SINGAPORE – A new chairman will take the helm at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Jan 1 after Mr Chaly Mah Chee Kheong steps down.
Mr Olivier Lim, currently chairman of PropertyGuru Group and Starhub, will replace Mr Mah, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said on Dec 29.
Mr Lim was appointed deputy chairman of STB in January.
He is also lead independent director at DBS Group Holdings and DBS Bank, a director at Raffles Medical Group, and serves on the MAS Securities Industry Council.
Mr Lim was previously chairman of several organisations including Certis Cisco Security, Frasers Property Australia, and Mount Faber Leisure Group.
He has held directorships in several Singapore Exchange-listed companies including Banyan Tree Holdings, and served on the boards of JTC Corporation, Sentosa Development Corporation and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.
Mr Mah has been the chairman of STB since Jan 1, 2017. During his tenure, he led the board to implement initiatives and strategies that helped boost tourism before the Covid-19 pandemic, MTI said.
Under his leadership, STB achieved record highs in international visitor arrivals and tourism receipts of 19.1 million and $27.7 billion respectively in 2019.
Amid the pandemic, Mr Mah guided the board in supporting the tourism sector to innovate and transform, according to the MTI statement.
During that time, STB launched the SingapoRediscovers campaign to drive local demand for tourism products and the SingapoReimagine initiative to build anticipation for resumption of global travel.
Tcube, or the Tourism Technology Transformation Cube, was also introduced to offer digital initiatives and resources that support tourism businesses in their digital transformation journey, MTI said.
In recognition of his commitment and contributions to the tourism sector, Mr Mah was awarded the Public Service Star Medal during the 2022 National Day Awards.
MTI Permanent Secretary for Development Beh Swan Gin thanked Mr Mah for his contributions as chairman of STB.
Dr Beh said: “Under Chaly’s leadership, STB executed important initiatives that contributed to our robust tourism performance.”
He added: “I am confident that Olivier’s extensive experience will position him well to take STB towards its next phase of growth.”
Other board changes at STB include the appointments of Mr Amrin Amin, head of corporate development at Temasek Foundation, and Changi Airport Group chief executive Lee Seow Hiang.
