Ho Bee Land appoints new independent director

THE former chief executive of Ying Li International Real Estate, Ko Kheng Hwa, has joined the board of Ho Bee Land as a non-executive independent director.

Mr Ko has also been appointed as chairman of the firm's nominating committee and a member of the audit and risk committee, the mainboard-listed firm said in a Singapore Exchange filing.

A President's Scholar with degrees from Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr Ko was formerly the managing director of the Singapore Economic Development Board.

He left public service in 2008 after 29 years to be the chief executive of Keppel Corporation's sustainable development and living business division.

This was followed by stints as CEO of Singbridge International Singapore and Ying Li International Real Estate. He resigned from the latter in early 2014, just a year after being hired.

Mr Ko has held other posts, including chairman of the board of the former Nasdaq-listed Pacific Internet, chairman of Ascendas Land as well as managing director of EDB Investments.

He is currently lead independent director of Catalist-listed iX Biopharma and senior adviser to Accenture in China.