SINGAPORE – The man who had a hand in transforming Sentosa into the nation’s primary playground, Quek Swee Kuan, has now been tasked with turning the Singapore Sports Hub into a similar proposition.
Former Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) chief executive Quek’s appointment as the new leader of the entity that will be managing the Hub was announced on Friday and he will take over from current CEO Lionel Yeo, who has held the role since February 2020.
Keith Magnus, chairman of investment banking advisory firm Evercore’s Asia business, has been appointed the new entity’s chairman. Both Quek and Magnus will start their roles on Dec 1 ahead of Sport Singapore’s (SportSG) takeover of the Sports Hub on Dec 9.
Quek, the current CEO of New Business at Surbana Jurong, will be the fifth man to helm the eight-year-old Hub on a permanent basis. His predecessors were Frenchman Philippe Collin-Delavaud (March 2011-December 2015), former ESPN Star Sports managing director Manu Sawhney (October 2015-May 2017), former national swimmer Oon Jin Teik (January 2018-April 2019) and former tourism chief Yeo.
He said: “With its world-class facilities, the Sports Hub has incredible potential to be a premier sporting, entertainment and lifestyle destination, and I am thrilled to take on this new challenge and responsibility.”
Quek was SDC’s chief from October 2015 to May 2020. Under the football and Formula One fan, key initiatives included a year-round calendar of attractions to transform Sentosa into an award-winning “day-to-night” destination.
His experience at the Economic Development Board (EDB) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will come in handy, as the Government seeks to make the Sports Hub more accessible to the broader community and also develop Kallang into a vibrant and integrated sports, wellness and lifestyle precinct.
Magnus, a football, F1 and rugby fan, had been a SportSG board member since 2020. He played a role in the Sports Hub public-private partnership (PPP) review and was SportSG’s chief negotiator as it sought to terminate the PPP with Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL).
In a Facebook post, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong noted that Quek’s background made him “a good candidate”. He added: “He resonated deeply with our vision of a sporting Singapore, where sports and Sports Hub can be a part of the life of every Singaporean.”
He then referred, tongue in cheek, to Quek’s allegiance to English football team Tottenham, who last won the league title in 1961: “I paused a little when he told me that he is a Tottenham Hotspur fan. Only a little. Because I thought anyone with enough passion and loyalty to a club like Spurs, would bring a lot to the table, for the Sports Hub!”
OCBC Bank is one of the key stakeholders of the Sports Hub, with naming rights to the OCBC Arena and OCBC Aquatic Centre.
Koh Ching Ching, its head of group brand and communications, said: “We look forward to Swee Kuan and his team bringing more exciting international and local events to deepen the engagement with the community, and making the Singapore Sports Hub the destination of choice for sports and entertainment not only in Singapore but also in the region.
“We are also excited to work with the new leadership on staging a bigger and better OCBC Cycle year after year at the Singapore Sports Hub.”
