Leadership reshuffle at MPA as current CEO Quah Ley Hoon steps down

A CHANGE of leadership is afoot at the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), with current chief executive Quah Ley Hoon set to leave after nearly 4 years at the helm.

Quah will step down on Sep 5, and will be replaced by Teo Eng Dih, who is currently deputy secretary for policy at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) said in a statement on Friday (Aug 5) that Teo will be appointed as chief executive (designate) of MPA from next Monday, concurrent with his current position at Mindef, before formally taking over as chief executive from Sep 5.

“The Ministry of Transport would like to put on record its appreciation to Ms Quah Ley Hoon for her significant contributions as the chief executive of MPA and wish her all the best in her future endeavours,” the statement said.

Quah, who was formerly chief editor of Channel NewsAsia, joined MPA as chief executive (designate) in November 2018, before taking over as chief executive in January 2019.

MOT said she played a pivotal role in driving Singapore’s global maritime aspirations, and had helped to oversee the completion of land reclamation works for Phase 1 of the Tuas mega port project.

Quah was also instrumental in leading MPA through the Covid-19 pandemic, overseeing vaccination drives for local maritime personnel and crew members onboard ships calling at Singapore, MOT said.

“Under Ms Quah’s leadership, MPA responded decisively to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, working in close partnership with the unions, companies and industry associations,” MOT added.

She also oversaw the establishment of the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation in August last year and the launch of the Maritime Singapore Decarbonisation Blueprint in March this year.

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For her contributions to the sector, she was given a medal of commendation from the National Trades Union Congress in May this year, and awarded the Legion d’Honneur by the French Government in June this year.

Teo was special assistant to then-Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean from 2016 to 2018 before he joined Mindef.

He is currently responsible for defence policy and diplomacy, strategic and public communications, and Total Defence.

Before joining Mindef, Teo had also served in various government agencies in the areas of policy and planning, manpower, strategy, technology, climate change, enterprise services and international trade.

Teo has a master’s in chemical engineering from Imperial College London and a master’s in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

He is also on the board of directors for Jurong Port. THE STRAITS TIMES