Appointment of Chief Executive for Singapore Totalisator Board and Director-General of Singapore Customs

1. The Ministry of Finance has appointed Mr Fong Yong Kian as the Chief Executive of the Singapore Totalisator Board. The Minister for Finance has also appointed Mr Ho Chee Pong as Director-General of Singapore Customs. Both appointments will take effect from 1 January 2014.

Appointment of new Chief Executive, Tote Board

2. Mr Fong Yong Kian will succeed Mr Tan Soo Nan as the Chief Executive (“CE”) of the Singapore Totalisator Board (“Tote Board”). Mr Fong is currently the Director-General of Singapore Customs.

3. Mr Tan Soo Nan will relinquish his appointment as CE, Tote Board with effect from 1 January 2014 upon completion of his current term. Mr Tan will continue to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Pools.

4. Under Mr Tan’s strong leadership, Tote Board has significantly expanded its grant-making function to better serve the community. In the past seven years, the Board explored new social initiatives, including redefining grant-giving practices to focus on better social outcomes and efficiency. Tote Board also introduced new programmes targeted at increasing the capability and capacity of the not-for-profit sector. This includes scholarships for senior management of non-profit organisations, executive programmes for middle managers in the social service sector, and knowledge-sharing of best practices for social services via a series of social capital lectures and case study work.

5. During his tenure, Tote Board has progressed in its organisational capacity, including the attainment of ISO 9001:2008 certification for its donation processes, re-alignment of the Board’s Vision, Mission and Values, and a rebranding exercise.

6. A brief write-up on the new Chief Executive and outgoing Chief Executive is attached at Annex A (168 KB).

Appointment of new Director-General of Singapore Customs

7. Mr Ho Chee Pong will succeed Mr Fong Yong Kian as Director-General of Singapore Customs. Mr Ho is currently the Senior Director of Human Capital, in the Public Service Division (PSD), Prime Minister’s Office. A brief write-up on the new Director-General is attached at Annex B (151 KB).

8. Under Mr Fong’s leadership, Singapore Customs placed strong focus on being a Partner of Business and a Guardian of Trade. It introduced several business-friendly initiatives to facilitate legitimate trade flows, including TradeFIRST and TradeXchange. It also established the Singapore Customs Academy, which offers a range of courses designed for the trade and logistics community.

9. During his stint, Singapore Customs strengthened Singapore’s international reputation as a secure and trusted global trade hub. Singapore has been ranked first for the ease of trading across borders in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report from 2008 to 2013, and first in border administration in the World Economic Forum – Global Enabling Trade Report, from 2008 to 2012.

10. Singapore Customs attained the prestigious Singapore Quality Award in 2012 under Mr Fong’s leadership.

11. The Ministry of Finance, Tote Board and Singapore Customs would like to place on record our deep appreciation to Mr Tan and Mr Fong for their dedication and invaluable contributions in their current capacities. We look forward to Mr Fong’s and Mr Ho’s continued contributions to the Public Service in their new appointments.

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Issued by Ministry of Finance
Singapore
24 October 2013