SINGAPORE - SMRT chief executive Desmond Kuek is stepping down after 5½ years at the helm, and his successor is expected to be former chief of defence force Neo Kian Hong, according to reliable sources.
Mr Neo, 54, is currently permanent secretary for defence development. He had succeeded Mr Kuek, 55, as Chief of Defence Force in 2010.
SMRT's Desmond Kuek stepping down, expected to be replaced by former chief of defence Neo Kian Hong
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...ormer-chief-of SMRT's Desmond Kuek stepping down, expected to be replaced by former chief of defence force Neo Kian Hong
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SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek had told staff in January 2018 that he had no plans of stepping down soon. Yahoo News Singapore file photo.
Almost six years after he took up the role of president and group CEO of SMRT Corporation Limited, Desmond Kuek is stepping down from the role, according to a Straits Times report.
Citing reliable sources, ST reported that Kuek’s successor is expected to be former Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Neo Kian Hong. Neo, 54, succeeded Kuek, 55, as CDF in 2010. He is currently permanent secretary for defence development.
A formal announcement of the change will be made as early as Wednesday (18 April). This follows months of speculation that Kuek will step down.
Kuek‘s tenure as chief executive was marked by numerous incidents such as a tunnel flood that resulted in a 20-hour disruption in train services and a train collision that injured 38 people, as well as an increasing frequency of breakdowns.
On 22 March 2016, two SMRT trainees died after being struck by a train while inspecting a mechanical fault on the tracks near Pasir Ris station. SMRT Trains director Teo Wee Kiat was eventually fined $55,000 for the safety lapses that led to the incident.
In October 2017, Kuek alluded to “deep-seated cultural issues” within SMRT which he had been unable to resolve during his watch. Asked to elaborate, he referred to issues such as the level of accountability by supervisors and the level of ownership with regard to what was not working well.
Kuek, who spent almost three decades in the Singapore Armed Forces, succeeded the controversial Saw Phaik Hwa as SMRT chief in 2012. Saw herself resigned following two of the worst train service breakdowns in SMRT history.
Kuek brought with him many former military men such as Lee Ling Wee, a former Air Force regular who was appointed as SMRT Trains CEO, and director of train operations Alvin Kek, formerly a Chief Engineer Officer with the Army.
But Kuek and his team seemed unable to resolve the perennial issue of service breakdowns. He also attracted ridicule for Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan’s remark that he had “volunteered” for the SMRT role.
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Source: the Straits Times.
Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) chief executive Desmond Kuek is said to step down after five-and-half-years at the helm and former chief of defence force Neo Kian Hong is expected to be his successor.
Currently, Mr Neo is permanent secretary for defence development. He had succeeded Mr Kuek as Chief of Defence Force in 2010.
According to the Straits Times, a formal announcement of the change will be announced on Wednesday (18 April), months after speculation that the chief will vacate his post.
According to Wikipedia, Mr Neo was the seventh Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 2010–2013 and held the rank of Lieutenant-General. Before that, he served as the Chief of the Singapore Army from 2007–2010. After retiring from active military service in 2013, Neo joined the civil service and became the Permanent Secretary (Education Development) in the Ministry of Education.
Neo received his secondary education in Victoria School, where he was also a National Cadet Corps cadet, and his pre-university education in Nanyang Junior College.
Mr Neo was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1985 and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Upper Second Class Honours) degree in electrical and electronic engineering from King's College London. He subsequently completed a Master of Science degree in management of technology from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2013.
Neo joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1983. Throughout his career in the SAF, he has held various appointments, including: Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Singapore Guards; Commander, 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade; Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Operations); Commander, 9th Division; Commander, Army Training and Doctrine Command; Chief of Staff, Joint Staff; Chief of Army (2007–2010).
He attended the Indonesian Army Command and Staff Course (SESKOAD) in 1994. He also served as the SAF's contingent commander for the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) in 1999 and was involved in establishing the national contact and tracing system in Singapore during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak.
Neo succeeded Desmond Kuek as the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) of the SAF on 31 March 2010 and relinquished his previous appointment as the Chief of Army to Chan Chun Sing on 26 March. He was promoted from the rank of Major-General to Lieutenant-General on 1 July 2010.
Neo retired from the SAF on 27 March 2013 and was succeeded by Ng Chee Meng as the CDF.
After leaving the SAF, Neo joined the civil service and was appointed as the Permanent Secretary (Education Development) in the Ministry of Education on 1 July 2013.
Mr Kuek, who was also a former permanent secretary, took over the helm of the rail operator in 2012. He replaced retailer Saw Phaik Hwa, who spearheaded SMRT's diversification during her 10-year tenure.
Under Mr Kuek's leadership, the operator faced many breakdowns and major challenges as the infrastructure is ageing.
In July 2015, the North-South and East-West line experienced a broke down during evening peak hour, affecting nearly half a million commuters.
Another horrific incident, involving two trainees who got killed during maintanance along Pasir Ris railway, also happened during his leadership.
By the end of last year, train tunnels in Bishan were flooded and, shortly after the incident, there was a train collision at Joo Koon collision, injuring more than 30 people.
However, there were major changes in the company under his leadership, such as the privatisation of SMRT and the implementation of a New Rail Financing Framework, where the government assumes ownership of all rail assets.
There were also replacements of several major components of the ageing system, such as power supplying third rail and the signalling system.
He was also helped to turn SMRT's loss-incurring bus business around. He started up a private-hire car division, responding to disruption from ride-hailing application providers, Uber and Grab.
According to ST, Mr Kuek also addressed deep-seated cultural issues within SMRT's 10,000 strong workforce, which he identified in the first week of his term. It is said that although it is not clear how successful he has been, SMRT's rail performance has improved significantly.
In 2017, the North-South line averaged 336,000 km before the delay occurred, up from 70,000 km in 2012.
It is said that the figure excluded disruptions related to the resignalling project, however, ST stated that even if it was included, the system was twice as reliable as it was in 2012.
Meanwhile, the East-West line hit 278,000 km, up from 60,000 km in 2012.
Mr Kuek also put up a target during annual performance review in March, which is to be at least three times as reliable in 2020 and to eliminate major delays, those exceeding 30 minutes.
