Singapore appoints two new second permanent secretaries, reshuffles senior civil servants
Kenneth Er named second permanent secretary (manpower) and concurrently second permanent secretary (education), while Ngiam Siew Ying will take on the role of second permanent secretary (finance)
[SINGAPORE] New second permanent secretary appointments and portfolio changes involving two senior permanent secretaries were announced by the Public Service Division on Friday (Aug 1).
With effect from Sep 1, Kenneth Er will be appointed as second permanent secretary (manpower) and concurrently second permanent secretary (education), while Ngiam Siew Ying will take on the role of second permanent secretary (finance).
Er is currently deputy secretary (planning) at the Ministry of National Development (MND), a role he has held since 2023. Over the years, he has served in various capacities across the National Parks Board (NParks), MND and Gardens by the Bay, where he became chief operating officer in 2012.
The 53-year-old later became chief executive officer of NParks, a post he held from 2014 to 2023.
Ngiam, 49, has been CEO of national HealthTech agency Synapxe for the last three years. She has held various appointments in the Defence Science and Technology Agency, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Transport, and Prime Minister’s Office. These roles preceded her appointment as deputy secretary (policy) at the Ministry of Health (MOH) in 2016.
Portfolio changes
In addition to these appointments, PSD announced changes to the roles of two serving permanent secretaries Augustin Lee and Chng Kai Fong.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Lee, 54, will step down from his roles as second permanent secretary (education) and second permanent secretary (Smart Nation), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Sep 1 and Oct 1 respectively.
He will be appointed permanent secretary (energy and trade), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), from Sep 1.
His public sector experience includes roles at the then-Ministry of Labour, MOH, National Healthcare Group, and MTI.
Lee also served as principal private secretary to then-senior minister Goh Chok Tong, and was later appointed deputy secretary at the Ministry of Manpower. Between 2019 and 2023, he served as CEO of the Central Provident Fund Board.
Chng will take over Lee’s Smart Nation portfolio. Chng, 46, is currently permanent secretary (information and development) at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI). He will concurrently be appointed as permanent secretary (development)(Smart Nation)(cybersecurity) at the PMO, with effect from Oct 1. This means he will retain his current role at MDDI.
Throughout his career, Chng has taken on a broad range of roles across the then-Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, Ministry of Home Affairs, Civil Service College, MTI, and the communications group at PMO. He has also served a two-year stint at Shell Eastern Petroleum.
In 2014, he was appointed principal private secretary to then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, followed by a posting as managing director at the Economic Development Board in 2017.
Chng has managed multiple concurrent portfolios throughout his career. He joined the PMO in 2021 as second permanent secretary (Smart Nation and Digital Government Group, or SNDGG) and was later concurrently appointed second permanent secretary (communications and information) and second permanent secretary (cybersecurity) in 2022.
In 2023, he was re-designated as permanent secretary (development) in the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), SNDGG and for cybersecurity at PMO. Following MCI’s renaming in July 2024, he assumed the title of permanent secretary (information and development) in both MCI and MDDI.
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
