JTC Corporation to get new CEO from April
By Amit Roy Choudhury
Jacqueline Poh, Economic Development Board’s outgoing MD will take over from Tan Boon Khai, who will step down from his post on March 31.
Announcing the appointment of the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB)’s Managing Director, Jacqueline Poh, as CEO of JTC Corporation from April, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said she has a “deep understanding of investor needs which will help in her new role to develop attractive and innovative industrial land and spaces”. Image: JTC.
The Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB)’s Managing Director, Jacqueline Poh, will assume charge as Chief Executive Officer – Designate of JTC Corporation from March 1, and assume the position of CEO from April 1.
Announcing this on Friday, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), said that Poh will also be appointed as a member of the JTC Board in an ex-officio capacity.
Poh will succeed Tan Boon Khai, who will be stepping down as CEO of JTC on March 31 to pursue other interests after spending more than four years in the role.
In a LinkedIn post, Poh noted: “I’ll be transitioning to JTC Corporation, Singapore’s biggest industrial developer and landlord, in a week’s time.”
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Before EDB, Poh was Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group.
She was also the founding Chief Executive of the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) and Managing Director of the former Infocommunications Development Authority (IDA). She has also held key positions at the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defence.
In a statement announcing her appointment, MTI said Poh, in her three-and-a-half-year tenure as MD of EDB, led the organisation to “achieve strong investment commitments as Singapore’s economy recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Her tenure in EDB saw investment commitments in 2022 surpassing the organisation’s targets.
These accomplishments came amid a challenging global operating environment marked by technological disruption, global tax reforms, and geopolitical uncertainties impacting business decisions, MTI said.
Under her leadership, EDB worked closely with partner agencies to develop important areas like the digital economy, artificial intelligence, precision medicine, sustainability, innovation and leadership development.
Ms Poh also strengthened Singapore’s presence in key international business forums, and deepened EDB’s relationship with global leaders in key industries and corporations, especially in the technology and startup space, MTI added.
Understanding investor needs
Welcoming Poh to JTC, MTI’s Second Permanent Secretary, Jeffrey Siow said: “Already part of the MTI Family, Jacqueline has a deep understanding of investor needs which will help in her new role to develop attractive and innovative industrial land and spaces.
“I am confident that Jacqueline will build on Boon Khai’s good work to advance Singapore’s industrial infrastructure.”
Tan, the outgoing CEO of JTC, joined the organisation in September 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 crisis.
MTI noted that during his four-and-a-half-year tenure, Tan led JTC in implementing several pandemic response measures in industries that were “critical to the overall national effort to stay resilient and to recover strongly.”
MTI said he then spearheaded a series of transformations to advance Singapore’s industrial makeup and support the growth of new industry clusters.
Under his leadership, JTC completed next-generation industrial estates such as Punggol Digital District, as well as key industrial buildings such as CleanTech Three, TimMac@Kranji, Kranji Green and Defu Industrial City to support industrial growth, MTI said.
Tan also led the push for building new estates, including the Jurong Innovation District and Woodlands North Coast, while anchoring preservation and adaptive reuse as a key consideration in rejuvenating ageing industrial estates in the redevelopment of Singapore’s industrial sector.
He was instrumental in enhancing stakeholder engagement and innovation in JTC and drove broader productivity in operations using digitalisation and technology adoption, the MTI statement added.
Before taking up his role in JTC, Tan was the CEO of Singapore Land Authority from March 2015 to September 2020.
In a statement on Tan’s contribution to JTC, Siow said: “Boon Khai has made significant contributions to JTC during his tenure as CEO. Under his leadership, JTC drove the planning and development of future-ready industrial infrastructure, which supported the growth of our industries and companies. He was also a key leader of MTI’s efforts to help our businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic. I thank Boon Khai for his service and wish him all the best for his next endeavour”.