Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs on Sept 1
From Sept 1, Ms Ngiam Siew Ying will be appointed second permanent secretary for finance, while Mr Kenneth Er will be second permanent secretary for manpower and education.
SINGAPORE – Two senior public servants are set to become permanent secretaries, and two current permanent secretaries will change portfolios in the coming months, the Public Service Division said in a statement on Aug 1.
From Sept 1, Mr Kenneth Er will be appointed second permanent secretary for manpower and education, while Ms Ngiam Siew Ying will be second permanent secretary for finance.
Mr Er, 53, is currently deputy secretary (planning) at the Ministry of National Development (MND), while Ms Ngiam, 49, is currently the chief executive of health technology agency Synapxe.
The two current permanent secretaries who will take on new portfolios are Mr Augustin Lee, 54, and Mr Chng Kai Fong, 46.
Mr Lee will relinquish his current role as second permanent secretary for education on Sept 1, and his role as second permanent secretary (Smart Nation) in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Oct 1.
He will be appointed permanent secretary (energy and trade) at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) from Sept 1.
Mr Chng will take over Mr Lee's Smart Nation portfolio and be concurrently appointed permanent secretary (development) (Smart Nation) (cybersecurity) in the PMO from Oct 1.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam
Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: Affected road will open progressively to motorists from noon on Aug 2
Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet
World As China-US tariff truce talks drag on, what are prospects for a 'big deal' for Trump?
Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August
Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore
Business Sumo Salad had valid insurance coverage for work injury claims: MOM
He is currently permanent secretary (information and development) at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).
Mr Augustin Lee (left) will be appointed permanent secretary (energy and trade) at MTI from Sept 1, and Mr Chng Kai Fong will be appointed second permanent secretary (Smart Nation) in the PMO as well as permanent secretary (development) (Smart Nation) (cybersecurity) in the PMO from Oct 1.
PHOTOS: PUBLIC SERVICE DIVISION
Permanent secretaries are senior public servants who typically helm ministries, working closely with their respective ministers.
Mr Er has held various roles at the National Parks Board, MND and Gardens by the Bay before being appointed chief operating officer at Gardens by the Bay in 2012.
He was chief executive of the National Parks Board between 2014 and 2023.
Ms Ngiam has held various appointments in the Defence Science and Technology Agency, the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Transport, and the PMO before being appointed deputy secretary (policy) at the Ministry of Health (MOH) in 2016.
She has headed Synapxe since 2022.
Mr Lee has held various appointments at the former Ministry of Labour, MOH, the National Healthcare Group and MTI.
He had also served as principal private secretary to then Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong before being appointed deputy secretary in the Ministry of Manpower.
Between 2019 and 2023, he was chief executive of the Central Provident Fund Board.
Mr Chng has held various roles at the former Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Civil Service College, MTI, and the Communications Group in the PMO.
He had also served a two-year stint in the private sector at Shell Eastern Petroleum.
He was appointed principal private secretary to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2014 and became managing director at the Economic Development Board in 2017.
In 2021, he was appointed second permanent secretary for the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) in the PMO.
In 2022, he was concurrently appointed second permanent secretary (communications and information) and second permanent secretary (cybersecurity) in the PMO.
In 2023, he was redesignated permanent secretary (development) in the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and for the SNDGG and cybersecurity in the PMO.
He later relinquished his appointment as permanent secretary (development) at the SNDGG, and was redesignated permanent secretary (information and development) at MCI.
He later became permanent secretary (information and development) at MDDI after MCI was renamed MDDI in 2024.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
Highlights of Putin statement after summit with Trump, World News
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Following are key quotes from Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement after meeting US President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday (Aug 15). Translation by Reuters. On Russia-US ties As is known, Russian-American summits have not been held for more than four years. This is a long time. The past period was very difficult for bilateral relations. And, let's be honest, they have slid to the lowest point since the Cold War. And this is not good for our countries, or the world as a whole. Obviously, sooner or later, it was necessary to correct the situation, to move from confrontation to dialogue. And in this regard, a personal meeting of the heads of the two states was really overdue. On Ukraine As you well know and understand, one of the central issues has become the situation around Ukraine. We see the desire of the US administration and President Trump personally to facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, his desire to delve into the essence and understand its origins. I have said more than once that for Russia the events in Ukraine are associated with fundamental threats to our national security. Moreover, we have always considered and consider the Ukrainian people, I have said this many times, brotherly, no matter how strange that may sound in today's conditions. We have the same roots and everything that is happening for us is a tragedy and a great pain. Therefore, our country is sincerely interested in putting an end to this. But at the same time, we are convinced that in order for the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated. All of Russia's legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restored. I agree with President Trump — he spoke about this today — that Ukraine's security must, without a doubt, be ensured. We are ready to work on this. I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine. We expect that Kyiv and the European capitals will perceive all of this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles. That they will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigue. On economic ties It is obvious that Russian-American business and investment partnership has enormous potential. Russia and the United States have something to offer each other in trade, energy, the digital sphere, high tech and space exploration. Cooperation in the Arctic, resumption of interregional contacts, including between our Far East and the American West Coast, also seem relevant. I expect that today's agreements will become a reference point not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also launch the restoration of business-like, pragmatic relations between Russia and the United States. On cooperation with Trump Overall we have established very good business-like and trusting contact with President Trump. And I have every reason to believe that by moving along this path, we can — the quicker the better — reach an end to the conflict in Ukraine. [[nid:721406]]
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Trump says he does not believe Xi will act on Taiwan
WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump said on Friday (Aug 15) that Chinese President Xi Jinping told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump made the comments in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. "I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don't believe there's any way it's going to happen as long as I'm here. We'll see," Trump said during an interview on Fox News' "Special Report". "He told me, 'I will never do it as long as you're president.' President Xi told me that, and I said, 'Well, I appreciate that,' but he also said, 'But I am very patient, and China is very patient.'," Trump said. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump and Xi held their first confirmed call of Trump's second presidential term in June. Trump also said in April that Xi had called him but did not specify when that call took place. China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to "reunify" with the democratic and separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan strongly objects to China's sovereignty claims. Although Washington is Taiwan's main arms supplier and international backer, the US - like most countries - has no formal diplomatic ties with the island.
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Trump says no summit deal reached with Putin over ending war in Ukraine, World News
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — US President Donald Trump said that nearly three hours of direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday (Aug 15) did not yield an agreement to pause Moscow's war in Ukraine, though he characterised the meeting as "very productive". During brief remarks to reporters, the two leaders said they had made progress on unspecified issues, but they offered no details and took no questions. "There were many, many points that we agreed on. I would say a couple of big ones that we haven't quite got there, but we've made some headway," Trump said, standing in front of a backdrop that read, "Pursuing Peace." "There's no deal until there's a deal," he added. It was not immediately clear whether the talks had produced meaningful steps toward a ceasefire in the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years, a goal that Trump had set at the outset. In brief remarks, Putin said he expected Ukraine and its European allies to accept the results of the US-Russia negotiation constructively and not try to "disrupt the emerging progress". "I expect that today's agreements will become a reference point, not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also launch the restoration of business-like, pragmatic relations between Russia and the United States," Putin said. There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv. The anticlimactic end to the closely watched summit was in stark contrast to the pomp and circumstance with which it began. When Putin arrived at an Air Force base in Alaska, a red carpet awaited him, where Trump greeted Putin warmly as US military aircraft flew overhead. For Putin, the summit — the first between him and a US president since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — was already a big win, regardless of its outcome. He can portray the meeting as evidence that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow is retaking its rightful place at the high table of international diplomacy. Trump hopes a truce in the 3-1/2-year-old war that Putin started will bring peace to the region as well as bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court, accused of the war crime of deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Russia denies the allegations, and the Kremlin has dismissed the ICC warrant as null and void. Russia and the United States are not members of the court. Both Moscow and Kyiv deny targeting civilians in the war. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority Ukrainian, and the war has killed or injured well over a million people from both sides. Trump and Putin, along with top foreign-policy aides, conferred in a room at an Air Force base in Anchorage, Alaska in their first meeting since 2019. Trump's publicly stated aim for the talks was to secure a halt to the fighting and a commitment by Putin to meet swiftly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to negotiate an end to the war, which began when Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022. Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the summit, and his European allies had feared Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising — if only informally — Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial concessions. "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get them at a table," he said. Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: "I want to see a ceasefire rapidly ... I'm not going to be happy if it's not today ... I want the killing to stop." Zelenskiy has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is also seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States. Trump said he would call Zelenskiy and Nato leaders to update them on the talks with Putin. The meeting also included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Trump's special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff; Russian foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov; and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher task than he had expected. He said if Friday's talks went well, quickly arranging a second, three-way summit with Zelenskiy would be more important than his encounter with Putin. Zelenskiy said Friday's summit should open the way for a "just peace" and three-way talks that included him, but added that Russia was continuing to wage war. A Russian ballistic missile earlier struck Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one person and wounding another. "It's time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. [[nid:721377]]
