Jardine Cycle & Carriage appoints Freddy Lee as CEO from May 1

[SINGAPORE] Jardine Cycle & Carriage has appointed Freddy Lee as its new chief executive officer, effective from May 1.

He will succeed group managing director Ben Birks, 52, who will step down from his role at the close of the company’s annual general meeting on Apr 30.

Lee, who joined the company in May 2025, is currently Jardine C&C’s group finance director. He will vacate his role as finance director on May 1, but will continue to serve as its executive director.

Before joining Jardine C&C, the 45-year-old was group chief of audit and risk advisory at the company’s principal subsidiary, Astra International, for more than three years.

He was previously finance director at Astra Welab Digital Arta. Before that, he was group managing director of Innovix Distribution and managing director of South-east Asia at JTH Holdings.

Jardine C&C chairman Samuel Tsien lauded Lee’s “extensive experience” in finance, strategy and general management, “making him highly suitable” for the investment company’s CEO position.

SEE ALSO

Jardine Cycle & Carriage H2 profit up 36% despite revenue falling 9%

DECODING ASIA

Navigate Asia in
a new global order

Get the insights delivered to your inbox.

He said Lee’s prior experience with Astra International would bring “additional value” to Jardine C&C. Lee has also been involved in steering Jardine C&C’s Vietnamese investments and has played an “integral role” in the ongoing strategic review of the company’s investment portfolio, he added.

Succeeding Lee as the company’s finance director on May 1 is Ng Yang Yen, who will also be appointed executive director. The 46-year-old is currently general manager of group finance, and has been with Jardine C&C since 2006.

Shares of Jardine C&C closed at S$34.91 on Friday, down S$0.24 or 0.7 per cent, before the announcement.