The Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Quah Ley Hoon, is stepping down on Sept. 5 and will be replaced by Teo Eng Dih, who’s currently Singapore’s Deputy Secretary (Policy) of the Ministry of Defense.
According to an Aug. 4 news release from the country’s Ministry of Transport, Teo will be appointed as chief executive (designate) of the port authority from Aug. 8 to Sept. 4 and take over as Chief Executive on Sept. 5.
As Deputy Secretary (Policy) for the Ministry of Defense, Teo has been responsible for the ministry’s defense policy and diplomacy and strategic and public communications. He also enhanced the Ministry’s public engagement initiatives, including revamping the Singapore Discovery Center, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped to coordinate the Ministry of Defense’s efforts to support Singapore’s fight against COVID.
Prior to the Defense Ministry, Teo was Special Assistant to then-Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and had served in various government agencies in the areas of Policy and Planning, Manpower, Strategy, Technology, Climate Change, Enterprise Services and International Trade.
He obtained a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering First Class Honors from Imperial College of Science and Technology, and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School.
Quah was appointed chief executive (designate) of the port authority on Nov. 1, 2018 and assumed the position of chief executive on Jan. 1, 2019. According to the Ministry of Transport, she played a pivotal role in furthering the port authority’s vision as a leading maritime agency driving Singapore’s global maritime aspirations.
She was also, according to the Ministry, instrumental in leading the port authority through disruptions caused by COVID-19, while pressing on with the development and transformation of Singapore’s international maritime center and global hub port.
In November 2020, Quah initiated the Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience (SG-STAR) Fund, the first global tripartite initiative, to work with stakeholders in seafaring nations on sustainable solutions for safe crew changes.
Also, she was instrumental in leading efforts such as Sea-Air-Vaccination Exercise and Sea Crew Vaccination Initiative to safeguard the health of both local maritime personnel as well as crew members onboard ships calling at Singapore.
Quah has also a proponent for transformation of the maritime industry, notably in pushing for decarbonization and digitalization. She worked with the Singapore Maritime Foundation to establish the Global Center for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD) with private sector partners in August 2021. The GCMD has been collaborating with the industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. In March, the port authority launched the Maritime Singapore Decarbonization Blueprint which charts ambitious and concrete long-term strategies to support the maritime industry’s decarbonization.
Prior to serving the port authority, Quah was the Chief Editor of Channel News Asia, MediaCorp. She had also served in leadership positions in public service, namely, Ministry of Finance, the Prime Minister’s Office and then-Ministry of Community, Youth & Sports for more than 15 years.