Russell Tham to take over as IMDA chairman; Chan Yeng Kit to join SPH Media board after stepping down

SINGAPORE: Mr Russell Tham will take over from Mr Chan Yeng Kit as chairman of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) Board from Mar 15, the Ministry of Communications and Information announced on Wednesday (Mar 13).

Mr Chan, who has held the post for nine years, has been appointed to the board of SPH Media Holdings, the company separately announced on Wednesday.

Mr Tham, 56, is head of emerging technologies at Temasek Holdings. He has served as a member of the IMDA Board since Oct 1, 2020, and as the chairperson of IMDA’s technology sub-committee since Apr 1, 2023.

“With Mr Tham’s experience and expertise, he has been instrumental in advising IMDA on new and emerging digital technologies, the translation of these technologies for business adoption, as well as potential policy implications,” MCI said.

It added: "MCI and IMDA are deeply appreciative of Mr Chan’s unwavering commitment and leadership of IMDA over the past two decades. We look forward to Mr Tham’s continued guidance and leadership of IMDA in the coming years."

NEW SPH MEDIA BOARD MEMBER

Mr Chan, who is also the Permanent Secretary for Health, was the CEO of the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) from January 2005 to November 2007.

The 59-year-old was Permanent Secretary for Information, Communications and the Arts from January 2008 to November 2012, after which he was appointed Permanent Secretary for Defence from 2013 to 2019.

In November 2015, he took over as chairman of the IDA board and oversaw its merger with the Media Development Authority to form IMDA in 2016. He served as IMDA Board chairman after the merger.

He led the development of the Intelligent Nation 2015 Masterplan during his tenure as CEO and Permanent Secretary, including the roll-out of Singapore’s fibre-to-the-home Nationwide Broadband Network (NBN).

"These provided the foundation to help Singapore realise its Smart Nation vision. IDA launched the Infocomm Media 2025 (ICM 2025) Masterplan in 2015, which IMDA has implemented under Mr Chan’s chairmanship," said MCI.

It added that Mr Chan has led IMDA to "punch above its weight on the global stage, in both the tech and media realms".

SPH Media said Mr Chan has "vast experience" in large-scale projects that involve "addressing challenges posed by digital disruption and changing mindsets".

"In his current role, he has led key aspects of the national response by the government and health care sectors through the COVID-19 pandemic, adopting and adapting strategies that have widespread impact in Singapore as the public health situation evolved," said SPH Media.

In 2022, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his significant contributions to Singapore, which include leading the whole-of-government effort to formulate and coordinate plans for COVID-19 safe management measures.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan, chairman of SPH Media Trust, said: "Yeng Kit has a deep appreciation of the challenges that digital disruption brings to the media industry. His wealth of experience will add much to the board and help steer our team towards sustainable growth."