ComfortDelGro names former transport permanent secretary, former Cabcharge chairman to board

TAXI operator ComfortDelGro : C52 0% on Thursday (Jul 28) named 2 new independent directors: Choi Shing Kwok, a former permanent secretary at the Ministry of Transport, and Russell Stephen Balding, former chairman of travel management company Cabcharge Australia (now known as A2B Australia). They will join the board on Aug 1.

Choi served as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Transport from 2005 to 2012, before being appointed to the role at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, as it was then known, until 2017.

At the transport ministry, Choi oversaw the Land Transport Master Plan 2008, as well as the corporatisation of Changi Airport, the opening of Terminal 3 and the expansion of bus and train services. He is now director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and chairman of SP Services.

Choi also serves on the National Records Advisory Committee in the Ministry of Communications and Information, and the management board of the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative in the National University of Singapore.

Balding, who is in Sydney, will become ComfortDelGro’s first overseas-based director. From 2014 to 2016, he was chairman of Cabcharge Australia, during which he also served on the boards of ComfortDelGro Cabcharge and the UK’s CityFleet Networks.

Prior to that, Balding was managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, CEO of Sydney Airport and deputy chairman of tourism government agency Destination NSW. He is now chairman of Racing NSW, a director of Racing Australia and of the Trust Company (Sydney Airport).

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ComfortDelGro chairman Lim Jit Poh expressed confidence in Choi and Balding being “valuable assets” to the company. “Shing Kwok, as a former top civil servant, brings with him strong regulatory and governmental experience which is useful as we continue to navigate the very political land transport business.

“Russell, who is a stalwart in corporate Australia, will bring valuable insight to us as we continue to expand our Australian footprint, which ranks as our largest overseas destination to date with over S$1 billion invested,” Lim said.

ComfortDelGro was trading flat at S$1.44 as at 4.14 pm on Thursday.