Calvin Phua appointed Chief Executive of Singapore Land Authority
By James Yau
Public sector veteran Phua will lead the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), building on the work of outgoing Chief Executive Colin Low.
Deputy Secretary (Policy) at the Ministry of Law Calvin Phua (left) will take over from Colin Low as Chief Executive of the Singapore Land Authority. Image: Ministry of Law
From May 1, Calvin Phua will take over as Singapore Land Authority (SLA)’s new Chief Executive.
He is currently the Deputy Secretary (Policy) at the Ministry of Law (MinLaw).
He succeeds Colin Low who has been SLA’s Chief Executive since 2021.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of SLA, Yeoh Oon Jin, extended the heartfelt gratitude to Low for his years of leadership and service on behalf of the board.
“As we bid farewell to Colin, we warmly welcome Calvin as SLA’s incoming Chief Executive, whose strategic insights and proven expertise will provide seamless continuity in vision and execution that will lead SLA’s next chapter of growth and contributions to the nation,” said Yeoh.
Parked under MinLaw, SLA is a statutory board that is responsible for optimising land resources for the economic and social development of Singapore.
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Extensive public sector experience
Phua’s efforts in strengthening Singapore’s legal system were highlighted in MinLaw’s official statement.
“To alleviate the economic impact of Covid-19, Phua led the implementation of enabling legal frameworks that provided relief to affected businesses and individuals,” the notice read.
He also enhanced Singapore’s offerings as an international dispute resolution hub by working with various institutions.
Having extensive experience across different ministries, Phua was awarded the Long Service Medal in 2021 during his service as Deputy Secretary (Law) at the Deputy Secretary's Office in MinLaw.
The medal recognises civil servants and other candidates for their irreproachable character and service of at least 25 years.
Phua was the Deputy Secretary (International) of the Ministry of Transport, holding concurrent appointments as Senior Director of Sports at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Deputy Chief Executive of Sport Singapore (Sport SG).
Permanent Secretary of MinLaw, Luke Goh, expressed the ministry’s confidence in Phua taking SLA to greater heights and looked forward to working closely with Phua in his new role.
Limited Land, Unlimited Space
Under outgoing Chief Executive Low’s tenure, SLA has made significant strides in optimising and rejuvenating State land and properties for diverse economic, social, and community uses, said the official statement.
Notably, the statement highlighted Low’s pivotal role in initiating sustainable asset management practices and driving green practices and meaningful community programming.
Under the vision “Limited Land, Unlimited Space”, SLA manages about 11,000 hectares of State land and about 2,700 state properties, which are used for residential, commercial, social and community purposes.
Low also launched the refreshed Singapore Geospatial Master Plan Version 2.0 last year, which spearheaded geospatial adoption across multiple sectors, including the social and healthcare sectors via barrier-free access routing and social prescribing.
Low debunked the rumours of his departure being linked with the runup to Singapore’s upcoming 2025 General Election.
He took to LinkedIn shortly after the official announcement was shared by MinLaw and said that he will not be running in the election.