SMRT’s Desmond Kuek to step down; former chief of defence force Neo Kian Hong takes over from Aug 1

SINGAPORE — Embattled SMRT group chief executive officer Desmond Kuek will be stepping down from his post, the rail operator said on Wednesday (April 18) in announcing its decision to pick another former top military man to helm the company.

Former chief of defence force Neo Kian Hong, who is currently the permanent secretary for defence development, will replace Mr Kuek on August 1, SMRT said in a statement.

"We are confident that (Mr Neo) will be able to lead SMRT towards achieving operation excellence," SMRT chairman Seah Moon Ming was quoted saying in the statement.

Mr Kuek first joined SMRT in October 2012 following the resignation of his predecessor Saw Phaik Hwa in January that year.

This is the second major leadership change at SMRT in under a year. Last July, Mr Seah Moon Ming replaced Mr Koh Yong Guan as chairman of both SMRT Corporation and SMRT Trains.

Mr Neo will be taking over one of the hottest seats in Singapore. SMRT has come under heavy public criticism in the past year following a string of high profile incidents, including a tunnel flooding at Bishan and a train collision at Joo Koon.

Commuters have also taken the rail operator to task for not providing timely information during major incidents and multiple train breakdowns. A track fault disrupted train services between the Tampines and Pasir Ris stations for about 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, hours after the leadership change was announced.

“I am conscious that there will be challenges ahead," Mr Neo said in the SMRT statement, adding: "I know the public expects safe and reliable train services. I will work very hard to meet their expectations."

Mr Neo was the Singapore Armed Forces' seventh chief of defence force. He will be retiring from the Administrative Service to join the rail operator.

The outgoing Mr Kuek thanked his colleagues, and expressed hopes that SMRT is "well-placed for better journeys ahead".

Mr Seah expressed his appreciation for Mr Kuek's contributions and praised him for his committment to the company.