Appointment of New Chief Executive Officer for the Singapore Food Agency

Singapore, 25 March 2024 – Mr Chan Chee Weng Damian will be appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), with effect from 1 May 2024. He succeeds Mr Lim Kok Thai, CEO of SFA, who will be retiring from the Public Service with effect from 1 May 2024.

Contributions of Mr Lim Kok Thai

2 Mr Lim Kok Thai, 51, was appointed as CEO of the former Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) on 1 October 2017. He brought together food-related functions that were carried out by the former Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority, the National Environment Agency and the Health Sciences Authority to form a new statutory board, Singapore Food Agency (SFA), on 1 April 2019.

3 Mr Lim took on the role of CEO of SFA on 1 April 2019 and was instrumental in the development of the Singapore Food Story. Under his leadership, SFA charted out the long-term strategies to strengthen Singapore’s food security through our three “food baskets” – Diversify import sources, Grow local, and Grow overseas, as well as ensure food safety from farm to fork.

4 During Mr Lim’s tenure, SFA put in place initiatives to build the capability and capacity to sustainably produce 30 per cent of Singapore’s nutritional needs locally by 2030. These include providing grants through the enhanced Agri-Food Cluster Transformation Fund to support existing farms to achieve higher productivity, launching the Singapore Aquaculture Plan to uplift local aquaculture industry, developing the Lim Chu Kang masterplan to optimise land and sea space and transform the region into a high-tech agri-food zone, and launching the Farm-to-Table Recognition Programme to recognise food businesses that support local produce. SFA also worked with relevant parties to ensure that there were adequate food supplies for Singaporeans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and accelerated food production through the “30x30 Express” grant call while supporting the implementation of safe distancing measures.

5 Mr Lim also led SFA in reviewing and enhancing the food safety system, strengthening SFA’s food safety capabilities, and applying data analytics to adopt a risk-based approach for food safety management. SFA developed an integrated licensing framework known as the Safety Assurance and Food Establishment framework to provide better food safety assurance to consumers. SFA also introduced the novel food regulatory framework to ensure that all novel food are subjected to a rigorous safety assessment before they are approved for sale. Mr Lim also oversaw the introduction of the Laboratory Recognition Programme which enhanced the recognition of private testing laboratories and foreign authorities, and enhancements to the Food Hygiene Officer framework which contributed to the development of an enabling ecosystem for greater joint responsibility in food safety.

Incoming CEO Mr Chan Chee Weng Damian

6 Mr Chan Chee Weng Damian, 51, is currently the Executive Vice President, Human Capital Group and Member of the Executive Committee in the Economic Development Board (EDB). Over the course of his career, Mr Chan held a range of key leadership appointments in EDB, where he oversaw industry development and policy and planning. These include roles in Advanced Manufacturing, Agrifood, Environmental Sustainability, Hub Services & Connectivity, Planning and Policy and Central COVID-19 Operations. Mr Chan brings relevant experience to SFA given his leadership in the growth of Singapore’s agrifood sector in the last few years. He had also led the development of the Energy & Chemicals and Electronics industries. Mr Chan graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford in 1996.

Registration of Appreciation

7 The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) expresses our deep appreciation to Mr Lim for his leadership and invaluable contributions to SFA and the MSE Family, and welcomes Mr Chan.