After 38 years in public service, Ow Foong Pheng, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of National Development (MND), is all set to retire on April 1.
The Public Service Division (PSD) announced in a statement on Friday, February 28, that Loh Ngai Seng, Permanent Secretary (designate) at MND, will be appointed to the position on the same day.
Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing thanked Ow for her leadership and many years of dedicated service.
He said, “Her contributions to the Public Service and to Singapore have been significant and impactful.”
Ow, 61, began working for the Public Service in 1986 and held a number of positions. She first served as deputy secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2001. In 2004, she was promoted to deputy secretary in the Ministry of Manpower.
According to PSD, Ow played a key role in identifying and closing policy gaps and bringing together the necessary personnel and resources to combat SARS in 2003 while serving as secretary to the ministerial committee and executive group on the disease.
Her other positions include Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry), Second Permanent Secretary (Trade and Industry), and Chief Executive Officer of Jurong Town Corporation.
In 2016, Ow was named Permanent Secretary for National Development.
PSD said, “She spearheaded initiatives to provide affordable and quality public housing, including the launch of the Family Care scheme and Community Care apartments, the introduction of a new classification framework for HDB flats and the priority allocation of Build-To-Order flats.”
“Mrs Ow oversaw the Long-Term Plan Review to steward the physical development of Singapore over the next 50 years, and led the Ministry of National Development’s contribution to the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which sets out Singapore’s agenda on sustainable development,” it added.
In 2023, Ow received the Meritorious Service Medal in honor of her service to the Public Service.
Before being appointed as deputy secretary (policy) at the Ministry of Education in 2008, her successor, Loh, had a number of positions in the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Home Affairs.
The 53-year-old was named Second Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs) in 2016 after serving as Director of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Internal Security Department in 2010. In 2017, he was named Permanent Secretary (Transport). He was named Permanent Secretary (National Development) (designate) in December 2024.
