Koh Yong Guan
CHAIRMAN

Koh Yong Guan, 63, is Chairman of SMRT Corporation Ltd. He is also Chairman of the Central Provident Fund Board, and is a member of the Board of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Mr Koh’s career in the Singapore Civil Service included appointments at the Permanent Secretary level in the Ministries of Defence, Finance, Health and National Development as well as the Commissioner of Inland Revenue, and Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Mr Koh did his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Toronto, and his Master of Business Administration at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.

Mr Koh was appointed as Singapore’s High Commissioner to Canada in January 2008.

Saw Phaik Hwa, 54, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SMRT Corporation Ltd. Ms Saw brings to SMRT a wealth of experience in retail and international business. Prior to joining SMRT, she served as Regional President for DFS Venture Singapore (Pte) Limited, in charge of businesses in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Her 19-year career with the DFS group of companies saw her rising through management ranks, including assuming operational responsibilities in Hong Kong, Macau and Vietnam, to her final position.

She is a director of The Esplanade Co Ltd and a board member of the National Environment Agency. She also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Management University, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Community Charity Fund and Youth Business Singapore. She is a member of the Sports Sub-Committee of Singapore Totalisator Board and a Resource Panel Member on the Government Parliamentary Committee (Transport).

Ms Saw is an ardent practitioner of taiji and sits on the Council as Vice President for both Singapore Jian Chuan Tai Chi Chuan Physical Culture Association and the Executive Committee of the International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation. She is also appointed as Governor for Singapore & Malaysia for the international body of Wu’s Tai Chi Chuan Academy as well as 3rd Vice Chairman of Singapore Wushu Dragon & Lion Dance Federation.

She was conferred the Leading CEO Award in 2005, organised by the Singapore HR Institute and a Medal of Commendation at the 2007 May Day Award.

Ms Saw graduated with an Honours degree in Biochemistry from the University of Singapore. She also attended an Advanced Management Programme at the University of Hawaii.

Halimah Yacob, 54, is a Member of Parliament of the Jurong Group Representation Constituency, Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee on Health and Chairman of the Jurong Town Council. She is also the Deputy Secretary General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electrical and Electronics Industries.

Since 1999, Mdm Halimah has been a Member of the International Labour Organisation Governing Body in Geneva, Switzerland, representing the Workers’ Group.

Mdm Halimah is a board member of the Economic Development Board, Housing & Development Board and a trustee of the National University of Singapore. She is a trustee of seven unions affiliated to the NTUC, Co-Chairperson for the Tripartite Alliance on Fair Employment Practices, and Chairperson for the Tripartite Workgroup on Women Back to Work Programme. Mdm Halimah is also actively involved in the Malay community. She is the Co-Chairperson of the Employability Network and the UFUK Co-operative, President of the Malay Teachers’ Union Co-operative, and Patron of the Young Muslim Women’s Association.

Mdm Halimah holds a Master of Laws degree from the National University of Singapore and was called to the Singapore Bar in 1981.

Ho Kim Wai

Dr Ho Kim Wai, 54, is an Associate Professor of Banking and Finance at the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). At the Business School, he had served as the Associate Dean (Research), the founding Director of the MSc (Financial Engineering) Programme, and the Director of the MBA (Banking and Finance) programme. Dr Ho’s teaching and research interests are in corporate finance, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, financial modelling and business valuation.

Prior to joining NTU, Dr Ho was the Financial Controller and Company Secretary of Metal Box Singapore Limited. Before that, he had several years of audit experience in international accounting firms in London and Singapore.

Dr Ho has a First Class Honours in BSc (Mechanical Engineering) from Imperial College London, a Master of Finance from RMIT University, Australia, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Finance from NTU. He is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore.

Dr Ho is Chairman of the Telok Blangah PCF Pre-School Education Centre and Student Care Centre Management Committee, and Vice-Chairman of the Dover Community Centre Management Committee. Dr Ho was conferred the Public Service Medal Award (PBM) in August 2005.

Tan Ek Kia