PMO Press Statement on Professor Ong’s appointment to the Public Service Commission
Two candidates have been awarded the 2020 Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship
Ms Chua Sock Koong appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Public Service Commission with effect from 29 Jan 2020
Two candidates have been awarded the 2019 Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship.
APPOINTMENT AT THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
The President has appointed Associate Professor Benjamin Ong (王建忠) as a Member of the Public Service Commission (PSC) with effect from 1 December 2020, for a five-year term in the first instance.
Professor Ong, 63, is Senior Vice President of Health Education and Resources at the National University of Singapore (NUS), as well as a Senior Consultant with the Division of Neurology, National University Hospital (NUH). He was Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health (MOH) between January 2014 and January 2020, during which he played a pivotal role in developing Singapore’s healthcare system. Professor Ong oversaw the opening of new public healthcare facilities, pushed for the transformation of healthcare models to meet the needs of the aging population, strengthened healthcare regulatory and health technology assessment capabilities, and worked to strengthen our responses to infectious diseases including facilitating the setting up of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. He also led in expanding healthcare manpower attraction, development and retention efforts.
Prior to his MOH appointment, Professor Ong was the Chief Executive, National University Health System (NUHS) and Senior Vice President of Health Affairs at NUS. He has also held positions as Chairman, Medical Board at the NUH, and was Head of the Department of Medicine at NUS. During his term as Chairman of the Integrated Health Information Systems Singapore, he provided leadership in Healthcare IT development and process improvement in patient care delivery.
On the new appointment, Chairman PSC Lee Tzu Yang said, “I warmly welcome Professor Ong to the Commission. With his wealth of experience and interests, he will bring his own perspectives and ideas to enrich the PSC’s discussions on talent identification and selection.”
Professor Ong was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2009, the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2015, and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2020 for his contributions to the Public Service.
In commemoration of the significant contributions made by Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship was set up in 1991 by the Tanjong Pagar Citizens’ Consultative Committee. It is publicly funded and awarded to exceptional individuals who demonstrate a strong sense of commitment to serve Singapore and her citizens.
In 2020, two outstanding candidates have been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship to support their pursuit of postgraduate studies. The awardees are:
| S/N | Name/Age | University/Course |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ms Amy Tan Wei Leng 陈为玲 Age 47 |
Master’s in Public Health Imperial College London United Kingdom |
| 2 |
毛仁豪 Age 38 |
Executive Masters of Business Administration University of California, Los Angeles United States National University of Singapore Singapore |
Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship holders may choose to pursue their postgraduate studies in any country and field of study that best develops their potential as leaders. The scholarship holders are expected to contribute actively to better Singapore and her community.
CHANGES AT THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
The President has appointed Ms Chua Sock Koong (蔡淑君) as Deputy Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC). She was sworn-in on 29 January 2020 and will serve alongside Deputy Chairman, Mr Kwa Chong Seng (柯宗盛), 73.
Ms Chua, 62, will be the PSC’s first female Deputy Chairman. As the Group Chief Executive Officer of Singtel since April 2007, Ms Chua directs the Singapore-based multinational’s global strategy and oversees its consumer, enterprise and digital businesses. She sits on the boards of Singtel, Bharti Airtel Limited, Bharti Telecom Limited, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), Cap Vista Pte Ltd, and key subsidiaries of the Singtel Group. She is also a member of the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council as well as the Indonesia-Singapore Business Council, and is an alternate member of the Council of Presidential Advisers.
The PSC will also be seeing two other changes. Mr Richard R Magnus, 75, has retired on 28 January 2020 after serving 11 years as a member of the PSC. Mr Tan Yam Pin (陈炎斌), 79, will be retiring on 31 January 2020 after serving 30 years on the PSC, including almost 10 years as Deputy Chairman.
In commemoration of the significant contributions made by Singapore’s first Prime Minister, the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship was set up in 1991 by the Tanjong Pagar Citizens’ Consultative Committee. It is publicly funded and awarded to exceptional individuals who demonstrate a strong sense of commitment to serve Singapore and her citizens.
In 2019, two outstanding candidates have been awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship to support their pursuit of postgraduate studies. The awardees are as listed:
| S/N | Name/Age | University/Course |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dr Hamid Rahmatullah Bin Abd Razak Age 34 |
MD(Res) in Orthopaedic Biomechanics Imperial College London, United Kingdom |
| 2 |
Ms Lim Li Ping 林莉萍 Age 46 |
PhD in Health and Social Sciences Jönköping University, Sweden |
Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship holders may choose to pursue their postgraduate studies in any country and field of study that best develops their potential as leaders. The scholarship holders are expected to contribute actively to better Singapore and her community.