Metro group COO Lawrence Chiang appointed acting CEO

GROUP chief operating officer Lawrence Chiang has been appointed the acting group chief executive of retail and property group Metro Holdings following the death of managing director Jopie Ong.

Mr Ong, who was 75, died on Tuesday after helming the retail group for over four decades. The son of Metro founder Ong Tjoe Kim, Mr Ong joined Metro in 1964, and had been its group managing director since 1973.

"Mr Ong passed away peacefully on Feb 2," said Metro in a release to the Singapore Exchange on Wednesday night. "Mr Ong's strong leadership made a significant difference to the Metro group on the charting of its strategic directions and business, and the group is deeply grateful for his invaluable contributions."

Metro added: "Mr Chiang has been with the Metro Group since 1989 and has extensive knowledge of its operations. He has been the group general manager since 2007 before being re-designated the group chief operating officer in 2013."

The move is aimed at ensuring the continuity of operations at Metro.