SLA appoints Frasers Hospitality Trust CEO as new chief, effective April 12

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) on Wednesday (March 24) announced that it has appointed Mr Colin Low as the new chief executive of the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).

The appointment will be effective April 12, 2021.

He succeeds Mr Tan Boon Khai, who was appointed chief executive of JTC Corporation on Sept 1 last year.

SLA's current deputy chief executive, Mr Simon Ong, will relinquish his appointment as acting chief executive on April 12.

Mr Low, 44, has about two decades of experience in investment and corporate business development, where he covered the hospitality, retail and other real estate asset classes in the private sector, said MinLaw.

He is currently the chief executive of Frasers Hospitality Trust, a hospitality real estate investment trust listed on the Singapore Exchange. The firm had announced Mr Low's resignation on January 27.

A spokesman said the appointment of a successor is being finalised and that Mr Low's last day at the helm of Frasers Hospitality Trust will be April 9.

In a statement, the Managers of Frasers Hospitality Trust on Wednesday said: "The Board of the Managers would like to thank Mr Low for his contributions and leadership, especially during the past year in the face of Covid-19 pandemic challenges, and wish him all the best as he takes on his new role."

Mr Low was previously head of hotel investment properties for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at London-based CBRE Hotels.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) degree in economics from the National University of Singapore.

Asked why someone from the private sector was recruited for the SLA job, a MinLaw spokesman said: "The public sector welcomes persons from diverse backgrounds and with a strong track record to contribute to public service.

"We are confident that Mr Colin Low's varied experience in managing and maximising value from properties across different real estate asset classes will put him in good stead as the chief executive of the SLA."

The SLA plays two roles - developmental and regulatory.

Under its developmental role, the authority is responsible for managing state land through land sales, leases, acquisitions and allocations.

It maintains the national land information database to aid its land optimisation effort.

The authority also develops and markets state properties to optimise their use for the benefit for the public.

As for its regulatory role, SLA is the national land registration authority and looks after the registration of property transactions in Singapore.

It is responsible for the management and maintenance of the national land survey system.