Former CapitaLand president and chief executive Lim Ming Yan will join Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) as an independent director next Monday. He has also been named a member of its nominating and remuneration committees, SPH said yesterday.

Mr Lim spent 22 years with CapitaLand and was its president and group CEO from 2013 to last year. During his time there, he turned CapitaLand into China's largest foreign real estate player.

The Ascott Group, under his leadership between 2010 and last year, grew from a portfolio of about 25,000 serviced residence units to more than 100,000 units.

SPH chairman Lee Boon Yang said: "Not only is he a real estate veteran, he is also known for embracing digitisation in empowering businesses. He will be a great asset to the board as we work with management to seize opportunities to transform and grow SPH's businesses."

Mr Lim said SPH has made great strides here and overseas, on top of transforming its media business. "I look forward to working with the rest of the SPH board to contribute to the company's business strategy and success."