Former defence chief Neo Kian Hong will take over from Mr Desmond Kuek as SMRT chief executive on Aug 1, the rail operator has confirmed.
In a statement yesterday, SMRT chairman Seah Moon Ming said he was "confident that (Mr Neo) will be able to lead SMRT towards achieving operation excellence".
Now the Permanent Secretary for Defence Development at the Ministry of Defence, Mr Neo, 54, was Singapore's seventh chief of defence force in the Singapore Armed Forces when he succeeded Mr Kuek in 2010.
He will be retiring from the Administrative Service to join SMRT. He said: "I am conscious that there will be challenges ahead. I know the public expects safe and reliable train services. I will work very hard to meet their expectations."
In a farewell e-mail to staff yesterday, Mr Kuek, 55, said: "It has been my privilege to have served alongside you, and to have had the honour of leading the company through this critical period of transformation and system renewal."
