MP Tin Pei Ling moves from public affairs to corporate development at Grab Singapore, following conflict of interest outcry

SINGAPORE — A week after intense public scrutiny of Member of Parliament (MP) Tin Pei Ling's new job at Grab, the technology and ride-hailing company said on Friday (Feb 10) that she will now move to a corporate development role instead. 

She will now be the director of corporate development at Grab, the firm said. She had initially been hired as director of public affairs and policy, which made headlines and prompted many questions over whether it could result in a conflict of interest.

Her duties in the new corporate development role will include “realising synergies across our investments and acquisitions, as well as supporting strategy development”, Grab said in a statement.

The MP for MacPherson constituency will not be involved in public affairs and policy work or represent the company in discussions with government officials, it added.

Grab came to a mutual agreement with Ms Tin on the change in roles after they discussed her career aspirations and evaluated her experience against relevant open roles.

The company noted on Friday that her appointment has generated "significant" discourse in recent days.

"Conflicts of interest in any setting warrant robust discussion and we appreciate this feedback," it said.

It added that a lot of thought had been given to address any potential conflict of interest that might arise when Ms Tin was hired, and that it had worked closely with her months in advance to ensure that her hiring and the scope of her expected responsibilities would be in line with the rules governing her duties and conduct as an MP.

Ms Tin had also informed her party leaders, who did not object to her appointment, Grab said.

“We also established rules of engagement where Pei Ling should not be advocating for Grab’s interest in her capacity as an MP and correspondingly, she should also not be advocating for her constituency and party in her work within Grab," the firm added.

“However, the discourse has led us to pause and reflect on how we can create an environment where Pei Ling can serve effectively in both her roles as an MP as well as representing Grab. We acknowledge that this is difficult if the intent behind every action or position she takes in the future is doubted or called into question."

In her new job, Ms Tin "will be expected to continue abiding by the rules of engagement we have put in place to declare and avoid any possible conflicts of interest, and operate in the same manner as other MPs holding private sector roles”, Grab said.

Posting on her Facebook page, Ms Tin said that she regarded her return to the private sector, through joining Grab, as a way "to broaden her horizons and to hone new skills".

However, after a discussion with Grab in response to the public outcry, both she and her employer agreed that it would be best for her to move to a role that did not involve any government relations in Singapore.

"I understand and have long come to accept the public scrutiny that comes with being an MP. But I would never want it to hinder my ability to serve my constituents well as MP, or to do my job at Grab effectively.

"And this would be the case if my intentions and actions in the future are always called into doubt, whether justified or not," Ms Tin wrote.

With the move, she said that the new role is in line with her career interest and will also tap her past experiences in consulting and corporate strategy.

"My reason for joining Grab holds firm, to support its social mission of creating economic empowerment for everyone, and I look forward to playing my part."

Ms Tin was elected to Parliament in 2011. A member of the ruling People's Action Party, she is also the chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Communications and Information, and a member of the GPC for Culture, Community and Youth.

Since May 2018 and before taking the job at Grab, she had been the chief executive officer at Business China, a non-profit dedicated to cultivating Singapore-China relationships.

Before that, she was the group director of corporate strategy of Jing King Tech Holdings — a financial technology company now known as Adera Global — and a business and management consultant at Ernst and Young Advisory.