Deloitte SEA appoints Singapore chief as regional CEO

DELOITTE Southeast Asia (SEA) on Thursday announced the appointment of the firm's Singapore head as its regional chief executive, following the retirement of Chaly Mah who has helmed the SEA office for about 10 years and has been with the accounting giant for more than 38 years.

Philip Yuen, the current Singapore chief executive who has been with the firm for more than 30 years, will take over from Mr Mah on June 1 this year.

Describing Mr Mah as a "visionary leader" who built a strong firm in the region, Mr Yuen said the appointment is a privilege.

"These are big shoes to fill and I am deeply humbled to succeed him," he said, adding that he is excited to lead the firm into the next chapter.

Mr Mah, currently the regional chief and chairman of Deloitte Singapore, has been chief executive of Deloitte Asia Pacific and a member of Deloitte Global Executive for the past eight years.

He is also a member of the global board, and concurrently the vice-chairman of the board.

Deloitte Southeast Asia was formed under Mr Mah's leadership when the partners saw the significant advantage of working together as one firm across South-east Asia, and came together across eight countries including Singapore, Brunei and Guam in 2007, said Deloitte.

The firm has since expanded and set up practices in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to better serve clients operating within the Asean Economic Community.