Appointment of New Executive Director at Singapore Maritime Institute

Dr Sanjay Chittarajan Kuttan, current Executive Director (ED) of the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI), will be stepping down on 31 August 2021. Mr Tan Cheng Peng, Director (Special Projects) of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), will first assume the role as ED-Designate on 1 August 2021 and then as ED from 1 September 2021.

Mr Wong Weng Sun, Chairman of SMI, said: “On behalf of the SMI Board and Governing Council, I wish to express our deepest appreciation to Sanjay for his invaluable contribution to SMI. Under his executive leadership, SMI refreshed the Singapore Maritime R&D Roadmap which was launched in April 2019. He led efforts to coordinate the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Autonomous & Remotely Operated Vessels, SMI’s fourth Centre of Excellence, in October 2019. More recently, he was involved in initiating the MPA-SMI joint call for proposals on the electrification of harbourcraft. Through active engagement with the maritime ecosystem, Sanjay was instrumental in strengthening SMI’s partnerships with the maritime industry and research community.”

Mr Wong added: “I look forward to welcoming Cheng Peng, who will lead SMI in its next chapter of driving maritime research and development, promoting greater industry-academia and international R&D collaborations to be undertaken in Singapore.”

Mr Tan Cheng Peng was responsible in overseeing MPA’s China engagement strategy and maritime heritage, and represented MPA at several international fora. Prior to his current appointment, he was the Director (Port Policy) at MPA with more than 10 years’ experience in the long-term port planning, regulation and policies for the port of Singapore. In this portfolio, he oversaw the long-term master-planning for the Pasir Panjang Terminals and the future Tuas mega port.

Mr Tan has a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government/Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He graduated with a First-Class Honours in Bachelor of Engineering from the National University of Singapore in 1991. Mr Tan received the National Day Award of Public Administration Medal (Bronze/Military). He attended MPA Academy’s Advance Maritime Leadership (AMLP) pinnacle programme in 2017.

**End of Release**

About the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI)
The Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) is a joint effort by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

Established in April 2011, SMI develops strategies and programmes to achieve its mission with key focus areas in sectors such as port, shipping and maritime services. SMI charts the maritime research strategy and promotes greater industry-academia research and development (R&D) collaborations to be undertaken in Singapore.

Through a whole-of-government approach, SMI drives initiatives with industry-wide impacts to enhance the overall competitiveness of the local maritime industry, and to strengthen research and development (R&D) capabilities in support of Singapore as a global maritime knowledge hub.

For more information, please visit www.maritimeinstitute.sg.

For media clarification, please contact:
Jacqueline Goh (Ms)
Senior Manager, Outreach and Corporate Communications
Singapore Maritime Institute
Mobile: (65) 9228 9032
Email: jacqueline@maritimeinstitute.sg