Former Singapore Airlines chairman Stephen Lee Ching Yen has been appointed the chancellor of the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

Mr Lee takes over from Dr Aline Wong, who has been chancellor since 2015.

Mr Lee, whose appointment took effect yesterday, is a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers.

He currently chairs NTUC Income Insurance Cooperative and the Shanghai Commercial Bank (Hong Kong). He also holds directorships at Temasek Holdings, CapitaLand and the Singapore Labour Foundation.

Mr Lee has served in both the public and private sectors, chairing the Singapore National Employers Federation from 1988 to 2014, PSA International from 2002 to 2005 and Singapore Airlines from 2006 to 2016, among other organisations.

He was also a member of the National Wages Council from 1978 to 2016 and a Nominated Member of Parliament from 1994 to 1997.

In 2015, he was conferred the Order of Nila Utama (First Class) in recognition of his contributions and commitment to industrial relations, tripartism and the Singapore economy. He also received the Distinguished Comrade of Labour in 2015 and the Distinguished Service Order in 2006.

Dr Wong, a retired politician, is currently an adjunct professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

She was first appointed chancellor of UniSIM in 2015. UniSIM was restructured and renamed SUSS, Singapore's sixth autonomous university, in March last year.

Dr Wong also served as an academic adviser to UniSIM from 2005 to 2015.

SUSS president Cheong Hee Kiat said: "SUSS is honoured to have Mr Lee as our new chancellor. With his experience, we believe he would further strengthen our position as the nation's university for lifelong and applied learning, with a social mission.

"At the same time, SUSS expresses its deep appreciation to Dr Aline Wong for her contributions during her term as chancellor. She has given inspiration to the university in its role of providing quality education for working adults and adult learners, and steered SUSS through its transition into an autonomous university."