Changes to the leadership of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and its economic agencies were announced today. These changes will take effect from 1 May 2023.
Dr Beh Swan Gin will relinquish his appointment as Chairman of the Economic Development Board (EDB) and be appointed as Permanent Secretary (Development) of the MTI. In tandem, Mr Gabriel Lim, Permanent Secretary of MTI, will be redesignated as Permanent Secretary (Policy) of MTI.
Dr Beh, 55, has been Chairman of EDB since 1 December 2014. A medical doctor by training, he started his career in EDB in 1992. He has served in various roles in EDB, including overseeing its Biomedical Sciences portfolio and EDB’s North American operations. He has also served in MTI and the Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), where he was the Executive Director of the Biomedical Research Council. He was appointed Managing Director of EDB in 2008 before his appointment as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Law in 2012.
Mr Png Cheong Boon, 53, will relinquish his appointment as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and be appointed as Chairman of EDB. Mr Png first joined the EDB in 1993 and held various appointments, including spending over six years in EDB’s operations in the United States. Mr Png was Deputy Chief Executive of SPRING Singapore from 2003 to 2008, and Chief Executive of SPRING Singapore from 2008 to 2013. He was appointed as CEO of JTC Corporation in 2013 before being appointed as Second Permanent Secretary of MTI in 2017. He was appointed as CEO of ESG in 2018.
For more information, please refer to Public Service Division’s press release on Permanent Secretary Appointments here - https://www.psd.gov.sg/newsroom/media-releases/permanent-secretary-appointments-27-march-2023/.
