New heads for SkillsFuture Singapore, National Library Board

SKILLSFUTURE Singapore will have a new chief executive while the National Library Board (NLB) will be getting a new chairman and CEO.

Changi Airport Group's current CEO Lee Seow Hiang, 49, will be NLB's new chairman from January, taking over from Mr Chan Heng Kee, 50, the Ministry of Communications and Information announced on Tuesday.

NLB's new CEO from December is Mr Ng Cher Pong, 47, taking over from Mrs Elaine Ng, 54.

Mr Ng is currently SkillsFuture's CEO and he will be replaced by Mr Ong Tze-Ch'in, 44, currently the co-ordinating divisional director of the higher education group in the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Mr Ong will also be appointed as MOE's deputy secretary for SkillsFuture from December, said MOE and SSG in a statement yesterday.

Mr Lee, NLB's future chairman, is credited with driving the development of Changi Jewel Airport and is, among his various roles, also deputy chairman of Changi Airports International.

From 1989 to 2005, Mr Lee held various appointments in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and Ministry of Defence. His last appointment was deputy head of air operations in the headquarters of RSAF. Between 2005 and 2008, he was the principal private secretary to then Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

NLB's incoming CEO, Mr Ng, has been founding CEO of SkillsFuture since October 2016 and has played a role in the development and implementation of various initiatives.

Mr Ng joined the administrative service of the civil service in 1996 and was appointed chief executive of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency in 2013. In 2016, he was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Silver) for his civil service contributions.

SkillsFuture's incoming CEO, Mr Ong, previously held various leadership positions in the Singapore Armed Forces, including as director of military intelligence.

Ms Yong Ying-I, Ministry of Communications and Information's permanent secretary, thanked Mr Chan and Mrs Ng for their efforts as NLB's chairman and CEO respectively.

On Mr Chan, Ms Yong said he "has played a pivotal role" in overseeing NLB's development over the past four years. She credited him for transforming the network of public libraries into integrated touchpoints for lifelong learning.

Ms Yong said Mrs Ng was "instrumental in leading the transformation of the NLB that we see today".

In her eight years as CEO, Mrs Ng led the adoption of technology in the board's network of libraries, revitalised the physical spaces at next-generation public libraries and the national archives to become "welcoming community learning spaces", Ms Yong added.

As for NLB's new chairman and CEO, Ms Yong said Mr Lee's leadership in driving innovation and Mr Ng's commitment to lifelong learning for people will be valuable to the board.

THE STRAITS TIMES