Former Chief of Army Goh Si Hou to take over as chief executive of PUB
Former Chief of Army Goh Si Hou (left) will take over as chief executive of PUB from Mr Peter Ng Joo Hee. (Photos: MSE)
SINGAPORE: Former Chief of Army Goh Si Hou has been appointed chief executive of Singapore's national water agency PUB on Jul 22, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) announced on Wednesday (Jun 8).
Mr Goh, who stepped down as Chief of Army in March, will take over from current chief executive Peter Ng Joo Hee on Jul 22.
Mr Ng is retiring from the Administrative Service, said MSE in a media release.
He became chief executive of PUB after a long career in law enforcement, where he served as Commissioner of Prisons from 2008 to 2010 and as Commissioner of Police from 2010 to 2015.
During his tenure, several water infrastructure developments were commissioned, noted MSE, including the Tuas Desalination Plant in 2018, the Marina East Desalination Plant in 2020, as well as the Jurong Island Desalination Plant in 2022.
An extensive upgrade of the Choa Chu Kang Waterworks was also concluded in 2019, making it the largest ceramic membrane filtration plant in the world.
"The commissioning of these plants has further strengthened Singapore’s water security," said the ministry.
Mr Ng also led PUB in its new role as the national coastal protection authority as part of the country's efforts to safeguard against rising sea levels.
This included developing a Coastal-Inland Flood Model to assess flood risks, studying engineering solutions with nature-based enhancements to address rising sea levels, and overseeing site-specific studies for City-East Coast, Jurong Island and the northwestern coast of Singapore.
During his tenure as chief executive, Mr Ng also led sustainability efforts, such as developing PUB's floating solar farms at reservoirs and the co-location of PUB's water reclamation plant with the National Environment Agency's (NEA) waste management plant Tuas Nexus.
"Mr Ng’s leadership during COVID-19 ensured PUB’s operational resilience and the integrity of its supply chain," said MSE, adding that he drove an organisational wide effort to improve health and safety.
For his contributions to the public service, Mr Ng was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2006 and the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 2020.
INCOMING CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Mr Goh has been a member of the PUB Board since Apr 1, 2021.
During his career in the Singapore Armed Forces, he held a range of leadership appointments as well as policy roles in the Defence Ministry.
"As Chief of Army, he led the Army through the completion of key milestones for the 3rd Generation Army and laid the foundations for its next-generation transformation," said MSE.
"Mr Goh also co-chaired the National Service Review Committee that enhanced the contribution, service delivery experience and recognition of our national servicemen.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, Mr Goh ensured the Army’s operational resilience and led its contributions to national efforts against COVID-19."
Mr Goh received the Public Administration Medal (Gold) (Military) in 2021 for his contributions to the Public Service.
"The MSE would like to place on record our deep appreciation to Mr Ng for his leadership and valuable contributions to PUB and the MSE Family, and welcome Mr Goh," said the ministry.
