Permanent Secretary Appointments ‑ 27 March 2023

          The following Permanent Secretary appointments will take effect from 1 May 2023.

Change in Permanent Secretary Appointments

2          Dr Beh Swan Gin will relinquish his appointment as Chairman of the Economic Development Board (EDB) and be appointed as Permanent Secretary (Development) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). In tandem, Mr Gabriel Lim, Permanent Secretary of MTI, will be redesignated as Permanent Secretary (Policy) of MTI.

3          Mr Png Cheong Boon will relinquish his appointment as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) and be appointed as Chairman of EDB.

4          Mr Lee Chuan Teck will relinquish his appointment as Permanent Secretary (Development) of MTI and be appointed as CEO of EnterpriseSG.

Re-Designations

5          Three Permanent Secretaries will be re-designated. Ms Teoh Zsin Woon, Second Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Development (MND) and concurrently Second Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Division (PSD), will be re-designated as Permanent Secretary (Development) of MND and Permanent Secretary (Development) of PSD. 

6          Ms Lim Wan Yong, Second Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and concurrently Second Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), will be re-designated as Permanent Secretary (Education Development) of MOE and Permanent Secretary (Development) of MSF.

7          Mr Chng Kai Fong, Second Permanent Secretary of the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) and concurrently Second Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and Second Permanent Secretary (Cybersecurity), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will be redesignated as Permanent Secretary (Development) of MCI and Permanent Secretary (Development) of SNDGG and Permanent Secretary (Development) (Cybersecurity) of PMO.

Background

Dr Beh Swan Gin

8          Dr Beh Swan Gin, 55, a medical doctor by training, started his career in the EDB in 1992. He has served in various roles in EDB, including overseeing its Biomedical Sciences portfolio and EDB’s North American operations. He has also served in MTI and the Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), where he was the Executive Director of the Biomedical Research Council. He was appointed Managing Director of EDB in 2008 before his appointment as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Law in 2012. He has been serving as Chairman of EDB since 2014.

Mr Gabriel Lim

9          Mr Gabriel Lim, 47, held various appointments in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), PSD, Civil Service College (CSC) and Ministry of Health (MOH) before his appointment as the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2011. He was appointed CEO of the then-Media Development Authority in 2014 before being appointed Second Permanent Secretary of MCI and concurrently CEO of the Infocomm Media Development Authority in 2016. He was appointed Permanent Secretary of MCI in 2017, and subsequently assumed the appointment of Permanent Secretary of MTI in 2019.

Mr Png Cheong Boon 

10          Mr Png Cheong Boon, 53, joined the EDB in 1993. Mr Png held various appointments in EDB, including over six years in EDB’s operations in the United States. Mr Png was Deputy Chief Executive of SPRING Singapore from 2003 to 2008, and Chief Executive of SPRING Singapore from 2008 to 2013. He was appointed as CEO of JTC Corporation in 2013 before being appointed as Second Permanent Secretary of MTI in 2017. He was appointed as CEO of EnterpriseSG in 2018.

Mr Lee Chuan Teck

11          Mr Lee Chuan Teck, 55, joined the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 1992. He held various appointments in MAS, including as Assistant Managing Director overseeing the Markets and Investment as well as Capital Markets Group portfolios, before his appointment as Deputy Secretary (Land and Corporate) of the Ministry of Transport in 2014. In June 2018, he was appointed as Second Permanent Secretary of MTI and re-designated as Permanent Secretary (Development) of MTI in April 2019.

Ms Teoh Zsin Woon

12          Ms Teoh Zsin Woon, 49, has held various appointments in the then-Ministry of the Environment, MINDEF, Ministry of Manpower, the Workforce Development Agency and MND. She has also served a two-year stint as General Manager of the Marine Parade Community Development Council. Ms Teoh was appointed as Deputy Secretary (Development) of MOH in 2013, and subsequently Deputy Secretary (Transformation) of PSD in 2018. In 2021, she was appointed Second Permanent Secretary of MND and concurrently Second Permanent Secretary of PSD.

Ms Lim Wan Yong

13          Ms Lim Wan Yong, 46, has held various appointments in the Trade Development Board (now EnterpriseSG), MTI, MOE, Ministry of Finance and CSC, and was Special Assistant to then-Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. She was appointed Deputy Secretary (Planning) of MND in 2017, and concurrently Deputy Secretary (Security Coordination) of PMO in 2019. In 2021, she was appointed Second Permanent Secretary of MOE and subsequently took on a concurrent appointment as Second Permanent Secretary of MSF in April 2022.

Mr Chng Kai Fong

14          Mr Chng Kai Fong, 44, has held various appointments in the then-Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Ministry of Home Affairs, CSC, MTI and Communications Group of PMO. He also served a two-year stint at Shell Eastern Petroleum Pte Ltd. He was appointed as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2014 and subsequently Managing Director of EDB in 2017. He was appointed as Second Permanent Secretary of SNDGG in 2021, and subsequently took on concurrent appointments as Second Permanent Secretary of MCI and Second Permanent Secretary (Cybersecurity) of PMO in April 2022.