Permanent Secretary Retirement and Appointments – 30 Jul 2026

1        Professor Tan Chorh Chuan (陈祝全), 67, Permanent Secretary (PS) of National Research and Development (NRD) and Public Sector Science and Technology Policy and Plans Office (S&TPPO), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will retire from the Administrative Service on 1 September 2026. He will continue in his appointment as non-executive Chairman, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

2        Thanking Professor Tan, Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Mr Chan Chun Sing said, “I would like to thank Chorh Chuan for his outstanding and impactful contributions to the Public Service. He has served with distinction to strengthen our capabilities in the areas of healthcare, higher education, research and innovation.”

3        Professor Tan has held various key appointments in the medical and academic fields as well as in the public sector. As Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health (MOH) from 2000 to 2004, he played an instrumental role in leading the public health response to the 2003 SARS epidemic. He was appointed as Deputy Chairman, A*STAR from 2004 to 2017. Professor Tan served as President of the National University of Singapore from 2008 to 2017. He served as Executive Director of the MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT) and concurrently as Chief Health Scientist from 2018 to 2023. He was appointed as Chairman of MOHT in 2023 and will continue in this appointment. He also served as Chairman of the Heathier SG Implementation Office from 2022 to 2024.

4        Professor Tan was appointed as PS (NRD) and PS (S&TPPO), PMO in 2023. He provided strategic leadership in uplifting the Public Service’s science, technology and innovation capabilities. He shaped and steered the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2030 planning process, and contributed to efforts to align national research and innovation investments with long-term strategic priorities, while fostering closer collaboration across government, academia and industry to address complex policy and operational challenges.

5        Professor Tan introduced the RIE Flagships and Grand Challenges to systematically harness RIE capabilities to achieve national economic and strategic outcomes. He led the effective implementation of the Human Health and Potential RIE 2030 plans. He also contributed to the implementation of national research initiatives to strengthen research data and compute capabilities, as well as the development of the National AI R&D plan and its implementation.

6        In recognition of his contributions to Singapore across healthcare, biomedical research, higher education, and the Public Service, Professor Tan was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2015, the Distinguished Service Order in 2022 and the Public Service Star (COVID-19) in 2023.

New Permanent Secretary Appointment

7        Mr Ng Chad-Son (黄泽升) will be appointed as Permanent Secretary of National Research and Development and Public Sector Science and Technology Policy and Plans Office, Prime Minister’s Office and concurrently Permanent Secretary (Defence Development), Ministry of Defence with effect from 1 September 2026.

Change in Permanent Secretary Appointment

8        Mr Melvyn Ong Su Kiat (王賜吉) will relinquish his appointment as Permanent Secretary (Defence Development), Ministry of Defence on 1 September 2026. He will continue as Permanent Secretary (Sustainability and the Environment).

Background

Mr Ng Chad-Son

9        Mr Ng Chad-Son, 51, joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1994. He has held various key command and staff appointments in the SAF and Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). From 2010 to 2012, Mr Ng was seconded to the Ministry of Trade and Industry as Director (Research and Enterprise Division), a portfolio covering national R&D and small and medium-sized enterprise development. In 2022, he was appointed Deputy Secretary (Technology) at MINDEF. In 2024, he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Science and Technology Agency.

Mr Melvyn Ong Su Kiat

10       Mr Melvyn Ong, 51, joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1994 and held various key command and staff appointments before his appointment as Chief of Defence Force in 2018. Between 2013 and 2014, he was seconded to the Civil Service as Deputy Chief Executive of the then-newly established Early Childhood Development Agency, Ministry of Social and Family Development. In 2023, he was appointed as Permanent Secretary (Defence Development), Ministry of Defence. In 2024, he was appointed concurrently as Permanent Secretary (Development), Ministry of National Development (MND). In 2025, he relinquished his appointment as Permanent Secretary (Development), MND and was concurrently appointed as Permanent Secretary (Sustainability and the Environment).