CURRENT deputy chairman Niam Chiang Meng will succeed Lucien Wong as chairman of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore from December 16, 2016, the city-state’s Ministry of Transport said in a statement.
Mr Niam, who has been deputy chairman of the port and maritime regulator since July 2016,[ds_preview] retired from the administrative service in August this year after having worked in the public sector for 33 years.
Prior to his retirement as the Permanent Secretary to the National Population and Talent Division and National Climate Change Secretariat, Mr Niam was the chief executive officer of the Housing and Development Board and Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Communications and Information, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and Ministry of Law.
Outgoing chairman Mr Wong, meanwhile, will assume the office of Singapore’s Deputy Attorney-General before taking over as Attorney-General from 19 December.
Mr Wong joined the MPA Board in November 2007, became deputy chairman in September 2008 and chairman from February 2009. During his tenure at MPA, the Singapore Maritime Week developed into a major flagship event for the international maritime community.
In addition to strengthening Singapore’s position as a major port, Mr Wong has also been a keen advocate of strengthening MPA’s partnerships with key maritime stakeholders such as the Singapore Shipping Association, Singapore Maritime Foundation and the Association of Singapore Marine Industries.
He had also promoted closer collaboration between MPA and the unions such as Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union and Singapore Organisation of Seamen in developing programmes to attract Singaporeans into the maritime sector
