Ren Ci chairman Chua Thian Poh retiring, to be succeeded by Seow Choke Meng

CHUA Thian Poh is retiring from the board of Ren Ci Hospital and will be succeeded as chairman by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) veteran Seow Choke Meng, who is currently serving as vice-chairman on the board.

The leadership transition coincides with the new two-year term for Ren Ci's board and will take effect from July 1, 2021, announced the healthcare institution in a media statement on Monday.

Mr Chua has been on Ren Ci's board for 21 years, including over the past 14 years where he served as its chairman until now. He is also founder and chief executive officer of mainboard-listed Ho Bee Land.

Meanwhile, incoming Ren Ci chairman Mr Seow is a former member of the boards of the National Healthcare Group and National Council of Social Services. He is an independent director of Ho Bee Land since his appointment in April 2017 and is also a business consultant of SPH, which publishes The Business Times.

In its statement, Ren Ci recounted its expansion during Mr Chua's tenure as chairman, from its community hospital facility at Novena to include two new nursing homes and two senior care centres at Ang Mo Kio and Bukit Batok.

It added that close to 25,000 seniors have benefited from these care facilities, while staff strength increased from 350 to more than 900 in tandem with the greater number of beneficiaries and expansion of programmes.

Mr Chua said he sees the impending leadership transition as a part of Ren Ci's "robust succession plan".

"With his many years of experience in the non-profit scene, I am confident that Choke Meng will take Ren Ci to greater heights," he added.

Said Mr Seow: "I am grateful for the confidence placed in me to continue the years of good work achieved by (Mr Chua) and the team of board members. A third nursing home at Woodlands Health Campus is in the pipeline and I look forward to working with the board, management and our stakeholders to continue doing our part in bringing community care in Singapore to greater heights."