The Energy Market Authority (EMA) will have a new chairman from April 1, the Ministry for Trade and Industry (MTI) announced on Thursday. Permanent Secretary of the Manpower Ministry Mr Loh Khum Yean will take over from Ms Chan Lai Fung who holds the concurrent role of permanent secretary at the Education Ministry.

Mr Loh was previously in a number of ministries, including director of research and planning at MTI and as chief executive of Spring, where he oversaw the energy market sector.

Under Ms Chan's chairmanship, the EMA developed plans for Singapore's first liquefied natural gas terminal, which is scheduled to begin operations in the second quarter of 2013.

The MTI also appointed one new member and re-appointed three existing members to the EMA's board: Mr Chang Meng Teng, chairman of Squire Mech; Mr Lee Eng Beng, managing partner of Rajah and Tann LLP; Mr Lee Kok Choy, managing director of Micron Semiconductor Asia, Fab7 (TECH); Prof Euston Quah, economics division head at Nanyang Technological University. Two EMA board members will retire from their posts on March 31: Mr Gan Seow Ann, advisor of Singapore Exchange, and Mr Simon Lam Chun Kai, supervisory board member of Hertel Group Holdings.