URA to welcome new CEO, deputy CEO on Sept 1
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Ms Adele Tan (left) will succeed Mr Lim Eng Hwee (centre) as URA's chief executive officer on Sept 1, and Ms Yvonne Lim will take over from Ms Tan as deputy CEO and chief planner.
PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE – The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) will have a new chief executive officer and deputy CEO come Sept 1.
Mr Lim Eng Hwee will step down as CEO on Aug 31 and be succeeded by URA’s deputy CEO and chief planner Adele Tan Shiao Ling, said URA and the Ministry of National Development (MND) in a statement on March 20.
Ms Tan, who has spent close to 30 years in the public service, has led major planning and policy workstreams spanning environmental sustainability, liveability, infrastructure planning, as well as underground space planning and development.
In her current role at URA, she steered the development of the Draft Master Plan (DMP) 2025, which outlines strategies to make Singapore a liveable, inclusive and resilient city and home.
She also led the formulation of the Long-Term Plan Review (LTPR) in 2022, which maps out strategic land use and infrastructure needs in Singapore over the next 50 years and beyond, said URA and MND.
“She guided the identification and analysis of long-term trends, risks and uncertainties, and led the formulation of land use strategies that carefully balanced land optimisation, flexibility, and resilience,” they said.
URA and MND added: “Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19 restrictions during the LTPR, Ms Tan led a year-long engagement involving more than 15,000 people from the public, private and people sectors, ensuring that long-term planning strategies were grounded in both technical rigour and the aspirations of Singaporeans.”
Mr Lim, who has served as URA’s CEO for more than eight years since September 2017, set the mandate for major national planning milestones during his term at the statutory board, said URA and MND.
Under his baton, URA delivered a number of major land use reviews, such as the DMP 2019 and DMP 2025, as well as the LTPR 2022.
URA and MND said: “His commitment to public and stakeholder engagement fostered a more inclusive land use planning process in Singapore, creating more opportunities for people from all walks of life to share their feedback and aspirations for the future Singapore in which they live, work and play.”
Describing Mr Lim as a strong champion of innovation and evidence-based planning, URA and MND said his advancement of the use of data and technology to better support decision-making led to URA being designated as the Whole-of-Government Urban Planning & Design Technology Centre of Excellence.
Mr Lim also played a pivotal role in advancing Singapore’s response to climate change.
“Through the Long Island initiative, for example, he guided the development of an integrated, multi-objective approach to coastal protection that simultaneously addresses flood resilience, water resilience, land optimisation and community needs,” said URA and MND.
“Mr Lim Eng Hwee has steered the strategic direction for Singapore’s land use planning, reinforcing its standing as one of Asia’s most liveable cities.
“He placed people and partnerships at the core of URA’s mission, ensuring that our land use plans remain relevant, responsive, and aligned to the nation’s evolving needs and the diverse aspirations of Singaporeans.”
On Sept 1, URA will also welcome Ms Yvonne Lim Li Chuen as its new deputy CEO and chief planner.
Ms Lim, who is URA’s current group director for physical planning, has led the design and delivery of two Master Plan reviews.
In the most recent DMP2025, Ms Lim led operational planning and engagement efforts, guiding URA in completing its largest public engagement exercise to date, said URA and MND.
More than 220,000 people were engaged for the Draft Master Plan, which was displayed at the URA Centre and 14 other locations islandwide, drawing nearly 250,000 visitors.
