NParks CEO stepping down after 3 years, Botanic Gardens director to take over on June 1
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Incumbent National Parks Board CEO Hwang Yu-Ning (left) will be succeeded by Dr Tan Puay Yok on June 1.
PHOTOS: NPARKS
SINGAPORE - There will be a leadership change at the National Parks Board (NParks) when chief executive Hwang Yu-Ning steps down on June 1 after three years at the helm.
Dr Tan Puay Yok, who is chief science and technology officer at NParks and Singapore Botanic Gardens director, will succeed her.
Dr Tan, 56, will become chief executive (designate) on May 1, before taking the helm on June 1.
Ms Hwang, 57, will take on a new role as chief of urban innovation and excellence at the Ministry of National Development (MND).
Before NParks, she held a range of portfolios in the civil service, including deputy chief executive and chief planner at the Urban Redevelopment Authority.
MND and NParks said in a joint statement on April 24 that Ms Hwang’s career in the Singapore Civil Service has demonstrated “strong leadership and a breadth of experience across policy and operational roles”.
The statement said: “She engaged people from all walks of life, and fostered greater collaboration with NParks’ diverse stakeholder groups.
“Under her leadership, NParks forged ahead with adoption of science, research and technology throughout the organisation to support the City in Nature vision.”
Dr Tan, who has a first-class degree and doctorate in horticulture, led the landscape studies cluster in the architecture department at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
He also helmed horticulture management at the Singapore Botanic Gardens and research at the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology.
He played a key role in helping to boost the international standing of the Singapore Botanic Gardens and raising its profile as a leading centre for tropical botany and conservation, a cultural institution and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dr Tan was involved in beefing up programming and management for the historically significant Fort Canning Park.
He also helped improve management of the Istana grounds, ensuring “horticultural excellence befitting its national significance”, and helped guide the development of nature parks, the statement added.
Dr Tan is on secondment from NUS, where he is a tenured professor in the department of architecture.
