Singapore gets a young, new chief planner

Source : Business Times - 21 Jan 2009

Singapore has a new chief planner. From the beginning of this year, Lim Eng Hwee took over the reins from Koh Wen Gin, who retired from the Urban Redevelopment Authority at the end of 2008. Mr Lim, 44, is also one of two deputy chief executive officers at URA, as was Mrs Koh.

Choy Chan Pong, 60, a veteran at URA and an established name in the Singapore real estate industry circle, has been promoted to senior group director, retaining his portfolio of land sales and administration. Mr Choy reports directly to URA CEO Cheong Koon Hean.

Wong Kai Yeng, who used to be director, planning services, now heads a new unit, URA Consulting. This will be the external consulting arm of URA and is expected to provide consultancy and training services, primarily to overseas clients.

URA is master planner of the Singapore Tianjin Eco-city project in China. Last year, URA won an Award for Excellence for Asia-Pacific from the US-based Urban Land Institute (ULI) for its work in the Bras Basah-Bugis area.

ULI also awarded URA a Global Award for Excellence in 2006 for its conservation programme.

URA Consulting and the corporate development group come under URA’s other deputy CEO, Tan Siong Leng.

Loh Teck Hee is now Controller of Housing (COH), in addition to being deputy director of property research. Marc Boey, who was COH till Dec 31, 2008, is now acting group director, land sales and administration

Mr Lim was formerly assistant chief planner and director (physical planning) before his recent promotion. As deputy CEO now, he is in charge of planning matters - covering the physical planning, conservation and urban design, and development control groups. The physical planning group is headed by two acting group directors - Richard Hoo, who is in charge of strategic planning, and Hwang Yu-Ning, who is expected to focus more on the island’s physical planning when she returns to URA from the Ministry of National Development next month.

Mr Lim holds a Bachelor of Planning from University of Auckland and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard. He joined URA as a planner in 1990.