Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Names New Chief Executive

Singapore's Ministry of Transport announced that Teo Eng Dih will take over as chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), succeeding Quah Ley Hoon, who will step down on September 5, 2022.

Teo Eng Dih, currently Deputy Secretary (Policy) of the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF), is responsible for MINDEF’s defense policy and diplomacy, strategic and public communications, and Total Defense. He oversaw the expansion of defense cooperation with international partners and strengthening of collaborations at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) platform. He also enhanced MINDEF’s public engagement initiatives, including revamping the Singapore Discovery Centre. 

Prior to MINDEF, Teo was Special Assistant to then-Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and had served in various government agencies in the areas of Policy and Planning, Manpower, Strategy, Technology, Climate Change, Enterprise Services and International Trade. He obtained a Master in Chemical Engineering First Class Honors from Imperial College of Science and Technology and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

Quah Ley Hoon

Quah Ley Hoon was appointed CE (Designate) of MPA on November 1, 2018 and assumed the position of CE on January 1, 2019. Quah played a pivotal role in furthering MPA’s vision as a leading maritime agency driving Singapore’s global maritime aspirations. She led MPA to complete the Tuas Port Phase 1 reclamation in 2021, which was a significant milestone in the development of Singapore’s next-generation port and in sustaining the Port of Singapore’s competitiveness and connectivity to the world. She was also instrumental in leading MPA to navigate the disruptions caused by COVID-19, while pressing on with the development and transformation of Singapore’s international maritime center and global hub port. 

Quah led MPA’s response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, working in close partnership with the unions, companies and industry associations. Quah initiated the Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience (SG-STAR) Fund in November 2020, the first global tripartite initiative, to work with stakeholders in seafaring nations on sustainable solutions for safe crew changes. To minimize disruptions to the maritime industry, she was instrumental in leading efforts such as Sea-Air-Vaccination Exercise and Sea Crew Vaccination Initiative to safeguard the health of both local maritime personnel as well as crew members onboard ships calling at Singapore.

Quah is a strong proponent for transformation of the maritime industry, notably in pushing forward the decarbonization and digitalization agenda. To support and accelerate maritime decarbonization, Quah worked with the Singapore Maritime Foundation to establish the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD) with private sector partners in August 2021. The GCMD has been collaborating with the industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. In March 2022, MPA launched the Maritime Singapore Decarbonization Blueprint which charts ambitious and concrete long-term strategies to support the maritime industry’s decarbonization.

Maritime Singapore took significant steps forward in digital maturity during Quah’s tenure when she led MPA to launch the digitalPORT@SGTM, which streamlined port clearance forms across multiple agencies into a one-stop digital clearance platform. This had enabled the industry to save up to 100,000 man-hours annually since its launch in 2019.