Appointment of New Executive Director of the Singapore Maritime Institute

Mr Heng Chiang Gnee, who is the current Executive Director of the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI), will be completing his six-year term on 31 March 2017. Mr Toh Ah Cheong, Advisor (Technology) of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will be taking over the helm from Mr Heng with his new appointment as Executive Director of SMI with effect from 1 April 2017.

Outgoing Executive Director, Mr Heng Chiang Gnee

Mr Heng Chiang Gnee has served as the inaugural Executive Director of SMI since its formation in April 2011. He was previously the CEO of Sembawang Shipyard for a period of ten years and the President of the Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI) for a eight-year term prior to his appointment at SMI. Mr Heng is also the current Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council since April 2016.

Under Mr Heng’s able executive leadership, SMI spearheaded various programmes and initiatives to drive research and development (R&D) activities in public research institutes and institutes of higher learning, both in the Maritime and Marine & Offshore sectors. Some of his key achievements during his term as Executive Director include the formation of the four Maritime Institutes @ Institutes of Higher Learning (MI@IHLs), and the charting of the national maritime and offshore R&D Roadmap 2025.

Mr Heng has been a keen advocate of strengthening partnerships with the maritime industry and research community, which resulted in the support of the Maritime Energy Test Bed R&D facility at Nanyang Technological University, the organisation of the Next Generation Container Port Challenge and the support of numerous maritime and offshore R&D projects. Mr Heng also enabled research collaborations with global research partners in Europe and North Asia with countries such as Norway, China and Finland.

The Board and Governing Council of SMI will like to thank Mr Heng for his multi-year dedicated service and invaluable contributions to SMI and Maritime Singapore.

Incoming Executive Director, Mr Toh Ah Cheong

Mr Toh Ah Cheong headed the Technology Division of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) since MPA’s formation in 1996 until Sep 2016, when he took on a new role as Advisor (Technology). As Director (Technology) of MPA, he has been involved in the development and implementation of state-of-the-art technologies for the port, port planning and development, such as the Pasir Panjang Phases 3 and 4 container project and Tuas Port project, and research and development in the port and maritime areas.

Mr Toh was with the then Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) since 1975, starting as a Civil/Structural Engineer and was the Head of the Geotechnical and Hydraulic Department in 1986. His experiences in PSA are in the study, design and development of port facilities, such as warehousing complexes and terminals, reclamation and dredging, port engineering software development, and research and development in the port areas. He joined the MPA when it was set up in 1996.

He was a Director of SPECS Consultants Pte Ltd from May 1993 to Jul 1998, a member of the NTU-PWD Geotechnical Research Centre’s Advisory Committee and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from Mar 2004 to 2011, and a member of the Industry Advisory Committee for the Engineering Science Programme of the National University of Singapore from 2005 to 2011. He was also a member of the Advisory Panel of the Centre of Innovation of the Marine and Offshore Transportation, Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

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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) in partnership with local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Established in April 2011, The SMI develops strategies and programmes to achieve its mission with key focus areas in sectors such as port, shipping and maritime services.

The SMI charts the maritime research strategy together with the various maritime institutes at the local IHLs and promotes greater industry-academia R&D collaborations to be undertaken in Singapore.

As a whole-of-Government approach, the agencies work together in initiatives driven through the SMI. The formation of the SMI will strengthen Singapore’s research manpower and capabilities as a global maritime knowledge hub to enhance the overall positioning and competitiveness of the maritime industry.

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

For media clarification, please contact:

Jason Lin (Mr)
Singapore Maritime Institute
DID: (65) 6270-2824
HP: (65) 9365-4522
Fax: (65) 6270-2885
Email: jason@maritimeinstitute.sg