Senior Leadership Appointments in MCCY and People's Association

Mr Low Puk Yeong, PPA (P), will step down as Commissioner of Charities and Senior Director, Registry of Co-operative Societies and Mutual Benefit Organisations on 16 Jan 2017.

1. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) announces that Mr Low Puk Yeong, PPA(P), will step down as Commissioner of Charities (COC) and Senior Director, Registry of Co-operative Societies and Mutual Benefit Organisations (RCS) on 16 January 2017. 
2. Dr Ang Hak Seng, BBM, will be appointed as Deputy Secretary-Designate to lead MCCY’s efforts in Singapore Cares, the national movement to foster a more caring, compassionate and inclusive society. He will also be appointed COC-Designate and Executive Director-Designate of the RCS at MCCY with effect from 2 January 2017.  He will be officially appointed to all three positions on 16 January 2017.   
3. BG Tan Kok Ming Desmond will be appointed as the People’s Association’s (PA) Chief Executive Director (CED)-Designate on 2 January 2017. BG Tan is currently the Chief of Staff (General Staff) of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).  He will be officially appointed CED on 16 January 2017. 
   

   
   About Mr Low Puk Yeong

4. Mr Low Puk Yeong was first appointed as COC in 2006. Under his leadership, the charity sector has strengthened its standards of governance and enjoyed greater public confidence and support for charitable giving. He worked with the Charity Council to progressively strengthen the Code of Governance o encourage the adoption of good governance standards and best practices to promote self-regulation in the charity sector. 
5. As Senior Director of the RCS, Mr Low Puk Yeong spearheaded efforts to protect the interests of the members of co-operative societies and mutual benefit organisations, through  reviewing of the Co-operative Societies Act and the Mutual Benefit Organisations Act to better regulate the sectors. He also partnered with the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) to ensure that the Central Co-operative Fund is effectively used to further co-operative education, training, research and audit and for the general development of the co-operative movement in Singapore.
   

   
   About Dr Ang Hak Seng

6. Dr Ang was appointed CED, PA on 1 April 2013, bringing with him a wealth of grassroots experience as a Grassroots Leader in Yuhua and a Councillor in South West Community Development Council where he served for 15 years. During his tenure as CED, Dr Ang led the transformation of PA as an organisation which focuses on building relationships with and among residents. He advanced whole-of-government efforts, particularly in the last mile delivery of policy communications to residents. Dr Ang spearheaded broad spectrum citizen engagement to gather residents’ feedback, and worked with public agencies to address their concerns. Under his leadership, PA’s programmes and facilities have reached out to residents from all walks of life, bringing people together and strengthening partnerships between the people and the government, to serve the community.
7. Dr Ang said, “My four years in PA have been immensely fulfilling. I am deeply touched by the passion and commitment of PA grassroots volunteers and staff. It has been my privilege to lead the PA in our efforts in promoting racial harmony and social cohesion, and make improvements to our programmes. Working together, we developed many community programmes for the benefit of Singaporeans. More people have stepped forward to contribute their time, effort and ideas to make Singapore a better home for all. And most importantly, through PA programmes, we have been able to strengthen our national unity.”
8. Deputy Chairman of the PA Board of Management, Minister Chan Chun Sing said, “As CED, Dr Ang has made enormous contributions to PA. Under his leadership, PA strengthened its engagement with Singaporeans from diverse backgrounds to weave the social fabric of our nation; helped the Government to close the last mile in communicating government policies to residents in a simple and personal way; and helped to communicate the people’s feedback to the Government for more responsive policies. I thank Dr Ang for his many contributions to PA. On behalf of the PA Board of Management, I would also like to welcome Tan Kok Ming Desmond to the PA. I look forward to his contributions to the PA and our nation.”
   

   
   About BG Tan Kok Ming Desmond

9. BG Tan was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Merit Scholarship in 1991, and obtained a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours in Engineering from the Victoria University of Manchester, United Kingdom in 1994. He further obtained a Master of Business Administration (Nanyang Fellows) conferred by the Nanyang Technological University in 2008. His distinguished military career has seen him hold various key appointments in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the SAF. These include Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment, Commander of 3rd Singapore Infantry Brigade, Director of MINDEF Public Affairs, Chief Guards Officer, Director of Joint Operations and at present, Chief of Staff of the General Staff (COS-GS).
   
   16 December 2016
   MINISTRY OF CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND YOUTH