New GovTech board chairman appointed
SINGAPORE: Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) Permanent Secretary Joseph Leong has been appointed chairman of the Government Technology Agency’s (GovTech) board, SNDGG announced on Friday (Apr 1).
Mr Leong - who is also Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information) and Permanent Secretary (Cybersecurity) in the Prime Minister’s Office - replaces Mr Ng Chee Khern, GovTech’s chairman since October 2016.
"His concurrent appointments will bring greater synergies to the development of our digital government, digital economy, and digital society, and strengthen our digital infrastructures and cybersecurity regime as we chart the next course for smart nation," said SNDGG, which comes under the Prime Minister's Office.
GovTech is the implementing agency of the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office. Both entities are collectively known as SNDGG.
Mr Leong previously served in the Republic of Singapore Navy for 24 years, having joined the Singapore Armed Forces in 1990.
He held various key appointments including Director of Military Intelligence and Chief of Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence, and served as Director in the Security & Intelligence Division from 2014 to 2019.
In 2019, Mr Leong was appointed Permanent Secretary for Defence Development at the Ministry of Defence and concurrently held the position of Second Permanent Secretary for Communications and Information.
Mr Leong is also currently chairman of the Defence Science Organisation National Laboratories, and had previously served on the boards of the Defence Science and Technology Agency as well as the Housing and Development Board.
SNDGG thanked outgoing chairman Mr Ng for his "invaluable contributions".
"As GovTech’s founding chairman, Mr Ng was instrumental in setting up the necessary foundations and structures for GovTech to achieve its mission of 'Engineering Digital Government, Making Lives Better'," SNDGG said.
"He provided strong focus to GovTech in establishing clear frameworks and outcomes to enable the delivery of digital services to benefit citizens, businesses, agencies and public officers, and in transforming the organisation and workforce for sustainable growth."