Information, Communications and the Arts)] and was appointed concurrently Permanent Secretary (Law) in 2000. At these Ministries, Mr Niam played an active role in developing Singapore into an arts hub and instituting improvements to various land policies. He oversaw the development of the Esplanade and was instrumental in the setting up of the Singapore Land Authority.

6. Mr Niam was appointed Chief Executive Officer, Housing and Development Board (HDB) from 2002 to 2004. One of Mr Niam’s key focus at HDB was providing affordable public housing and he led HDB forward with various initiatives including the introduction of E-services. He was appointed Permanent Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports) in 2005. There, he chaired the Bid Committee and played a key role in the successful organisation of the world’s first Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010.

7. Mr Niam was appointed Permanent Secretary (NPTD) in 2011 and appointed concurrently as Permanent Secretary (NCCS), Prime Minister’s Office in 2012. Under his leadership, NPTD enhanced Marriage and Parenthood policies and implemented strategies to strengthen community integration and outreach to overseas Singaporeans. At NCCS, Mr Niam was instrumental in developing Singapore’s strategy and strengthening national capabilities to meet the challenges from climate change. This included the planning and coordination of whole-of-government efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve economic growth in a carbon efficient way. Under his watch, NCCS played an active role in Singapore’s participation in the historic Paris Agreement under the United Nations framework to address climate change.

8. Mr Niam was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 1995 and the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2001 for his significant contributions to the Public Service.