New CEOs for Singapore’s IMDA and NLB from November

In a major leadership reshuffle, the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Information (MDDI) has announced that the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and the National Library Board (NLB) will get new Chief Executive Officers from November 1 this year. 

The current CEO of NLB, Ng Cher Pong, will take over as IMDA’s CEO Designate from October 15 and assume the full-time role as CEO from November, replacing Lew Chuen Hong, who moves on from his position after a successful stint of more than five years as CEO. 

Melissa-May Tam will take over as CEO Designate of NLB from October 1 and assume a full-time role also from November. 

Ng has more than 30 years of experience in the public service, and previously also served in the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Education, and Singapore Workforce Development Agency. 

He was appointed NLB CEO in December 2019 and, according to MDDI, has led NLB’s digital transformation through his implementation of Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025 (LAB25) for the past six years. 

This included a fundamental shift in NLB’s operating approach to bring about a more open platform, omni-channel service delivery, expand reach through nodes across Singapore, and personalised recommendations to broaden and deepen content discovery through data. 

Inclusive libraries 

NLB conceived and opened Singapore’s first fully inclusive library for Persons with Disabilities, the Punggol Regional Library, in 2023, to increase accessibility for this vulnerable segment.  

Under his leadership, NLB also introduced fully self-service, pop-up speciality-themed libraries and spearheaded delivery services to extend its reach to a wider community. 

He also drove the organisation to use emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to create immersive experiences that facilitated discovery and learning.  

MDDI added that he also oversaw the development of the SG60 flagship event, Heart & Soul Experience at Orchard Library. 

Before his stint at NLB, Ng was the founding Chief Executive of the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) from 2016 to 2019, and concurrently Deputy Secretary (SkillsFuture) in the Ministry of Education.  

To subscribe to the GovInsider bulletin, click here. 

At SSG, he led key initiatives under the SkillsFuture movement, such as the SkillsFuture Credit, MySkillsFuture, and SkillsFuture Series. 

NLB’s CEO-designate Tam started her public service career at the Ministry of Defence in 1994, where she has held various leadership roles in research and analysis.  

Her work has focused on enhancing Singapore’s understanding of regional and global issues, as well as analysing security concerns relevant to Singapore, including terrorism. 

Tam graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a degree in Psychology.  

She has a Master's Degree in International Public Policy from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, where she was a Fulbright scholar.

She has also attended the Advanced Management Programme at the Harvard Business School. 

Outgoing IMDA CEO 

MDDI noted that IMDA’s outgoing CEO, Lew, has over the past five years contributed “significantly to architecting the development of Singapore’s Digital Economy and Society”.  

Under his leadership, IMDA pushed the boundaries of frontier tech and R&D in the key domains of AI, quantum, connectivity and trust technologies, the statement said. 

As the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) Commissioner, Lew drove amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) to enable better use of data for innovation.  

This included pioneering AI Governance and working with industry through initiatives like the AI Verify Open-Source foundation.  

He also led IMDA to develop new social media codes to build a safer digital space for Singaporeans.  

IMDA has also strengthened digital inclusion and promoted digital adoption through initiatives such as the Digital for Life movement, SG Digital Ambassadors for seniors, and the Code SG for students, under his leadership.