AFTER seven years at the helm of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), chairman Chaly Mah will be relinquishing his appointment to be succeeded by Olivier Lim, who was appointed deputy chairman in January 2023.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Friday (Dec 29) said these changes will take effect from Jan 1, 2024.

Mah assumed the position of STB’s chairman on Jan 1, 2017.

MTI credited Mah for the implementation of key initiatives and strategies contributing to Singapore’s strong tourism performance pre-pandemic, and for guiding STB’s board in supporting the sector to “innovate and transform in order to emerge stronger from the pandemic”.

Initiatives led by Mah include the SingapoRediscovers campaign, to drive local demand for tourism products, and SingapoReimagine, to build anticipation for the resumption of international travel.

Under his leadership, STB also launched Tcube to offer digital initiatives and resources, to support tourism businesses in their digital transformation journey.

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Lim, his successor, presently serves as DBS’ lead independent director and chairs both PropertyGuru and StarHub. 

He is also a director of Raffles Medical Group and a member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Securities Industry Council.

Prior to these roles, Lim was chairman of Certis Cisco Security; Australian Securities Exchange-listed Australand Holdings; Frasers Property Australia; business-to-business raw materials marketplace globalORE; Mount Faber Leisure; and the Advisory Council of the Singapore Chief Financial Officer Institute.

He has also held directorships in several Singapore Exchange-listed companies including Banyan Tree, and served on the boards of JTC Corp, Sentosa Development Corporation, and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.

Beh Swan Gin, Permanent Secretary of Development for MTI, said: “Under Chaly’s leadership, STB executed important initiatives that contributed to our robust tourism performance. I am confident that Olivier’s extensive experience will position him well to take STB towards its next phase of growth.”

In addition to Mah, Lim Eng Hwee, Urban Redevelopment Authority chief executive, and Ravi Thakran, chairman and CEO of Turmeric Capital as well as Aspirational Consumer Lifestyle, will step down from STB’s board upon the end of their term on Dec 31, 2023.

Other new board members comprise Amrin Amin, Temasek Foundation’s head of corporate development, and Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group.

Singtel’s group chief financial officer Arthur Lang and MetLife’s chief information officer for Asia Soh Siew Choo have been reappointed to STB’s board.